About Rebecca Eckler
Since becoming pregnant with her daughter Rowan, Canadian journalist and author Rebecca Eckler has penned three hilarious books, including the best-selling Knocked Up. Catch Rebecca’s weekly unique perspective on motherhood and single parenthood.
Becky's Book Club
eckler plus one canada
(Feb.23.10)
Welcome to "Becky’s Book Club.” Here are three books I’ve recently read. Loved one. Liked one. Hated one! I’ll start with the one I hated, because nothing gets my day going more than a good rant!
Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough, by Lori Gottlieb
I LOVE books. I don’t believe in burning/banning books. However, for the first time EVER I wanted to burn a book – this book. If there weren’t so much snow in my backyard, if I knew how to make a bonfire, and could find matches, I would. Reading it was like being in a bad relationship. It started out okay. I think I’d like the writer in person. She seems quick and successful. And pretty! The title is eye-catching, but sums it all up.
Gottlieb caused a stir by writing an article in Atlantic Monthly a couple years ago, which this 300-page book expands on. Go read the article by googling “Settle” and “Atlantic Monthly.” Halfway through, I not only wanted to ditch this book, I was bored and annoyed. Like a bad relationship, this book just does not work. I simply CANNOT understand why any woman, at any age, would settle, even after reading Gottlieb’s numerous examples of why one should.
OK, I’ll admit, I can MAYBE wrap my head around the fact if you are sort of traditional, believe marriage is the be all and end all, and the only way to have a baby you so desperately want is to marry, then fine, maybe settle. But you’d be stupid. Remember, the person you’re “settling” with YOU HAVE TO LIVE WITH EVERY DAY. Gottlieb surfs over this, um, tiny, little point. (I also think there are plenty of women who haven’t settled, who found true love. They just haven’t got the book deal.)
Quite frankly, all the women I know who has settled for companionship are the UNHAPPIEST people I know. (Gottlieb, oddly, doesn’t seem to include any of these women. I can give her five names right now!) Life goes quickly but it is also long, especially LONG if you’ve settled. Do you really want to spend 40 years with someone whose very breath annoys you, even if he is a good-on-paper guy? Would you say, “Well, that car seat for my child isn’t that great, but it’s good enough?” Or, “Well, the brakes on my car aren’t perfect, but they’re good enough?” Enough said.
Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage, by Elizabeth Gilbert
This poor (but actually very rich) author, thanks to her success of Eat, Pray, Love, hasn’t been getting the best reviews. How can you top Eat Pray Love? But I LOVED it. I think it’s as good as Eat Pray Love, in a different way. It’s a great read, a good story, and has Gilbert’s infectious charm and wit as she navigates marriages and the meaning of marriage in different cultures. Highly recommend this one.
Jew And Improved: How Choosing to be Chosen has Made me a Better Man, by Benjamin Errett
I quite liked this. It’s not very often you hear a story from a man converting to Judaism. I liked it because Errett didn’t convert because he had to, to marry his wife. He wanted to, not just to show how much he loved her, but for deeper more spiritual reasons. He doesn’t try to be overly funny about his experience, nor does he attempt to be overly serious. You’re left thinking, “This is a good, thoughtful man.”
What have you read lately? Please share!