Poor Your Soul Sparknotes

Poor Your Soul is a memoir that focuses on Mira’s first pregnancy, before and after learning about complications, and how Mira’s experience makes her realize that her mother has gone through the same thing plus much more. The book opens with Mira in the bathroom following her doctor’s advice to stop her breasts from lactating milk, since there is no need for the milk anymore, on the night before her last doctor’s visit. However, this is near the end of the story, so the book jumps back to the beginning, when Mira meets Andrew on an online date. Mira and Andrew’s relationship progresses to the point where Mira realizes she is pregnant, so Mira and Andrew become married. At Mira’s five month ultrasound to predict the sex of the baby, Mira and Andrew learn that their unborn
Mira’s mother, was born in Poland, and she struggled throughout her childhood. Her father, Mira’s grandfather, constantly cheated on her mother, and her brothers weren’t polite to her. Her mother eventually left her father, and Mira’s mother went with her. Mira’s mother started medical school at the best university in Poland, and she had plans to go to America with her mother. However, her mother died right before Mira’s mother finished medical school. After finishing school, Mira’s mother followed her and her mother’s dream and moved to America, where she met Mira’s father. Mira’s mother and father got married and had two daughters. However, Mira’s mother wanted to save a soul from experiencing the same struggles she had as a child, so they adopted a baby boy from Poland and named him Julian. The book recounts many events from Mira’s childhood, which show us that Mira was very rebellious as a child, until the night of a fatal accident that changed the lives of whole Ptacin family. Mira’s mother needed help cleaning up her restaurant, so she called Mira’s father and Julian to come