Book Review: The Power Pause by Neha Ruch
A powerful look at changing the conversation around at-home parenting and moms shifting away from (and/or back to) their career.
Wow, what a powerful book. I wish I had this 4 years ago when I was just starting to consider moving out of the workforce. However, this was still immediately helpful as it had me thinking about my current day-to-day and what it could potentially look like to re-enter the workforce in the future.
A little background: I was part of the Great Resignation of 2020. Due to a variety of reasons (including but not limited to childcare expenses and a severe shift in perspective due to the pandemic), I left my career to spend more quality time with my infant son as he grew into toddlerhood. At the time the decision was a difficult decision, but I've since come to terms with it.
This book is broken up into easy-to-read sections: stepping away from the workforce, how to be a person away from a job title, and considerations should you decide to go back to work after your career pause. It outlines questions, considerations, and writing prompts for you to think about as you read through it.
“If I do my work well, and we change this cultural conversation, one day when someone asks her whether her mother was a “working” or “stay-at-home” mom, she won’t know how to respond. She’ll just know I was whole and I was there. Even when I wasn’t.”
This has a great mix of anecdotes and practical advice. It also felt very comprehensive - I've followed Neha's work for some time and I never felt as though I was rereading old blog posts in this book. This felt new and fresh and I walked away from it with new ideas.
I felt very seen in this book. I am so happy to finally have this book on my shelf!
Rating: ★★★★.5
Book Summary
- Title: The Power Pause
- Author: Neha Ruch
- Genre: Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Parenting
- Who Should Read It? Moms who want to challenge the status quo around taking career breaks to be with their family.
Synopsis: A paradigm-shifting guide to career breaks after kids that rebrands stay-at-home parenthood for a new generation of women and families.
"So, what do you do?"
When Neha Ruch had to answer this seemingly innocent question for the first time after leaving her corporate job to care for her infant son, she drew a shameful blank. She couldn’t find the words to describe this new stage of life she’d just embarked on. She wasn’t a 1950s June Cleaver type, nor was she one of today’s updated stereotypes. (Craft Project Mom? Exhausted-in-Sweatpants Mom?) How, then, was she to navigate this identity shift?
Frustrated, Ruch embarked on a mission to rebrand the stay-at-home mother for a new generation of women who don’t want to leave their ambition behind just because they decide to pause or change their careers post-kids. Her online community, Mother Untitled, has become the leading voice and resource for women navigating this transition. In The Power Pause, Ruch addresses all the questions women face at this inflection point, such as, Can I afford to pause? Who am I without my career identity? How do I find meaning in the role? And can I ever transition back to paid work?
With expert advice and diverse stories of stay-at-home mothers who buck every stereotype, as well as interactive exercises to help the reader plot a course for the long term, The Power Pause is an essential handbook for a new generation of caregivers.
