Inventing Motherhood
“For many years I have been conscious of an impending crisis of motherhood in the western world, and this crisis is now upon us.”
Ann Dally starts with this dire warning, and in a concise, patient way, demonstrates that this is true.
Dally is a prophet: many of her greatest fears of motherhood have come to pass, but so have some of her hopes.
It is a stark portrayal of motherhood, going back as far as the Dark Ages and speculating on the future.
But despite its frankness, and its fears, Inventing Motherhood is, in many ways, a hopeful book.
By peeling away the myths of motherhood, Dally gets to grips with its problems and also its potential.
Herself a practising psychiatrist, Dally mixes in tales of motherhood from her own patients as well as historical examples.
Inventing Motherhood is a literary work filled with stories that are both intensely moving and sometimes frightening, providing useful and shocking lessons that we can learn from the past.
Praise for Inventing Motherhood
“[Dally’s] book combines expert knowledge, good will, good sense, and realism.” – The New Yorker
“[A] cogent and thoughtful analysis of the confluence of social and economic developments that led to the segregation of women and children from the work-place and the community.” – Ms.
“Ann Dally argues persuasively for changes in our attitudes toward children and mothers that would endow them with more real status than they now enjoy. She would have them both released from the confines of the nursery. Mothers should be encouraged to regain the productive roles they once held … Children should be recognized as individuals capable of independence and responsibility.” – The Washington Post
Praise for Ann Dally
‘Thorough and engaging’ – Kirkus Reviews
…’introduces a levelheaded view’ – Kirkus Reviews
‘refreshingly evenhanded’ – Kirkus Reviews