Madness, Mayhem and Motherhood

At 26, Nikki found herself knocking on her best friend’s door with a suitcase, a jar of coins and two little boys—all she had in the world. Madness, Mayhem and Motherhood is her funny, sad and brutally candid account of her life through poverty, homelessness, child-rearing, friendships, lust, love and loss. Whether she was cleaning the houses of millionaires to put food on the table, falling hard for The Wiggles, drowning in cask wine, living in a tent, or dealing with predatory landlords, Nikki refused to go under. Her love for her children pulled her through the darkest days. 

Being a poor, mad mother has its challenges but Nikki McWatters humanizes the face of poverty, while arm-wrestling her mental illness into submission and packing school lunches like a boss. This book is a powerful, touching and wildly entertaining story of maternal endurance.

Nikki McWatters was shortlisted for a Queensland Premier’s Literary Award (2010). She won the Irish Moth Award (2016) and has written for the Sydney Morning Herald, the UK Huffington Post and The Big Issue. She is currently the spokesperson for the annual Vinnie’s CEO Sleepout.