Mothers and Children: Feminist Analyses and Personal Narratives (review)

Mothers and Children is a page-turner. The book, which reads very well as a textbook and also as general reading, is based on the materials that were covered in Susan Chase's seminar "Motherhood and Feminism" at her university. As the subtitle states, the book is written from the perspective of feminism and entails feminist observations, analyses, theories, and concepts. It debunks the myths and cultural construction of motherhood that is prevalent in the U.S. It is refreshing, informative, and educational to see the American situation of motherhood and children from the feminist perspective, and I found the book an eye-opener. Mothers and Children also includes the professional experiences of the authors in the classrooms as well as their more private and personal accounts, which make for powerful statements. Many comments made by the students in Chase's seminar are also included in the book. They are interesting and insightful, adding much color, context, and texture to the reading material and the issues at hand.

Mothers and Children has three parts. Part 1 is about the social constructions of motherhood and has four chapters: "Motherhood and Feminism," "'Good' Mothers and 'Bad' Mothers," "The Institution and Experience of Motherhood," and "Fatherlessness, Men, and Mothering." Part 2, Maternal Bodies, has three chapters: "Mothers, Sexuality, and Eros," "Pregnancy and Childbirth," and "Family Making and Reproductive Technologies." Part 3, Mothering in Everyday Life, also has three chapters: "Mothers and Children over the Life Course," "Othermothering," and "Mothering As Political Action."

Each chapter has a few personal narratives that are definitely informative and very effective tools of teaching. The students can learn the concepts, and theories from the narratives' concrete examples, which are intimate, personal, direct, and hard to forget. The students are exposed to the powerful testimony of the women's experiences and situations as well as the social issues encountered by them. They also learn the abstract concepts such as motherhood, poverty, childbirth, and environmentalism through the readings. These narratives are very potent because the writing of the experiences, feelings, and opinions comes from the hearts of the women who experienced them.

Motherhood is a multifaceted life stage that entails aspects that are biological (health, pregnancy, abortion, childbirth, aging, death and dying), cultural (norms, values, customs and manners, symbols), political (laws, policies, adoption, politicians, social movement), and social (religion, social stratification, gender roles, race and ethnic relations, domestic violence). The history of motherhood along with the history of American women and feminism are introduced at the beginning of the book, and this provides the foundation for understanding motherhood and children in the U.S.

Mothering is uniquely a female experience. Mothers and Children approaches all issues from the feminist perspective, and it also covers some cross-cultural materials. Overall, the book reads very well and is easy to follow. It can be read from any chapter as the instructor sees fit.

Mothers and Children debunks many myths and the view that the mass media portray of motherhood and children. It has pragmatic implications for social policy and lawmakers, doctors and nurses, child welfare professionals, social workers, school and daycare teachers, attorneys, university professors, and students. The book has much pragmatic implication for the larger society in terms of policymaking, too. The narratives can be read somewhat like testimonies that show what is actually going on in the mothers' and their children's lives today. The narratives written on poverty, adoption, infertility, teenage sexuality, taking care of the elderly, and environmental issues should make the reader — whether a lawmaker, a schoolteacher, or any other professional who deals with mothers and children in an occupational role — think about the issue of motherhood and children from a different perspective. These narratives may be able to help change the course of motherhood and children in the U.S.