The Motherhood Manifesto: What America's Moms Want -- And What to Do about It

This book is very well researched, its claims are backed by trustworthy data from various sources, and it is well written. The wonderful thing about this book is that besides laying out the problems faced by mothers and their families, it offers the path to the solutions of these problems. Not only mothers should read this, but anyone who is part of a family, which, I guess, includes pretty much all of us.

Overall its a GREAT book. But my question is this, is it about what people WANT or about what society NEEDS? Wish the book had more on the issue of education. Recent news stories show that well over half of all Latino and black students drop out of school. Time magazine did a major story in recent months of the number of white students in middle America who are dropping out. Yet all research shows that better education, even a high school diploma will help keep a person out of poverty. You can have all the childcare and after school programs you want but unless finishing school is made a priority society will continue to suffer. Even with state supported pre school programs we still have a huge drop out problem down the road come high school. How many parents in this book who were/are struggling lack a high school education? How many could use continuing education in order to make a better living? How many parents with children in schools live in communities where families with children are the majority yet every new school bond issue is voted down? On page 181 the authors write 'It is a reality of modern life that most mothers need to reenter the workforce before their children are in elementary school...' Where is the research that shows this? ABC 20/20 did an excellent piece a couple years ago that showed that for many working mothers, they were not making more money working but were in fact losing money what with the second car, childcare, clothes, second car etc. How about we step back and look at the vast suburban landscape where the average family has two children yet the house the parents are buying is one-third or one hundred percent larger than the homes of the 1950's when families were larger. Where two newer cars sit in the garage, one or both being gas guzzlers. Meals are expensive premade or fast food genre and the kids lack for nothing materially. What responsibility to the majority who lack for nothing have for those who have needs and not just wants? What would happen if we as a society were to stress simple living and less materialism? How much money would society save which could be diverted to those who need some help with childcare, and healthcare coverage for ALL Americans? And how many families could then afford to have one parent at home with the kids? And what about the boomers who not only have children to care for but aging parents who need help? We are in the beginning of the largest older citizen population ever. And these AARP folks have voting power and will demand their needs be met, reminding elected officials that they have paid their dues, raised families sans child care and all the materialistic nonsense that modern young families view as necessities. This is why I think instead of a childcare funded program we need a national family care program that will help those families who need help with child AND adult care for elder members of the family. This would unite us as a society, r

The minds behind MoveOn.org tend to get it right, and this book is no exception. Throught-provoking and insightful, and well worth a price tag of less than ten bucks!

As the author of "The World Split Open: How the Modern Women's Movement Changed America," (Penguin, 2001), I have long waited for a book that explains why women and mothers are not part of "identity politics; but an essentail ingredient of the public good. "The Motherhood Manifesto" offers the reader a clear, lucid, description of the discrimination that mothers face, and what we can do to rectify this injustice. It addresses what I have called The Care Crisis--the fact that mothers have entered the paid labor force during the last 40 years, but American society has found no answer to the vital questions: Who will take care of our nation's children,elderly, and our communities? For those who want to restore democracy in the United States, here is the recipe for doing just that--creating a society in which caregiving and work each receive their due, but in a balanced and humane manner. Must reading for anyone who cares about the burdens working mothers and families face under our current antiquated system of assuming that each person and each family is wholly self-reliant.

As a writer who feels like it's time to move beyond the so-called "Mommy Wars," I eagerly awaited the chance to read "The Motherhood Manifesto." I was not disappointed--this is truly the book that I have been hoping that someone would write. Blades and Rowe-Finkbeiner describe the substantial problems that familes face, and lay out proactive steps that mothers can take to work toward a just and equitable society for all of us. The book is extremely well researched. My impression after reading the first few chapters was to feel angry that there is so little U. S. public policy that truly supports parents, and also very sad that we have thus far settled for such a pathetic situation. Thinking parents, women and men: it is a matter of economic strategy as well as compassion to support familes with flexible work schedules, benefits, and fair wages. Joan Blades and Kristen Rowe-Finkbeiner have incredible credentials to launch a new movement. Read this book, [...] to find out what you can do to join their call to action.