Why am I passionate about this?

Throughout my teen years, I heard the narrative that mothers are powerless doormats who should be doing something better with their lives. But in time, I realized motherhood is a position of profound power. And I knew that the prevailing messaging on motherhood needed to change! As an author, speaker, and policy advisor for an NGO at the United Nations, I have spent the past 10 years inspiring women to embrace their potential—including their irreplaceable roles as mothers. I have a degree in English, but my finest education came from raising my four college-age daughters and my one young son. Mothers are miraculous!


I wrote...

The Invincible Family: Why the Global Campaign to Crush Motherhood and Fatherhood Can't Win

By Kimberly Ells,

Book cover of The Invincible Family: Why the Global Campaign to Crush Motherhood and Fatherhood Can't Win

What is my book about?

My book exposes motherhood as a position of power and shows why the family is the most influential entity in…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Hold on to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers

Kimberly Ells Why did I love this book?

Reading this book made me a better mom almost overnight! It impacted me and changed the way I approach my relationship with my kids more than I thought was possible.

I’m a mom of five kids and a pretty darn good one, but this book took parenthood to the next level for me. I wish I had read it years ago! Now I can hardly imagine parenting without this insightful, informative, inspiring, book. 

By Gordon Neufeld, Gabor Maté,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Hold on to Your Kids as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Mate's book will make you examine your behaviour in a new light' Guardian

'bold, wise and deeply moral. [Mate] is a healer to be cherished' Naomi Klein, author of No Logo and The Shock Doctrine

Children take their lead from their friends: being 'cool' matters more than anything else. Shaping values, identity and codes of behaviour, peer groups are often far more influential than parents.

But this situation is far from natural, and it can be dangerous - it undermines family cohesion, interferes with healthy development, and fosters a hostile and sexualized youth culture. Children end up becoming conformist, anxious…


Book cover of Being There: Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters

Kimberly Ells Why did I love this book?

This is the most impactful book on motherhood I’ve ever read. It is filled with compelling data supporting what most people already know: Moms are important to their children. The book opened my eyes to WHY mothers are crucial to the early cognitive, emotional, and social development of their babies and how a mother’s impact can last a lifetime.

Erica Komisar is a rockstar in her field with over 25 years in private practice and has a wealth of wisdom to share about the most important job in the world: Mom. I think this is an ideal baby shower gift, but even old moms can benefit from reading it. In my opinion, no mom should face motherhood without this book in her back pocket! 

By Erica Komisar,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Being There as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A powerful look at the importance of a mother’s presence in the first years of life

**Featured in The Wall Street Journal, and seen on Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, and CBS New York**

In this important and empowering book, veteran psychoanalyst Erica Komisar explains why a mother's emotional and physical presence in her child's life--especially during the first three years--gives the child a greater chance of growing up emotionally healthy, happy, secure, and resilient.  

In other words, when it comes to connecting with your baby or toddler, more is more.

Compassionate and balanced, and focusing on the emotional…


Book cover of The Story of the Trapp Family Singers

Kimberly Ells Why did I love this book?

I absolutely love this book! I knew the story of Maria von Trapp from The Sound of Music, but reading Maria’s experiences in her own words was compelling beyond anything I expected.

Although not everything in the movie is true, the vast majority of it IS true, and what we get in the movie is only half the story! There’s so much grit and goodness in this remarkable book. Above everything else, it is the story of a woman who didn’t expect to be a mother but became one of the best mothers the world has ever known.

I walked away from this book feeling absolutely inspired to be as good a mom as Maria von Trapp. If she could do it, so could I! If you’re looking for an incredible true story, whether you’re a mom or not, this is it. 

By Maria A Trapp,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Story of the Trapp Family Singers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With nearly 1,500 Broadway performances, six Tony Awards, more than three million albums sold, and five Academy Awards, The Sound of Music, based on the lives of Maria, the baron, and their singing children, is as familiar to most of us as our own family history. But much about the real-life woman and her family was left untold. Here, Baroness Maria Augusta Trapp tells in her own beautiful, simple words the extraordinary story of her romance with the baron, their escape from Nazi-occupied Austria, and their life in America. Now with photographs from the original edition.


Book cover of When Life Gives You Pears: The Healing Power of Family, Faith, and Funny People

Kimberly Ells Why did I love this book?

