Book Suggestions: Preview for "Expecting Adam" by Martha Beck

Martha is deep into graduate study and barely keeping her head above water when she finds herself extremely sick with the pregnancy of her second child. She finds out early-on that the baby inside of her has Down’s Syndrome. While her colleagues are advising (read: insisting) that she abort her son, Martha feels inexplicably led to keep her baby. This book chronicles her journey, her fight, and the son that gave her life.

I came late to the party on this one, having just finished it. This book is an excellent one to use for book clubs due to plethora of divisive topics: from genetic screening and abortion, to magic and angels, to commentary on the close-minded society of an Ivy League University. At the core, this book challenges us to think about what it means to achieve excellence and is equal parts emotionally exhausting and emotionally uplifting. 

About the author:

Martha Beck lives in Phoenix, Arizona and is a partner at NorthStar, Inc, which is a life coaching company. She has witten several self-help books as well as several controversial best sellers. She also writes a column in The Oprah Magazine. I strongly discourage you from researching more on Martha Beck until after you have read the book. Having heard the “Expecting Adam” portion of her story, there are parts of her life that you will be surprised to learn after you've finished. Go get the book and check back here on September 1!