Unparenting

Reema Ahmad describes herself as a confused single parent, and in this book she looks back on her own awkward journey toward raising a child differently. Her aim is to protect a child's innocence and curiosity while giving him the freedom to arrive at his own truths.

She invites readers to tag along as she and her son, Imaad, laugh together and invent stories about why penises shape-shift, what pubic hair is all about, the magic of adolescent crushes and the bewildering maze of dating and sex. They also take on heavier subjects such as abuse, adult relationships, divorce and death, matters that grown-ups often stop wondering about and rarely question.

The essays are personal, engaging and often funny. Together they form a lively, offbeat record of a relationship in which the child leads and the parent follows. They also serve as a strong reminder of how it feels to be lost and misunderstood as a child, and why parents should challenge what they think they know.