Readers' Favorite Bronze Book Award Winner
Katja never planned to have twins—but then, she hadn’t planned to raise them as a single mother either. Life has a funny way of seeing how far it can push you.
Pepper and Magnus were born into a flat in Richmond, London, a long way from Katja’s native Denmark, to a mother stretched to breaking point. Kat’s flower shop, a business she’d raised from the ground herself, was about to meet the 2008 recession head-on. Her relationship with her children’s father, the charming but roguish Casper, was in tatters. With bill after bill piling up on the doormat, it was all Kat could do to resist collapsing in front of the TV with a bottle of wine.
But there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. With new relationships beckoning, her beloved parents to lean on, and two great kids to hold close, Kat pulls herself up again and again to face another day. Family, she knows, is worth fighting for.
A Rubber Face with a Stripper’s Name is the hilarious, moving, and affirming memoir of a woman thrust suddenly into motherhood. On the winding road to a better life, Kat finds that the only way to survive and thrive is to be kind to yourself; believe in yourself; love yourself. A treat for parents and grown-up children alike, A Rubber Face with a Stripper’s Name knows that when life gives you lemons, you bloody well use them.
Reviews
Edith Wairimu for Readers' Favorite: 5 Stars
Katja Berg's A Rubber Face with a Stripper's Name is an incredibly inspirational memoir about life as a single parent, the struggles, the victories and the moments in between. It is told from a single mom's perspective as Berg allows us to walk in her footsteps and see the world through her eyes. She knows the pain of divorce, the crushing effect of financial woes, and the heartbreak that comes with rejection from friends whom she had known for years. While Katja Berg is hurt many times, her strength to pick up the broken pieces and move on is remarkable. Her parents' support throughout her tough times is also admirable. Ultimately, this is the story of a mother's love for her children embedded with the importance of sisterhood amidst fearsome turmoil.
On the cover of A Rubber Face with a Stripper's Name is an alluring image that grabbed my attention and pulled me right in. The memoir is captivating, to say the least. It contains a lot of raw emotions that add an appealing layer. Katja Berg builds a powerful foundation right from the beginning as she describes her childhood vividly. The events happen chronologically which makes it very easy to follow. A Rubber Face with a Stripper's Name is for all fans of memoirs, but most of all it is for the single moms seeking inspiration or strength to carry on. This well-written memoir will prove to you that you are not alone and someone out there understands what you are going through.
Lesley Jones for Readers' Favorite: 5 Stars
When Katja was growing up between the Copenhagen Zoo and the Carlsberg brewery, she never for one moment expected to become a single mother of twins. Follow the life and times of Katja as she grows up in Denmark and travels to London to become a successful florist. Katja meets Casper and the no-strings relationship is soon given a kick into serious when she discovers she is pregnant. When Magnus and Pepper are born, Casper's selfish and womanizing ways go from awful to unbearable. Katja not only has to deal with mounting debts and an unsupportive and cheating partner, but a nagging self-doubt that she is not the perfect mother everyone else around her seems to be. Katja is just about surviving when the recession hits, forcing her to make drastic and life-changing decisions. This heartwarming journey of self-discovery will tug at your heartstrings and make you laugh out loud too. Katja is pushed to her limits and then some, but will this lioness find her voice and roar?
A Rubber Face with a Stripper's Name by Katja Berg is a well-written and brutally frank memoir of a 'real' woman faced with single motherhood. I related to everything in this book, all the little details such as the brown envelopes arriving through the mail and gaining self-confidence by watching others worse off than yourself on television. I admired Katja's tireless battle against the useless, womanizing Casper and I kept hoping she would realize that her inner strength could defeat anyone who tried to break her. This book should be read by every single mother who lives with a daily dose of self-doubt that their best will never be good enough. Katja proves that to be a single parent requires stamina, resilience, plus emotional and mental strength. A memoir that will evoke different emotions throughout, including some very funny moments. Katja is a true warrior.
Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite: 5 Stars
A Rubber Face with a Stripper's Name is a great memoir. Katja Berg has a great "voice" and a good writing style. I especially enjoyed reading about her life growing up in Denmark. I compared it to my own experiences growing up in Alabama and I found her memories of her childhood thoughtful, insightful, and compelling. These are very different experiences than those I had, but I found her conclusions about childhood, teachers, and parents strikingly similar. Rich in detail and keen observations, A Rubber Face with a Stripper's Name will make you laugh and cry. But most of all, it will make you think. That is what any good book, especially a memoir, is supposed to do.
As a memoir, A Rubber Face with a Stripper's Name has no plot as such. But it does have a theme and this theme resonates throughout the novel. Katja Berg writes well. She writes in her own unique voice and I enjoyed reading about her life and her thoughts about the people, places, triumphs and defeats, as she goes through each phase of her life. Her thoughts about being a single mom are especially powerful and I felt how male privilege has benefited my own life as a single dad. Things I have often been praised for, she did as a matter of course with little or no praise, and even less support. I enjoyed reading about her life and I feel many other readers, male and female, will enjoy it too.