March 31–April 11

The first chapter in Jennifer Graf Groneberg’s book, Road Map to Holland, is titled “At First, It Hurts to Breathe” and that is how she states that it feels to learn that your child has Down syndrome. Jennifer Graf Groneberg takes the reader through the diagnosis for one of her twin boys through life with “the child that she wanted, that she did not know she wanted.”

The title of the book refers to a famous essay by Emily Perl Kingsley that explains how to feels to raise a child with Down syndrome by drawing the comparison to getting on a plane to Italy and ending up in Holland. The windmills and tulips are beautiful, but it’s an adjustment if your heart was set on seeing Rome.

Life with her twin boys is very beautiful but it is an adjustment from her original worries about paying for two college tuitions at once or putting an addition on her home once they learned they were having twins. The experience has expanded her world ten-fold, redefined the definition of family, and brought her enormous love. This book is a gorgeous read because it is about watching someone learn how to navigate her world while simultaneously teaching her three boys the way through the landscape.

Where to find more about Road Map to Holland and author, Jennifer Graf Groneberg:

	Jennifer Graf Groneberg’s backstory for Road Map to Holland
	Jennifer Graf Groneberg’s Website Jennifer Graf Groneberg’s Blog Jennifer’s column on Mamazine.com Creative non-fiction on Literary Mama
	Look for reviews of Road Map to Holland in Publisher’s Weekly, Literary Mama, ParentDish, and Mamazine.  More reviews for Road Map to Holland!
	Read an excerpt from Road Map to Holland   Reader’s Guide for the book
	Video from Groneberg

Here’s what MotherTalk reviewers are saying about Road Map to Holland:

It was hard for aka Monty to read the book but she’s glad she did. “Jennifer brings you into her life, on the journey from birth to the NICU through the first couple of years…and it’s a heartbreaking and beautiful story. Whether you have children or not, whether they’re disabled in some way or not, read this book. At the very least, it will help promote understanding, especially if you’re faced with a situation in which you don’t know what to say or how to be a friend to someone with disabled children.”

Big Blueberry Eyes loved the intense honesty of this book. “I think just about any parent dealing with a diagnosis for their child could identify with Jennifer’s story, and that’s what new parents need. A book just like this. A book that will be honest with the ups and downs, that will show other parents they aren’t alone. A book that will make you say “I feel like that too!” A book that will make you realize the sadness and fear of the unknown won’t last forever and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Life as Lou spoke about the love that came through the page. “I loved how the book took the reader through the entire experience. There is no glossing over anything. It is real. The hurt, the frustration, and the wonder is all as real as the joy and the love that is also expressed, and neither set of emotions are doctored up to sound trite or simplistic.”

What Was I Reviewing was glad she read the book though she didn’t enjoy it and I Won’t Fear Love wrote about wanting to catch a glimpse of a mothering moment that is not her own. “Jennifer doesn’t snow us. She doesn’t make it like all it took was love and a millisecond. Slow and steady, and, oftentimes, unsteady is how they made it.”

3-Ring Circus said, “This book is unflinchingly honest. At times it made me feel as if I was reading someone’s private diary and that I should put it down, that I should look away. I couldn’t.”

Gaijin Mama wished everyone would read the book. “In this book, Groneberg goes beyond the stereotypes. She doesn’t seek to comfort, but instead offers an honest account of giving birth to and living with Avery - an individual with likes and dislikes and various abilities.”

Actual Unretouched Photo said, “She writes in present tense of journeying through the first two years of her twins’ lives, so you do feel as if you are in the middle of her life, if only for a moment. And isn’t that what reading is all about? Trying on someone else’s life to see how it feels?”

This Mom had read Groneberg’s writing in Literary Mama and Parent Dish as well. “Every time I read her writing I find myself breathing more deeply. I love the way she observes her life. It helps me slow down and notice more in my own life.”

Clueless in Carolina said, “It is beautifully written without being pretentious. Jennifer has the gift of writing seemingly ordinary prose yet making it sound interesting without dressing it up with headlights and flashiness.”

Gift of Green created a long list of people who need to read Road Map to Holland including, “Whether you have a child with Down syndrome or not, read this book… If you have ever battled the instinct to flee - to run from your family and from the mess you think you have created, read this book… If you have ever been stunned into silence and vowed next time you will know exactly the right way to respond, read this book…”

Compost Happens wrote about the essay referred to in the title. “I, too, had to suddenly change my perception, modify my hopes and dreams, and dig for information when my infant son’s blindness was diagnosed. Ms. Groneberg and I faced parallels in some of our thinking processes, and one of those was a constant re-interpretation of life metaphors.”

And Some Other Stuff wrote about how much the book resonated with her. “I didn’t expect her honesty to resonate so loud in my heart - the anger & frustration I’m feeling now all rose up as she recounted her own journey into mothering Avery. The shifting of expectations - not wanting to expect too much, nor too little - having no guarantees of future success - living with all the uncertainty and yet doing everything you can for your kid, because that’s what mothering is - all this left me feeling breathless, realizing my own anger at our situation, anger at the disability.”

Needs New Batteries says “I didn’t expect her honesty to resonate so loud in my heart - the anger & frustration I’m feeling now all rose up as she recounted her own journey into mothering [her son].”

Making Things Up says “If you could talk Jennifer into inviting you over for a cup of tea, Roadmap to Holland is the story I imagine she’d tell you, about the path she’s taken, and about the supportive family, friends, and therapists who helped her to get where she is now.”

Lastly, So a Blonde Walks Into a Review says, “What I loved most about Groneberg, is that she makes it clear in this book that she is no out-of-the-ordinary superhero. She is just like you and me. She has fears, worries and insecurities just like the rest of us. And she shows that all it takes to raise a child with Down syndrome is love. That’s the only quality you will need to possess. Love alone will give you courage and determination and anything else that may be required of you.”

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 29th, 2008 at 8:32 am and is filed under Blog Tours. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.