Mamarama: A Memoir of Sex, Kids, & Rock 'n' Roll

By Alasha Bennett

Any parent may ask, "What's the connection between my youthful self and the old fart my kids think I am?" The question is especially relevant for Evelyn McDonnell, a Janie-come-lately breeder looking back on her bohemian, feminist, punk-rock glory days and wondering, is the new me still the old me? The answer is yes: A baby changes everything but your self. In fact, though she may no longer write fanzines or engage in political performance art, McDonnell's revolutionary spirit is strengthened by having an added investment in the future--her toddler son and teen stepdaughters. As she makes the transformation from Riot Grrrl to Rebel Mom, this music journalist gives an eyewitness account of the cultural movements of the '90s, from alternative rock and third-wave feminism to hip-hop, raves, poetry, and Rent . Through this pop-culture lens she confronts the conventions and pressures of modern motherhood. Part of an emerging generation of cultural commentators and memoirists, McDonnell adds an original, humorous, and edgy voice to the ongoing literature of motherhood.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0738210544
• ISBN13: 9780738210544
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.8" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

excellent book!

OK, so I'm not cool anymore (maybe I never was), but so what? I still have the NYC hip-hop 90's in me which means I can dance and groove when I get the chance. Mamarama is a reminder that the teenager/twenty-something/thirty-something in still in all of us moms. Music, art, deep thoughts, bad deeds, good deeds... all the things we had time for pre-kids are not the past. All you have to do is dig down a little below the everyday...

Funny, smart and nostaglic--read this book

You don't have to be an indie music lover, a feminist, a writer, a NYCophile, or a mom to connect with this book, but if you are any of those things, you will not be able to put it down. McDonnell's perspectives on American life and politics from the 70s on are enlightening and entertaining. She places the experiences of working, protesting, finding friends and cities, and finally mothering, in the larger social context...

An original and fun journey

I felt like I was reading about my older sister. McDonnell brought back a lot of memories of growing up in the 70's, 80's and 90's. It was a lot of fun reading about how and where her life's path has taken her so far and always trying to stay true to herself. I look forward to reading GRAMARAMA??

mamarama rules

just finish this book and really enjoyed the journey. love, love, love the author's writing, so cutting edge yet sophisticated and funny.

Yes to "Need More Rama"

"Mamarama is about changing the way we look at mothers, about realizing we are the cutting edge, the creators of the future." This book is thought-provoking and engrossing. All stories of motherhood carry a timeless core, an essence of this mind-boggling, mad and divine experience. Mamarama brings the timely to the timeless. The choices available to a human, a woman, a mother, a professional change moment to moment, year...