ONE GOOD EGG

Following in the tradition of James Thurber and Jules Feiffer, best-selling author/illustrator Becker (Kids Make It Better: A Write-in, Draw-in Journal, 2010, etc.) combines droll illustrations with a lively narrative style in this chronicle of the high expectations and shattering disappointments on her journey to motherhood.

At age 25, the author discovered a love for cross-country biking and began her first lesbian love affair. Twenty-two years later, when her latest relationship ended on the issue of whether or not to become parents, the author decided to go it alone as a single mother. She began exploring whether two close gay male friends might consider being sperm donors. Becker describes her state of mind at the time: “I wished I was a Southern gastric brooding frog. No gastric brooding frog husband to find. No career to worry my shiny gray head. Life could be as simple as swallowing a batch of fertilized eggs and burping up some babies.” Her laugh-out-loud humor permeates this account of her experiences, from finding a sperm donor to dealing with medial professionals, insurance companies and the side effects of fertility treatments. Much of the tale involves the man who ultimately became her daughter's biological father and their relationship, which would go beyond physical fatherhood to include his active if infrequent involvement with his daughter. The process was halted when she suffered epileptic seizures and needed brain surgery, an experience Becker explored in her memoir, I Had Brain Surgery, What's Your Excuse? (2003). A longtime female friend who had raised her own son as a single mother offered encouragement and practical help. During this time, their relationship deepened, leading to a same-sex marriage with two mothers, in what was to become a three-parent family.

Tender and funny, this appealing modern love story is greatly enhanced by the author's drawings.