Knocked Down: A High-Risk Memoir

This honest, laugh-out-loud (and possibly cry-out-loud) memoir will entertain any reader. Raised with conservative Jewish roots in Brooklyn, commitment-phobic Weintraub enters a whirlwind marriage in the wilds of upstate New York. Shortly after tying the knot, she winds up with monster-sized fibroids, a high-risk pregnancy, and five months of bed rest. Will she see this through or run away the first chance she gets? Narrator Sofia Willingham’s whispered and at times monotone narration offers a steady pace and clear annunciations but cannot do Weintraub’s writing justice. Lined with humor and plenty of sass, this intimate look into Weintraub’s pregnancy is still warm and authentic. She does not shy away from the raw and overwhelming feelings of grief, motherhood, survival, and growth. While Willingham offers variations in the secondary characters’ dialogue, her performance lacks the necessary inflection and enthusiasm to bring out Weintraub’s vibrant personality during this emotionally wrought and beautiful journey.