This book is hilarious and absolutely charming. I laughed out loud at the candid antics of Jeannie Gaffigan, her husband (comedian Jim Gaffigan), and their gaggle of children.

The story of Jeannie and Jim’s courtship is reason enough to read the book, but the book does much more than entertain. It delves into the deep questions of life: What truly matters? What is the point of life and family? And what do you do when devastating news comes your way? I won’t ruin it for you with any spoilers, but I’m SO glad I read this book. It gave me a fresh perspective on life, facing death, children, work, and being a mom. 

By Jeannie Gaffigan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked When Life Gives You Pears as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Big Sick meets Dad is Fat in this funny and heartfelt New York Times bestselling memoir from writer, director, wife, and mother, Jeannie Gaffigan, as she reflects on the life-changing impact of her battle with a pear-sized brain tumor.

In 2017, Jeannie's life came to a crashing halt when she was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor. As the mother of 5 kids -- 6 if you include her husband -- sat in the neurosurgery department in star-covered sweats too whimsical for the seriousness of the situation, all she could think was "Am I going to die?"

Thankfully, Jeannie…


Book cover of A Mother's Ordeal: One Woman's Fight Against China's One-Child Policy

Kimberly Ells Why did I love this book?

This book ripped my heart to pieces and somehow put it back together better than it was before. It profoundly changed my outlook on motherhood and freedom and showed me how those two things are intimately connected.

This true story of one woman, her husband, and their unthinkable life in China is riveting, chilling, hopeful, and tender. I cried, and then I cried some more. Copies of this book can be difficult to find; I’m so glad I found one. 

By Steven W Mosher,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Mother's Ordeal as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Social scientist and China expert Mosher relates the story of Chi An, a former population-control worker in China, whose own second pregnancy became the catalyst for her fight to stay in the U.S. "A searing and candid look at a place where the state brutally intrudes into the most intimate parts of a woman's life."--Kirkus Reviews.


Don't forget about my book 😀

The Invincible Family: Why the Global Campaign to Crush Motherhood and Fatherhood Can't Win

By Kimberly Ells,

Book cover of The Invincible Family: Why the Global Campaign to Crush Motherhood and Fatherhood Can't Win

What is my book about?

My book exposes motherhood as a position of power and shows why the family is the most influential entity in the world. It shows how modern forces have taken aim at the family and are seeking to remake the world by collapsing motherhood and fatherhood at the most fundamental levels.

The major weapons in the intense war on motherhood are educational initiatives and social movements anchored at the United Nations that undermine the role, value, and work of mothers. The Invincible Family shows how, despite massive opposition, the family will triumph, and the love of mothers and fathers will prevail against the fiercest odds.

You might also like...

Feral Maril & Her Little Brother Carol

By Leslie Tall Manning,

Book cover of Feral Maril & Her Little Brother Carol

Leslie Tall Manning Author Of Maggie's Dream

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Mentor Laugher Research nut Avid reader

Leslie's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Winner of the Literary Titan Book Award

Bright but unassuming Marilyn Jones has some grown-up decisions to make, especially after Mama goes to prison for drugs and larceny. With no one to take care of them, Marilyn and her younger, mentally challenged brother, Carol, get tossed into the foster care system. While shuffling from one home to another, Marilyn makes it her mission to find the Tan Man, a mysterious man from her babyhood she believes holds the key to her family’s happiness.

But Marilyn’s quest is halted when her daddy, an ex-con she has never met, is chosen by…

Feral Maril & Her Little Brother Carol

By Leslie Tall Manning,

What is this book about?

Bright but unassuming Marilyn Jones has some grown-up decisions to make, especially after Mama goes to prison for drugs and larceny. With no one to take care of them, Marilyn and her younger, mentally challenged brother, Carol, get tossed into the foster care system. While shuffling from one home to another, Marilyn makes it her mission to find the Tan Man, a mysterious man from her babyhood she believes holds the key to her family's happiness.

But Marilyn's quest is halted when her daddy, an ex-con she has never met, is chosen by the courts as the new guardian. Caleb…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in the brain, pregnancy, and folk music?

The Brain 161 books
Pregnancy 116 books
Folk Music 59 books