Mom, Will This Chicken Give Me Man Boobs? [Paperback]

There are no solar panels on Robyn Harding’s roof. Her family is not bathing in collected rainwater. And yes, she enjoys the occasional distinctly un-green trip to Las Vegas. But underpinning her life is a mantra: go green without going crazy. Harding’s going-green memoir is no Ecoholic, no Omnivore’s Dilemma. It’s a self-deprecating look at what happens when books like those land in the hands of a mere mortal. And Harding is one mortal who still likes her warm baths and air travel. Harding’s odyssey begins with her family’s move from Calgary to Australia to Vancouver. Feeling “green guilt” – about the bug spray liberally applied throughout their cockroach-infested Australian home, about the five years of heavy driving and spotty recycling in Calgary – Harding decides to make an environmentally friendly change for the better. But in her new neighbourhood, the Joneses of the 20th century have become the Greens of the 21st. Keeping up is more an exercise in foregoing than acquiring, but is equally exhausting. Each successive chapter confronts a crisis of greenness with high hopes, best intentions, and, often, middling follow-through. Serious environmentalists may balk at these efforts, particularly the chapter in which Harding attempts to ride the bus, only to find it icky, smelly, and altogether not worth the effort. The book is at times too flippant for an eco-memoir, but the author’s ill-fated determination to make a difference, if only a small one, keeps this story entertaining. The author of The Journal of Mortifying Moments, Unravelled, and several other chick-lit successes, Harding is no stranger to confessional humour, and uses it to full effect when chronicling her earnest (if irritating) efforts to green her extended family. Refreshingly funny, disarmingly honest, and mercifully free of apocalyptic horrors, Harding’s tale will resonate with those who feel unequal to the task of buying organic milk, let alone saving the planet.

"This book is a hilarious account of former Granville columnist Robyn Harding's confused, guilt-ridden, and stressful struggle to raise a green family." (Granville Magazine 20090224)

"If you're trying to go green, or have already gotten there, I guarantee that you'll find this book a very good, funny, educational and easy read. You'll be able to relate to it in many ways." (Canadian Living 20090323)

"STARRED: Harding's sense of humor and keenly observed account of social mores in the new ecology will keep modern parents, especially those with opinions on the green movement, tickled throughout." (Publishers Weekly 20090324)

"Harding is no stranger to confessional humour, and uses it to full effect when chronicling her earnest...efforts to green her extended family. Refreshingly funny, disarmingly honest, and mercifully free of apocalyptic horrors, Harding's tale will resonate with those who feel unequal to the task of buying organic milk, let along saving the planet." (Quill & Quire 20090327)

"This book welcomes a wide audience, not just mothers whose sons worry about man boobs. It is clever, alarmingly funny and informative in a way that will, I hope, make readers green with envy...Mom, Will This Chicken Give Me Man Boobs? is a hilarious account of trying -- and sometimes succeeding -- to build a green ethic and raise an environmentally conscious family without losing her sanity, or cleaning out her bank account." (Vancouver Sun 20090402)

"An informative, spirited account of an increasingly dispiriting subject: going green...Despite her lapses and concessions to comfort, Harding is to be commended for her efforts. Researching each issue, she considers all the ambiguities and the truths before judiciously and responsibly setting on her own compromises. Few of us can do more. And for those of us who have also fallen short of the ideal, this book is both reassuring and empowering." (Globe & Mail 20090407)

"A hilarious account of trying and sometimes succeeding to build a green ethic and raise an environmentally conscious family without losing her sanity of cleaning out her bank account." (The Province 20090421)

"The title of this book may not be a familiar refrain in your house, but the struggles it chronicles will be. A humour-filled, stream-of-consciousness account of Harding's efforts to become 'a deep-dark-green goddess,' it both delights and occasionally grates. The latter is where the book's real value lies. As Harding confronts her own values, habits and ideas, we're forced to look uncomfortably at our own." (Green Living Magazine 20090424)

"Robyn Harding's book is a hilarious journey through the trials and tribulations of going green in a modern world. The book touches on everything from litter-less lunches to worries over fostering eco-anxiety in children, plus a health dose of Harding's own anxiety over whether she is green enough to fit into her super-environmentally aware neighbourhood." (Treehugger.com 20090425)

"Robyn Harding didn't know what she was getting into when she launched her family on a go-green project...What ensued is revealed in this hilarious and candid book...Harding's personal angst is certainly the focus of this book, but somehow her wit and honesty shine brighter than her groans, making this a highly entertaining and delightfully engrossing read." (Waterloo Region Record 20090428)

"This catchy title draws you in, albeit with a smirk on your face, to one author's account of going green...Even though Ms. Harding admits to being overwhelmed and frustrated, she powers through many complex decisions, from choosing sustainable seafood to buying organic milk -- doing much of the research for you!" (Finding Solutions 20090621)

"Robyn Harding, author of Mom Will this Chicken...contends with 'a daughter who can't sleep for worrying about the polar bears and a son who fake barfs whenever a meal's not strictly organic'." (Earth Island Journal 20090623)

"Harding's take on raising green kids without losing her mind is a priceless look at the choices and compromises that every parent makes as he or she journeys towards a green lifestyle. And if nothing else, it will certainly give you a good eco-laugh!" (Mother Nature Network )