If you think you know what mental health during and after pregnancy looks like, Persevered: A Maternal Mental Health Memoir will make you reconsider. Dr. Kara Zivin offers a rare, unfiltered look at what happened when a respected mental health researcher faced her own grave battle with depression and anxiety during and after pregnancy. This book is a raw personal account of surviving the darkest moments of new motherhood while juggling high expectations at home and at work.

Zivin takes the reader on an intimate and eye-opening journey that weaves together her perinatal medical records, journal entries, research, and imperfect memories. The story unfolds across hospital rooms, the author’s home, and the university where she works, highlighting the complexity of holding on to one’s identity when everything feels uncertain. Zivin writes with striking honesty about the confusion, guilt, and isolation that so many mothers experience alone but rarely admit to others. Her willingness to lay bare her struggles and her gradual journey toward hope and recovery makes every page feel authentic and deeply relatable.

Persevered moves beyond one woman’s survival, breaking the silence that still surrounds maternal mental health. Zivin’s story reminds us that reaching out, sharing our experiences, and demanding better support can make a difference, not just for mothers but for families and communities. This memoir is for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed, anyone who has supported a loved one through challenging times, or anyone who believes that honest storytelling can spark real change.

Kara Zivin, PhD, MS, MA, MFA, is a professor of psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, and health management and policy at the University of Michigan. She aims to increase public awareness about mental health conditions and to influence policy addressing them by combining research expertise (data) and personal narrative (story). She has published over 250 peer-reviewed articles in health and medical journals and led more than $25 million in research grants and contracts.