Minton, Jenny 1971-

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Minton, Jenny 1971-

PERSONAL:

Born 1971; married Dan Quigley; children: three sons, including Gus and Sam. Education: Graduate of Williams College.

ADDRESSES:

Home—West Hartford, CT.

CAREER:

Writer. Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT, freelance book editor. Previously worked as an editor in New York, NY, including as a senior editor for Knopf. She has been a judge for the Connecticut Young Writer's Competition and the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism Artist Fellowship Awards.

WRITINGS:

The Early Birds (memoir), Alfred A. Knopf (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals, including Publishers Weekly.

SIDELIGHTS:

In her memoir The Early Birds, Jenny Minton tells the story of the premature birth of her twin boys, Gus and Sam. Minton begins by recounting how she and her husband visited a fertility clinic after nine months of trying to conceive. The process is successful, but when the boys are born they weigh only three and one-half pounds each, which leads to their stay for more than two months in a neonatal intensive care unit. Minton then goes on to relate her initial worries about the potential long-term effects of premature birth and her own sense of guilt. Minton's concerns are eventually assuaged when the boys begin to catch up physically with other children their age. As a result, the couple once again visits an in vitro fertilization clinic, leading to their having a third son. The author also writes about common problems and factors involved in having premature children, including employment for the mother, hospital costs, and insurance coverage. Writing in the Hartford Courant, Jeanne A. LeBlanc commented that the author "turns a sharp eye on the process that brought her sons into the world … and on her own heart." A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that "the book's first half is riveting." Vanessa Bush, writing in Booklist, noted that the The Early Birds "offers an enthralling perspective on fertility treatment and a generation of parents."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Minton, Jenny, The Early Birds, Alfred A. Knopf (New York, NY), 2006.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 2006, Vanessa Bush, review of The Early Birds, p. 15.

Hartford Courant (Hartford, CT), May 3, 2006, Jeanne A. LeBlanc, "When Pregnancy Turns into Trouble," includes discussion of The Early Birds.

Publishers Weekly, February 13, 2006, review of The Early Birds, p. 77; May 15, 2006, Jenny Minton, "The Book Mothers: Editing, Parenting and Writing All Require a Little Nurturing," p. 78.

Stamford Advocate (Stamford, CT), May 9, 2006, Beth Cooney, "Letting Go of the Guilt: Mother of Preemies Shares Her Story to Help Other Parents," includes discussion of The Early Birds.