Editorial Review
Rockabye is the lively memoir of a spontaneous young city-girl who becomes unexpectedly pregnant. That city-girl is Rebecca Woolf, who at 23, after the "holy shit, I'm pregnant" realization, decides to keep the baby, marry the boyfriend (in Vegas no less), and figure out how to wed her rock n' roll lifestyle and impending motherhood.
With humor, honesty, and renegade insight, Rebecca makes the transition from life as an odd-job doing commitment-phobic, chain-smoking, irresponsible party-girl to life as a work-at-home mother with a different kind of social life. Throughout, Rebecca doesn't relinquish the token qualities of her free-spirited, pre-baby self; rebelling against both the "soccer mom," and "young mother" stereotypes, challenging herself to grow up without outgrowing her dreams, and most importantly embracing motherhood without a map.
Rockabye explores the coming together of mother and son and their mutual coming of age. How does Rebecca adapt to motherhood? By acting on instinct and maintaining a strong sense of self, breaking rules (sometimes her own) in the process and building her own adventures out of legos and alphabet blocks.
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Customer Reviews
Touching, raw emotion and as brilliant as her blog 
2008-05-09
Following Rebecca's blogs for several years now, I thought this was going to be a compilation of her now-famous posts. However, 2 chapters in and I couldn't put it down. In today's society, where raising a child is scrutinized on the internet, T.V, by the evil Nancy Grace and even on the playground by Mom's clubs, Rebecca let's us future moms know it's O.K to go by instinct. To not pay attention to the "norms" and the "should be at this stage when they are xx months old". To really follow your heart. To know it's O.K to break down, and that its hard and that's OK to admit. This book really spoke to me and the style of writing makes the book hard to put down. It comes to life and warms the heart. My only disappointment-that it came to an end!
Some truly good reading 2008-05-03
I loved this book! I really enjoyed the refreshing perspective of a unique and clearly special author and mother. I totally recommend it (and my husband does too!)
Girl's Gone Child (and so eloquently!) 2008-05-02
I have been a fan of Girl's Gone Child, Rebecca's blog, for quite some time. I jumped at the chance to read more when she published Rockabye, and I finished it in 3 days. Although I was not wild like Rebecca and my pregnancy was planned, I found parenthood to be such a force in life that it took me by surprise anyway.
Rebecca somehow captures what it's like to be a new parent, trying to remember who you were pre-child while living up to your own expectations of what it means to be a good parent. She shares her vulnerability with the reader, and at the same time projects her confident and uplifting attitude, encouraging all of us to take charge of our lives no matter how the changes came about.
A must-read for anybody who's a mother, and everybody who has one 2008-04-14
Due in part to a timely coincidence, Rebecca Woolf's beautiful love story touched me in a way I wasn't expecting: from her son Archer's perspective. I too am my mother's first born son, and like Archer, I was born a few weeks before my mom turned twenty-four. My mom and I also share the same sign.
Rockabye presents an intimate look at the maternal side of the youngmom-firstborn relationship. Through Rebecca's words, I began hearing -- and understanding -- what my own mom went through in our first few years together. From the pregnancy itself to my mom's relentless gobbling of my nose to my own vague memories of awkwardly forced socializing with other young mothers and toddlers in the neighborhood park, Rebecca has captured the essence of that unparalleled connection between mom and first born.
Archer Sage, the man, will be damn proud of Mom someday.
Honest and poetic 2008-04-14
When I bought Rebecca Woolf's "Rockabye: From Wild to Child", I was sold a misleading bill of goods. Like Neal Pollack's "Alternadad", Woolf's memoir was marketed as the story of a party-all-nighter's quest to transition to parenthood without losing her innate coolness. And like Pollack's memoir, "Rockabye" turned out to be so much more. It's a heartfelt exploration of a new parent's discovery of her heart and soul, awakened by the birth of her child, and how, in finding her own way to be that son's very best parent, she finds her true self. Woolf writes with unblinking honesty and a stunning gift for language. I've never been so happy to find that a book I'm reading is not the book I thought it was going to be.
Authentic and Raw 2008-07-10
I hadn't read Rebecca Woolf's blog before I read this book. I immediately sought out more, more after wiping the tears from my eyes. Rebecca's eloquence inspires me so much. I haven't been this turned inside out by a memoir since Anne Lamott's Operating Instructions.
Not Your Ordinary Parenting Memoir 2008-06-18
Girl's Gone Child, written by Rebecca Woolf, was one of the first blogs I ever read on a regular basis.
In some ways -- OK, LOTS of ways -- my life couldn't be more different than Rebecca's, but I connected with her writing instantly. It didn't matter that she was a 20-something and I was a 40-something. It didn't matter that she had been a "wild child" and I never was (though I always wanted to be!). Her stories about her motherhood and life experiences resonated with something in me -- she touched a place in me that was strong yet hesitant, opinionated yet ambivalent, a mother struggling to still be myself.
All that and more comes through in her memoir, Rockabye: From Wild to Child. While Rockabye is partly a story about her journey to and through unexpected motherhood in her early 20's, it's also a tale about how surviving her childhood shaped her as a woman and mother.
Nobody has an easy time in middle school or high school (unless you were the perky cheerleader with the perfect body). But Rebecca digs deep into her youth in an honest and compelling way that, for better or worse, pushed me to think hard about how my own school experiences and related trauma, more in the distant past than hers, still inform my life and my motherhood today.
Rebecca's writing is honest and raw in a way that makes you appreciate the honesty and openness she brings to her story, but also niggles the reader's brain to go a little deeper about who we are as people and parents, and why we are that way.
As Rebecca grappled with her decision about what choice to make about her unplanned pregnancy, she had an inner conversation with herself while waiting for her first doctor's appointment. That bold internal dialogue led to this truth:
You will never regret a decision you make with your heart.
When I read that, I started crying. Not because I was upset, because I knew she was so right. I struggle with life decisions all the time. I can't help it, I'm a Libra. But her words reminded me that if I can focus on making my decisions, big and small, with my heart -- as Rebecca does and shows us how to do in Rockabye -- I'll be OK.
I have to confess, I did get a few sneak peeks at some of the Rockabye chapters. I was lucky enough to be in Rebecca's online writing group for a while (I was not the most active or productive member, but she welcomed me anyway).
Rockabye is a journey of powerful self-discovery as she makes her way through becoming a mother to her son Archer (who is one of the cutest little boys on the planet, BTW). So when you're tempted to worry about whether you should look at yet another parenting magazine for motherhood advice, take a little advice from the pages of Rockabye, and look to your inner self.
Reading her book gave me another thing -- the good swift kick in the pants to write more about my own mothering experiences. Sure, there are a lot of stories out there, but all our experiences are unique and more of us should write about them and, as Rebecca reminds us, to embrace them, even on those days when we think we won't survive until our children's bedtimes.
Rebecca, thanks for taking me on this journey. You'll never know how much your book meant to me.
too short! 2008-06-03
I read this book in one sitting, and my only complaint is that it wasn't longer! I stumbled across Rebecca's blog a few months ago - I'm hooked! Wonderful style and heart! She is very honest with the changes in her life and emotional world. Loved it!
Coulnd't put it down 2008-05-14
I have been reading the authors blog for a few years now. I was very excited to finally read her book. It was a real journey. You are taken to highs and lows and lots of laughs along the way. I read this book in a matter of hours. I highly recommend this book. Especially to newer moms. She tells it like it is.
great read 2008-05-10
Awesome, great fast read that is very easy to relate to. The truthful heart warming tale of a new mother and her choices and battles.
