Articles by Margaux Bergen
mother.ly
“6 Lessons that I Wish My Mom Taught Me that I’m Teaching My Children”
“One night when my daughter Charlotte was nine I woke up at 3:20 a.m.—a time the Romans call The Watch. I was struggling to make sense of the traumas afflicting my family—everything from job loss and divorce to depression and death. I stared up at the ceiling and wondered: “Why didn’t my mother warn me?” Read more
motto from the Editors of Time
“10 Things I Wish My Mother Taught Me”
“Could I record my own reckoning with life in such a way as to guide my own children? Could I write about how to build and design a life while living it, revealing myself to them and the larger truths that lurk beneath the surface of family routines? Might the discipline of translating life into words make me live it better? In the end, I came up with a list of 10 things I wish my mother had told me…” Read more
Women Writers, Women[‘s] Books
“Going to College with a Book of Her Own”
“Some of us live our lives in Full Catastrophe. This was true for me that night in November 2000. That time between the stars and the sunrise, between our demons and our angels is a time the Romans call The Watch.” Read More
Book Reviews
Amy Chua, author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
“I absolutely loved this beautiful book! It’s wise, wry, bracingly honest and so gripping I couldn’t put it down. Clearly whip smart, Margaux Bergen has one of those rare voices that pulls you in and makes you want to keep reading.”
Publishers Weekly
“With charming candor and insight, Bergen addresses her college-bound daughter, Charlotte, on subjects such as love, friendship, education, and work. The book’s eight essays offer advice on facing “the hidden horrors and private joys of adult life”: conversation tactics gleaned from friends and cab drivers, the importance of dental care…” Read more
Publishers Weekly
Fall 2016 Adult Announcements: Lifestyle
“Bergen shares with readers a guide to life she wrote for her daughter and gave to her on her first day of college.”
Elle Magazine, August 2016, INTEL BOOKS
“Communications expert Margaux Bergen began work on Navigating Life: Things I Wish My Mother Had Told Me (Penguin Press) when her family circumstances hit bottom via job loss, mental illness, divorce, and death. Addressed to her eldest, college-bound daughter, Bergen’s ballsy, elegantly burnished guide tackles bedrock issues such as friendship, sexuality, and paying the bills. Candidly, she recounts her own trajectory trying to “build and design a life while living it…without succumbing to greed or fear or idiocy”. – Lisa Shea
Callie Schweitzer, Editorial Director, Audience Strategy for Time Inc. + Founder of Motto
“One of the many things we think about in life is what we stand for. What actions and words do we want to define who we are? What impact do we hope to have on the world? In her piece for Motto, Margaux Bergen writes about what she wished her mother had taught her growing up and how those missing life lessons impacted what she stood for, not only as a mother but as a person.”
Entomology of a Bookworm
“Not long after finishing When Women Were Birds, I picked up Navigating Life by Margaux Bergen for a review deadline. The two books are inherently different: one is a daughter’s attempts to understand her mother, the other a mother’s attempts to provide life advice to her daughter. But they formed a kind of call and response in my mind, as I struggle to understand how I find–and use–my voice in this world.”
EverydayFamily
“Bergen’s advice might benefit any of us who are navigating life and raising kids. The unflinchingly honest and open advice she shares with her daughter serves as a guide for what children need to hear from their mothers as they grow and begin to navigate life independently…” Read More
NetGalley
“This diamond-sharp, gut-punchingly honest book of hard-earned wisdom is one mother’s effort to equip her daughter for survival in the real world…” Read More
The Simply Luxurious Life
“Offering humorous, but wise and thoughtful insights into how to survive in the real world or a mother by your side, Bergen has been receiving praise for a book that provides inspiration and guidance for readers of all ages…” Read More
Shelf Life, August 2016
“Aptly subtitled, Navigating Life: Things I Wish My Mother Had Told Me is a collection of life advice written by a mother to her eldest daughter, who is just leaving home for university.” Read More
Redbook Magazine, January 2017
“Witty, honest and wise, it’s a must-read for girls of all ages, providing advice on family, work, marriage and more.” Read More
Working Mother, January 2017
“Author and fiercely loving mother Margaux Bergen pours her heart into every word of Navigating Life, a heartfelt guide given to her daughter on the first day of college. A powerful ode to overcoming the challenging moments in every chapter of life, there is a sentimental lesson brimming on every page for mothers and daughters alike.” Read More
SheKnows, March 2017
10 Moms Who Embraced Their Passions, Inspired Change and Wrote About It
“heartbreakingly honest and refreshingly raw advice for every stage of life, there isn’t a single page that won’t leave you ready to conquer your dreams.” Read More
Brit+Co, April 2017
14 Captivating Books That Make Great Mother’s Day Gifts
“Charming, delightful, and unputdownable for every mother and daughter, Navigating Life is a can’t-miss read.” Read More
Shelf Awareness, May 2017
Framed as a letter penned to her daughter, the book is ostensibly a collection of life advice. Bergen’s suggestions, however, like Williams’s writing, veer into personal recollection and ruminations on what it means to be a mother (and daughter) in modern times. Read More
Education and Culture, May 2017
Note to Parents: Relax!
Bergen’s book is poised and bracing; her authoritative and friendly attitude is almost more fortifying than the specifics of her advice. Read More
Podcasts + Radio Show Appearances
The Kathleen Dunn Show (Wisconsin Public Radio)
The Laurie DeYoung Show (93.1 WPOC)
Midwest Opinions (KOGA-AM/KMCX-FM)
15 with the Author, hosted by Teri Knight (KYMN Radio)
“Having Read That” hosted by Brian Vakulskas (KSCJ-AM)
“The Morning Blend” hosted by Don Rivet and Dan McCargar (KTOE-AM)
Warren in the Morning (1490 WKNY-AM)
“View from the Writing Instrument” (iHeart Radio)
Real Simple podcast, “Adulthood Made Easy”
“Do you ever wish you could go into adulthood with a full guidebook created by your mom? Margaux Bergen thought her kids might, and so she wrote a book for each one. The first of the three books was just published in August 2016. It’s called Navigating Life: Things I Wish My Mother Had Told Me.” Listen here
Atomic Moms with Ellie Knaus
“Sometimes our own parents aren’t equipped to teach us how to create a meaningful life. It’s our job to figure it out for ourselves and pass it on. MARGAUX BERGEN, an observant and whip smart daughter of a dysfunctional family, wrote down some of her hard earned wisdom to give to her eldest daughter when she went to college.” Listen here
For publicity inquiries contact:
Sarah Hutson
Senior Publicist
Penguin Press
(212) 366-2814
[email protected]
Crystal Patriarche
BookSparks
480-650-1688
[email protected]
For media inquiries contact:
Kelly Bowen
BookSparks
843.870.5340
[email protected]