Raising My Rainbow by Lori Duron

Never having had young children of my own, I'm not normally drawn to parenting books. Although I do have stepsons, they were already teenagers when I met my future husband. So when I saw a promotional advertisement for Raising My Rainbow on the Shelf Awareness list, I ignored it. But I was intrigued enough by the subtitle to pick it up and begin paging through it when I saw the book at my local Barnes & Noble.

Raising My Rainbow: Adventures in Raising a Fabulous, Gender Creative Son is based on a blog of the same name written by Lori Duron. It describes her experiences raising her son, C.J., who is drawn to all of the things usually more attractive to girls: dresses, dolls, princesses, and the colors pink and purple. Ms. Duron shares both the worries this brings to her and her husband, but also the humor. The book covers two years of their lives after she began to notice his interest in "girl" things at age 3. She relates conversations that she's had with C.J.'s teachers as well as doctors and psychologists with whom she consulted.

Ms. Duron chose to write a blog about her experiences, a decision that has helped put her in touch with others who are experiencing similar challenges. She describes some of the intolerant behavior that she and C.J. have encountered, but also the positive relationships they've developed.

When I picked up this book in Barnes & Noble, I was waiting while my husband took his son shopping. I sat in the café with a cup of coffee, and managed to read close to 50 pages before we left the mall. Once at home I quickly read the rest of the book within a few hours, probably a record for me. It's very readable, with clear, concise prose. Ms. Duron has honed her writing skills well on her blog, which she continues to maintain at: Raising My Rainbow. This book would be an excellent read for parents, anyone who works with children, and teens. It's impossible to read this book and not come out of it rooting for C.J.!

Raising My Rainbow was published by Broadway Books in 2013 (ISBN: 9780770437725)