It’s not every day an author receives a review in the flagship newspaper The Australian, so I was very excited (with a little bit of trepidation!) to see my review appear today titled ‘Lifting the lid on the motherhood paradox.”
as: “An enriched, thorough and well-researched examination of mothering which will make its mark on the social, philosophical and cultural dialogue of women’s studies.”
“(The book is) a scholarly yet deeply personal examination of the conflict of emotions frequently experienced by women when raising children, and the perplexing dichotomy of being able to love and hate your child in fleeting moments as a mother,” the review says.
“What is clear from the book is that there needs to be a reinvention of the way the mother is perceived. Historically, mothers have been expected to be endlessly loving, and are not permitted to complain. This has been worsened by the fact that some women cannot be mothers biologically, which compounds into a cycle of guilt and shame for women who can, but are struggling emotionally.”
I could not agree more. As a society, we need a frank and full discussion about this. I am now in the process of writing my second book on this endlessly fascinating subject … watch this space!
