In Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood (Penguin Random House), Lucy Jones investigates the transformative experience of becoming a mother in a way that is intimate, informative and illuminating. Blending memoir and research, Jones explores all angles of motherhood—from “hormonal soup” to care work, from the nausea of early pregnancy to the politics of being (or not being) a working mother—situating the experience not only in the biological body but in a larger societal context. Each chapter begins with near-lyrical passages on natural phenomena—frogspawn, eel eggs hatching, the aurora borealis; this is where the writing really shines and Jones’s background as a nature writer comes to the fore. Jones’s candid look at the sociological realities of mothers in the modern Western world is particularly refreshing. Matrescence serves as an antidote both to bland baby-and-me books and to counter-culture birthing books that often give you the feeling of being quietly gaslit. In that sense, Matrescence is radical and necessary. If I had to hazard a guess, this book will make quite a mark not only on how we talk about motherhood but, more importantly, on how mothers feel about themselves.

‍—Cornelia Mars