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The Bottom Line

It was easy to review Mika Brzezinski's book All Things at Once because the memoir is such a quick read. In a conversational tone, Mika Brzezinski's book describes childhood in the orbit of the Carter White House and her rollercoaster career in broadcast journalism.

She takes an equally frank look at being fired from CBS and getting so overextended that she fell down the stairs with her baby, fracturing the newborn's leg.

At times unfocused in message, Mika Brzezinski's book is nonetheless an engaging, uplifting story that urges women to review their choices carefully, whether saying no to work or family.



Pros

• Mika Brzezinski's book All Things at Once urges parents to pursue both career and family.
• It's a quick read, with a conversational and natural tone.
• The book covers Mika Brzezinski's interesting childhood experiences in the Carter White House.
• Mika Brzezinski is brutally honest about her own shortcomings.

Cons

• At times the message is unfocused. Did doing all things at once lead to Mika Brzezinski's problems?
• The most powerful part of the book is near the very end.

Description

• Mika Brzezinski's book All Things at Once is pro-working mom memoir by the co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC.
• Mika Brzezinski shares striking moments from her childhood in Carter's White House and rollercoaster career in TV journalism.
• The mother of two girls, Mika Brzezinski encourages women to pursue all things at once; not to put career on hold for family.

• She frankly describes her own shortcomings and life as the daughter of former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski.
• Five weeks after delivering her second baby, Mika Brzezinski went back to work on an overnight shift, to her later regret.
• A video of Mika Brzezinski on MSNBC went viral when she objected to a lead story on Paris Hilton, trying to shred or burn it.
• Mika Brzezinski's book All Things at Once was published by Weinstein Books, priced at $24.95 ($27.95 in Canada) in hardcover.
• ISBN: 978-1-60286-111-4 / 1-60286-111-0

Guide Review - Review of Mika Brzezinski's Book "All Things at Once"

It's tempting to begin a review of Mika Brzezinski's book All Things at Once in the same place that the memoir starts: when the overtired working mom tumbles down the stairs while holding her baby daughter, fracturing the newborn's leg.

But for me, the most powerful moment in Mika Brzezinski's book comes after she's fired from CBS and tries to sugar coat it to her young children as a chance to spend more time with them, after years of travel, unpredictable work hours and multiple caregivers. Her eight-year old daughter sees straight through the platitudes and realizes that her mother would be miserable without her career.

All working moms should be so lucky to have children and spouses like Mika Brzezinski's, who understand and accept that work is a core part of our being.

This moment of epiphany arrives on page 188 of the 232-page book. Fortunately, there are some amusing and insightful moments leading up to it, from childhood encounters with world leaders as the daughter of former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski to the confused choices she made early in her career and insider's view of the brutal world of broadcast journalism.

Ultimately, the best part of Mika Brzezinski's book is its raw honesty. She's tough on herself for taking "bad boyfriend" jobs, in which she kept hoping the employer would commit to her or the job would change. And she's even more brutal in her guilt over her daughter's injury, eagerly taking the blame for becoming overstretched and going back to work five weeks postpartum, with a toddler underfoot as well.

By the end of the book, Mika Brzezinski finds peace with her choices, discovers her voice and learns to trust her instincts when it comes to career and family decisions. I'd encourage readers to set aside the working moms guilt and internalize the messages about being true to yourself, carefully choosing when you say no to work or family and chasing all things at once: marriage, children, career, happiness.