Mothers of Sparta: A Memoir in Pieces Hardcover – Picture Book, January 30, 2018

From the first essay, “Night Swim,” in which Davies watches her daughters swim into the future, until the final essay, “Four Animals,” in which she is carried painlessly on high tide and finally learns to forgive herself, we are submerged, so to speak, in a series of chapters in her life that illustrate her honest, often humorous, and always brilliantly voiced narration. Davies observes that “there is so little to control in life,” but each essay presents evidence of that very quest for control.In “Three Places,” she tries to fit into her new surroundings with her family’s frequent moves, copes with her extreme fatigue as a new mother in “Pie,” holds the hand of a dying accident victim in “Keeping the Faith,” and offers a glimpse of her divorce in “FM D&R—1-10.6,” a field manual for divorce and remarriage. Each essay breaks the boundaries of story structure to provide fresh narratives that are just pure fun. She shows up at places just after her favorite musician has left and we are privy to the importance of music in her life. Laughs arise at her own expense – the morbid futures of the family pets, communications with the overseas woman making a mail order knockoff wedding dress, and men she would have slept with. But right from the start we see the fierceness of spirit that eventually makes her a mother of Sparta, illustrated in her central essay, her account of her troubled son.If you want a book that clenches you from the first page and doesn’t let go until the last; if you want a book full of poetic language and a clear unwavering voice; if you want a book that is deeply personal and brilliantly honest, Mothers of Sparta: A Memoir in Pieces is the one.

Because Dawn Davies is one heck of a storyteller and if you read MOTHERS OF SPARTA: A MEMOIR IN PIECES for one chapter alone, Men I Would Have Slept With, you will laugh yourself silly and be completely satisfied. Of course, you will also want to read the rest of her book. In it, she shares the deep downs of marriage and motherhood, along with the way ups, and how persistence pays off. What comes shining through, in addition to her brilliant sense of humor, is her tenacity. As a mother and someone who brings it. No matter what.As if her hilarious if-her-loving husband-weren't-in-the-picture-sexual-fantasy-list and major thing for Frederick Douglass are not enough to entice you, Davies is nothing short of a dedicated pet owner with more animal misadventure stories than I imagine most veterinarians have in a lifetime. Just one of many other pieces she expertly pulls out in her memoir.

I really liked the chapter about her son and the difficulty she had met. I appreciated the way she met the problem with optimism and humor. It is very difficult when you have the same situation in your own family and she gave us something to attempt to do.the rest of the book was cute and humorous, but I had seem the author on Megan Kelly and was interested in this particular part of her book more than the rest. She did not disappoint me.

There are several reasons I love this book.1. It’s so completely honest. I admire her for not holding back, for telling it like it is. And she does NOT hold back.2. She has a unique way of sharing something utterly depressing and making it somehow hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud at scenarios that were not funny in the least, but her wording and way of retelling it made it so.3. I appreciated that each chapter was its own story. It’s hard for me to find time to read and I knew I could read one chapter and leave the book for a while and not have to reread to catch up.

This book is not what I expected. I purchased it after watching the Meghan Kelly interview. Most of the interview was about the journey of parenting her son. She described the title as a Mother always ready and on the alert. This book has very little about the mothering of her son and what she spoke of in the Meghan Kelly interview like I was expecting. They are well written essays but if I had known it wasn't really about mother of Sparta parenting I would not have bought it at all.

I was wondering the first few chapters "What is the Point"? Then began realizing that she was making a point of how easy it is to become addicted to perscription drugs - She skips around regarding her son - I kept reading but had to discuss the content with my daughter as she was reading also. I'm not finished as I get confused at times. My daughter stated that the author seems to jump around too much.

I absolutely love how raw the stories were in each chapter. It goes through all the emotions without sugar coating any of it. I was literally laughing and crying at the same time. The part about her Autistic son is so tragic and all you want to do is try and find a way to help them. I highly recommend everyone to read this book- you won't regret it.

I too am such a mother- however I will say my son does not harm others. I was hopeful for a book about the mothers journey, her feelings, how she coped and survived. This is NOT that book. There is only one chapter about her son, and it had a open ending. I also read a few other stories and the one about the foster dog was so dismal. I have fostered dogs/cats for a local no kill rescue. I was happy to read this story until I read about how this hopeless dog stayed hopeless, and did not have a ending at all. This author does not know how to end a story- I quit reading it and will drop it off at my local good will.If any one knows of a good book on how to deal with impossible children- please share it with me. This is not that book.