Ada
When keeping in mind that the author is neither a parent or an anthropologist, this book gives an incredibly different, and much needed point of view on baby-rearing. A must-read by any parent, whether you agree 100% or not, everyone with an intent to raise a child should give this book a read in order to see another perspective. The insights in this book are invaluable when forging your own parental style, one that frees the mother to pursue her own needs while at the same time giving the baby what he needs as well. A huge a-ha! moment for me, unfortunately not until my fourth (and final) baby was over a year old.
It is written for children, but it is a book that everyone would gain something by reading. It led to great discussions with my children about everything from the basic rights of humans to the resiliency of the human spirit; from genocide to what our responsibility is towards our country and humanity as a whole. Meanwhile we got to read about the tragic life of one among hundreds of thousands, who survived to make a difference. The actions of the few literally changing the lives of an entire people.