Cry When the Baby Cries - by Becky Barnicoat

Book Synopsis

Born out of a viral "Shouts & Murmurs" piece in The New Yorker, this "funny, unflinching" (The Guardian) graphic memoir, in the tradition of Allie Brosh and Roz Chast, hilariously captures the rollercoaster of emotions, chaos, and joy of the first few years of parenthood.

With the wit of a comedian and the observational skills of a sociologist surveying a new subculture, Becky Barnicoat writes about her first few years of parenthood with warmth, sharp insight, and uproarious humor in her debut graphic memoir Cry When the Baby Cries.

Barnicoat's relatable prose is always "loving, honest, and so funny" (Ada Calhoun, New York Times bestselling author of Why We Can't Sleep) while discussing everything from how ignoring women's pain is baked into the practice of obstetrics to the impossibility of putting a child down drowsy but awake while you are permanently drowsy but awake, to the tyranny of gentle parenting, and more.

Barnicoat gives us permission to cry when the baby cries, and, also, laugh, snort, lie on the floor naked, drool, and revel in the deeply strange new world ruled by a tyrannical tiny leader, growing bigger and more cherished by the day.

Review Quotes

"New Yorker cartoonist Barnicoat wrings hard-earned laughs from her experiences with motherhood in her wry graphic novel debut.... Her loose ink-washed art suggests the humanistic style of Roz Chast, complete with charmingly drawn babies and hilariously frazzled self-portraits.... Parents will find much to identify with, and expectant parents would do well to heed Barnicoat's warnings." --Publishers Weekly

"Barnicoat's memoir of early parenthood is funny, unflinching and a welcome corrective to the ceaseless pressures new mums face from social media." -- The Guardian

"By turns bloody, sweet, bleak, and joyful ... Her account is intimate and granular, recounting sleep-deprived feelings so fleeting it's almost astonishing she remembered them at all. . . . It is also very, very funny." --The New Statesman

"I loved CRY WHEN THE BABY CRIES so much. It took me back to my early days of parenthood in ways that made me ache for the past and thank God I'd survived it." --Jenny Lawson, author of BROKEN (IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY) and FURIOUSLY HAPPY

"Loving, honest, and SO funny, Becky Barnicoat depicts the long nights and short years of baby-raising with warmth and brilliance. Making visual poetry out of the highs and lows of parenting's twin modes, 'love and fury, ' CRY WHEN THE BABY CRIES is the perfect gift for parents overwhelmed by cluster feeding, cabin fever, and the exhausting, exhilarating 'it' of "having it all." -- Ada Calhoun, New York Times bestselling author of WHY WE CAN'T SLEEP

About the Author

Becky Barnicoat is a cartoonist and writer. She has drawn for The New Yorker, The Guardian, BuzzFeed, and more, and has a weekly cartoon strip in the New Statesman. Her debut graphic memoir, Cry When the Baby Cries, is a darkly funny account of the early years of parenting. She lives with her family by the sea. Find out more at BeckyBarnicoat.com, and see her work on Instagram: @BeckyBarniComics.