There is no denying it: motherhood splits a woman’s life forever,
into a before and an after. To this doubled life Lisa Catherine
Harper brings a wealth of feeling and a wry sense of humor, a will
to understand the emotional and biological transformations that
motherhood entails, and a narrative gift that any reader will
enjoy. Harper documents her own journey across this great divide as
a seasoned explorer might, observing, researching, relating
anecdotes and critical information. From late-night Lindy Hop
dancing to crippling sciatica, morning sickness to indulgent meals,
graduate seminars to sophisticated ultrasounds, Harper marries
scientific details with intimate insights as she uncovers the
fascinating strangeness of this remarkably familiar territory.
Following Harper’s first pregnancy from conception to her
daughter’s first word, A Double Life looks at how the biological
facts of motherhood give rise to life-altering emotional and
psychological changes. It shows us how motherhood transforms the
female body, hijacks a woman’s mind, and splits her life in two,
creating an identity both brand new and as old as time. It charts
the passage from individual to incubator, from pregnancy, labor,
and nursing to language acquisition, from coupledom to the complex
reality of family life. Harper’s carefully researched story reminds
us that motherhood’s central joys are also its most essential
transformations. Watch a book trailer.