A few years ago, I stumbled upon "The Hip Mama Survival Guide" and other books by Ariel Gore, and I was so smitten with her honest, funny, edgy and compassionate writing that I pledged to steer clear of most parenting guides from that point forward.

With the exception of Jessica Mills.

Mills is the author of "My Mother Wears Combat Boots," and she reads from this book on Monday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. at Broad Vocabulary.

Personally, I haven't own a pair of combat boots in years -- I'm more of a cowgirl boot wearer these days -- but Mills' support of co-sleeping, long-term breastfeeding and parents preserving their edge is enough for this mother to scribble the event on the calendar in big red letters.

Here's more about Mills, ganked from her publisher's Web site:

"Jessica Mills is a touring musician, artist, activist, writer, teacher and mother of two. Disappointed by run-of-the-mill parenting books that didn't speak to her experience, she set out to write a book tackling the issues faced by a new generation of moms and dads. The result is a parenting guide like no other. Written with humor, extensive research, and much trial and error, 'My Mother Wears Combat Boots' delivers sound advice for parents of all stripes.

"Amid stories of bringing kids (and grandparents) to women's rights demonstrations, taking baby on tour with her band and organizing cooperative childcare, Jessica gives detailed nuts-and-bolts information about weaning, cloth vs. disposable diapers, the psychological effects of co-sleeping and even how to get free infant gear. This book provides a clever, hip and entertaining mix of advice, anecdotes, political analysis and factual sidebars that will help parents as they navigate the first years of their child's life."