Grounded

A Personal Essay

De: Doreen Oliver

Narrado por: Doreen Oliver

Grounded is a moving personal essay about autism, race, and the sacrifices mothers make to give their children a chance at a good life, by writer and performance artist Doreen Oliver.

In Grounded, we meet Doreen as she’s struggling with the realization that she’s pregnant, weighing her own dreams and professional ambitions against the life she imagines is necessary to nurture and raise children well. Doreen’s mother was a stay-at-home mom who did everything in her power to ensure her daughters had the same opportunities as the white kids in their New Jersey suburb - opportunities she and her 12 siblings could have never afforded when they were young. Years later, the influence of her mom still looming large as her own children grow up, Doreen begins to see her mother’s choices in a different light with new challenges faced in parenting - particularly with Xavier, who is on the autism spectrum.

A remarkable new voice in nonfiction, Doreen Oliver tells this deeply personal story with compassion and unflinching honesty.

©2021 Doreen Oliver (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC.

Loved listening to this essay!

Great essay- Doreen was so relatable. The language/description, wow! And the ending, so profound, so true, So perfect. Thank you for sharing your life (even better through your voice) w/ us!

Amazing read

The narrator's delivery was authentic and relatable. I laughed and cried with her very moving story.

Vivid & resonant

This story made me weep. It is specific to the narrator’s story, but also universal in so many ways: about motherhood, about daughterhood, about marriage and dreams and more. Most of all it’s brimming with love, for family and self. Just a wonderful and engrossing listen.

An engrossing story of motherhood and autism

Oliver’s account of the push and pull of wanting to follow one’s professional dreams while being a loving and tirelessly advocating mother of a child with autism is riveting. Her mother’s own mother’s role in heightening the conflicts and love involved in parenting is fascinating. A great and inspiring listen.

Quick read, insightful, captures attention!

Although the author touches on many topics quickly and offers a glimpse into the world of autism, from a mother's standpoint, because it's such a quick read, it leaves the reader feeling like there should be more.

A “must listen”, if you are a mother, have a mother or know a mother!.

This engaging piece about motherhood, discovery , scaffolding, sacrifice, dedication, and love, is a raw and beautiful story about a new mother’s fears, needs and evolving self awareness. Doreen Oliver performs her story with such emotion and intensity, it’s impossible not to feel the universality of her inner thoughts. She left me wanting to hear more. Highly recommend!

Moving and beautiful

Moving, beautiful, and masterfully crafted narrative. Such a thoughtful meditation on parenting, both being a parent, as well as being parented.

Beautifully written an narrated!

I love the way the beauty and challenges of motherhood are captured in this essay. It reads like a short story and is so beautifully written and narrated. I anxiously await more from Doreen Oliver; don't keep me waiting long sis!

Kinda boring

Thank God it was only 41 min or whatever. I like having a distraction other then music sometimes and this was it. I guess if you have a nosey mother & a child with autism you could relate to this book. Sounds like she led a pretty cushie life style, so its like hire a housekeeper and take some of the load off, I bet she spent hours writing this essay and then preforming it, time her mother probably would have said would have been better spent focusing on her family. I guess i just dont like books about complaints and other people's problems. Unless for sure fiction, lol. Kinda over preformed it a bit too. Otherwise a quick car ride distraction and thanks for that.

An authentic, beautifully written listen

I liked the real insight that the tastefully crafted story opened regarding unconscious biased around issues of race, disability and generational worldview. It was so subtle that I am not sure it was intended, but as a white, disabled person I appreciated having my eyes opened. I would recommend to any aspiring young writer. and would love to hear more.