My latest memoir, What I Thought I Knew by Alice Eve Cohen has been an interesting read. I am not sure that I totally "get" the author's point of view on some things, but I did enjoy reading her story.
Cohen discovered she was pregnant at the age of forty four after she had been diagnosed as infertile and had been taking hormone replacement drugs for years. Cohen has been at a string of doctors by this point - all of them diagnosing anything but pregnancy. When she discovers that she will soon be having a baby, excitement is not the first emotion for Cohen. She contemplates abortion as well as giving her child up for adoption so that she can go on with her life. Also of concern is the fact that she has received no prenatal care and is considered of advanced age to be having a baby. When doctors suggest that perhaps her child will have some handicap Cohen's choices become harder. Eliana enters the world, a petite five pound baby who appears healthy. However, it is quickly noticed that her right and left side of her body are not symmetrical. One leg is roughly five inches shorter than the other. While Eliana's health concerns will not go away, Cohen also falls in love with her daughter. Seven years later Cohen has found her voice to write about that period in their lives.
An interesting and thought provoking memoir.
No comments:
Post a Comment