Bookshelf

At Wild Coast, we truly believe that reading can enhance and support the therapeutic process, and we regularly recommend books to clients.

Below is a curated list of books that we frequently recommend or have found helpful. Please be aware that some of the content may be activating or triggering for some folks. I encourage you to approach this list with mindfulness and consideration.

Pregnancy, Parenting, and more

And Baby Makes Three: The Six Step Plan for Preserving Marital Intimacy and Rekindling Romance After Baby Arrives By John and Julie Gottman
Cribsheet: A Data Drive Guide to Better and More Relaxed Parenting, From Birth to Preschool by Emily Oster
Expecting Better by Emily Oster
The Unexpected: Navigating Pregnancy During and After Complications
All the Rage: Mothers, Fathers, and the Myth of Equal Partnership by Darcy Lockman
Ambitious Like a Mother: Why Prioritizing Your Career Is Good for Your Kids by Laura Bazelon
Emotional Labor: The Invisible Work Shaping Our Lives and How to Claim Our Power by Rose Hackman
Mother Brain: How Neuroscience Is Rewriting the Story of Parenthood by Chelsea Conaboy
My Mother, My Mentor: What Grown Children of Working Mothers Want You to Know by Pamela F. Lenehan
Nurture: A Modern Guide to Pregnancy, Birth, Early Motherhood—and Trusting Yourself and Your Body by Erica Chidi Cohen
Regretting Motherhood: A Study by Orna Donath
Releasing the Mother Load: How to Carry Less and Enjoy Motherhood More by Erica Djossa
Screaming on the Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood by Jessica Grose
Cover of "The Whole-Brain Child" by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson, featuring a child's silhouette and book title in colorful text.
Cover of the book "Transformed by Birth" by Britta Bushnell, PhD. The cover is teal with wavy patterns and includes text about cultivating openness, resilience, and strength for the journey from pregnancy to parenthood.
Illustrated book cover of "Why Did No One Tell Me This?" by Natalia Hailes and Ash Spivak featuring a pregnant person holding their belly, set against a yellow background.
Book cover of "You Are Not a Sh*tty Parent" by Carla Naumburg, featuring a bold red and yellow design with a subtitle about self-compassion for parents.
Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Dr. Becky Kennedy
The Nurture Revolution: Grow Your Baby’s Brain and Transform Their Mental Health through the Art of Nurtured Parenting by Greer Kirshenbaum
Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts: A Healing Guide to the Secret Fears of New Mothers by Karen Kleiman

Queer Parenting and Reproduction

The Liminal Chrysalis: Imagining Reproduction and Parenting Futures Beyond the Binary by Kori Dory and AJ Lowik
Swelling with Pride: Queer Conception and Adoption Stories by Sara Graefe
Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity by C. Riley Snorton
Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference by Cordelia Fine
My Trans Parent: A User Guide for When Your Parent Transitions by Heather Bryant
Nobody Needs to Know: A Memoir by Pidgeon Pagonis
Parenting Beyond Pink & Blue: How to Raise Your Kids Free of Gender Stereotypes by Christia Spears Brown
Pregnant Butch: Nine Long Months Spent in Drag by A.K. Summers
Stuck in the Middle With You: A Memoir of Parenting in Three Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan
Sweet Nectar: (Hopefully) Everything You Want To Know About Chestfeeding by Kylia Kennedy
Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource for the Transgender Community - Laura Erickson-Schroth (editor)
Where's the Mother? Stories from a Transgender Dad by Trevor MacDonald
Why Did No One Tell Me This?: The Doulas' (Honest) Guide for Expectant Parents by Natalia Hailes and Ash Spivak
Inconceivable: Super Sperm Donors, Off-the-Grid Insemination, and Unconventional Family Planning by Valerie Bauman

Miscarriage, Pregnancy Loss, infertility and TFMR

The Miscarriage Map: What To Expect When You Are No Longer Expecting by Dr. Sunita Osborn
The Seed: Infertility Is a Feminist Issue by Alexandra Kimball
Unexpecting: Real Talk on Pregnancy Loss by Rachel Lewis
Uncertain Fruit: A Memoir of Infertility, Loss, and Love by Rebecca Majoya and Sallyann Majoya

Trauma and Healing

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski
Laziness Does Not Exist By Dr. Devon Price
Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey
Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory by Sarah Polley
Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Dr. Kristin Neff
The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love by Sonya Renee Taylor
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Dr. Devon Price
The Pain We Carry: Healing from Complex PTSD for People of Color by Natalie Y. Gutiérrez

Relationships

Fight Right: How Successful Couples Turn Conflict Into Connection by Julie Schwartz Gottman and John M. Gottman
Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find—and Keep—Love by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller
Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski
Emotional Labor: The Invisible Work Shaping Our Lives and How to Claim Our Power by Rose Hackman
Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do by Eve Rodsky
Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself by Nedra Glover Tawwab
Polysecure. Attachment, Trauma, and Consensual Nonmonogamy by Jessica Fern
Mating in Captivity: Reconciling the Erotic + the Domestic by Esther Perel
Becoming Cliterate. Why Orgasm Equality Matters and How to Get It by Dr. Laurie Mintz
Who Deserves Your Love: How to Create Boundaries to Start, Strengthen, or End Any Relationship by KC Davis