“I am a bad mother, but I am learning to be good.”

Child protective services has historically swung back and forth in how they deal with abuse situations. In this book they get incredibly conservative. Like to a farcical extreme (though given some new laws regarding abortion and women’s rights over their own bodies, maybe this isn’t too far off).
The book is very frustrating to read. So many of the techniques they are using to help the women be good mothers are wrong, harmful, age inappropriate. But I think a lot of that was the point. Face it, no mother would have passed their tests.
Frida, poignantly, made comparisons between the school and Chinas cultural revolution. Likewise, the treatment of bad fathers and bad mothers equally echos society’s view on what is expected of a mother versus a father. The story, views of the government representatives, and how the mothers are treated is very thought provoking. This would be a great book for book clubs!

This is very much a literary fiction dystopian. Do not proceed expecting a happily ever after, this is a rather dark social commentary. Think more like The Handmaid's Tale turned up to 11.

This was nearly a DNF for me. The beginning of the novel was so bleak, so extreme, and the characters were rather flat. When there was a change in scene, at about 20%, when Frieda goes to the school I thought the story might pick up. It did a little, but not as much as I was hoping for. This was a great concept but the execution is lacking in my opinion. I'm thrilled that so many readers rather enjoyed the novel.

This would make an interesting book club selection as there is so much to discuss. I would have cared more about the topics raised if I cared more about the characters. The whole concept of the school and pervasive spying on parents was fascinating, and spoke to a fear I had as a parent that anyone would call CPS at the slightest perceived lapse in judgement. Unfortunately given the slowness of the story the strength and power of the novels commentary is diluted.

For women who become mothers and have very little support, this scenario could occur very easily. Sleep deprivation, life stressors, and a difficult child can become an overwhelmingly impossible situation, where mistakes are made. When Frida leaves her child at home unsupervised, she must fight CPS to get her parental rights back. The courts order her to attend a year-long rehabilitation center meant to teach mothers how to become better. The dystopian setting is a commentary on the extreme pressure and overwhelming expectations mothers often face in today's society.

The frustrations Frida faces are universal, and the center serves as a backdrop in which mothers are often judged and criticized in society today. The unattainable goalposts for being a "perfect" mother make women feel inadequate and undeserving of caring for their own children. The center is almost identical to jail, with many of the same unrealistic rules and restrictions. The mood of the book is very somber throughout and the detailed descriptions of everyday life at the school did get tedious. However, the message hits hard, and the ending is unexpected.

The author visually described a grim world where government dictates your parenting skills, your mind brainwashed, actions scrutinized and judged severely. The book is classified as dystopian although everything else is comparable to what is current. Passably sci-fi. I am just thankful that this indoctrinated facility does not exist in real life or does it?

I found the book compelling at first but the amount spent in the classrooms, Frida’s insecurities, the lack of awareness, selfishness wore me out. The rest of the characters were engaging specifically the mothers. The relationships between the women and concerns of the welfare of their children were relatable. The ending did hit me hard like a mother in despair.

The plot was interesting but I felt it lacking something. Maybe shorten prison time and add more to Frida’s relationships with the other characters. At least there is a lesson to be learned here.

This was a sad yet very interesting read. I love books set in different dystopias and really enjoyed the world of The School for Good Mothers. It truly feels like something that could happen in a not so distant future... Definitely a thought provoking read.

This book didn't live up to the premise presented in the blurb. It took a while to get going and move to the school. When it finally did, 25 percent of the book was done. I was willing to overlook the slow start, and for a little while the whole concept of the school and re-learning how to be a parent using life-like dolls was intriguing. However, my attention started to wander when I realized that readers were going to have to get through all 12 excruciating months of Frida's sentence. The concept was interesting at first but began to lose steam by the third or fourth month. The point that Ms. Chan wanted to make was essentially drilled into the ground; not only did it lose its dramatic impact, but it also lost its tension. I went from feeling sorry for Frida to getting impatient and ended up skimming most of the book from the 50 percent mark until the end to find out what happened. I was disappointed; the end wasn't satisfying and felt like a "so what" kind of moment.

Unfortunately this wasn't for me.

3.75 stars

Chan presents a fascinating scenario in a well constructed package, but Readers, this is not an uplifter.

Frida, the main character, has had a rough go of things lately. In her late 30s, she gives birth to her daughter, Harriet. She learns that her husband, Gust, is cheating on her while she is extremely pregnant, and he quickly takes off to live with his partner in cheating. Frida finds herself a single mother unexpectedly. She's trying as hard as she can to take care of her toddler, to work her relatively tedious job, and to run the household, and as any reasonable person might expect, she gets overwhelmed. Unfortunately, Frida has "a very bad day" capped off by a not-so-great decision: to leave her 18-month-old daughter home alone for two hours while she tries to regroup and go into work briefly. Harriet gets out, and Frida gets reported.

What happens from here is fascinating and heartbreaking. Frida is PUNISHED for what any reasonable person would call a bad decision. She ultimately opts to attend a kind of horrifying prison camp for "bad mothers," and this is where some truly sinister activity takes place. For me, the character development and nuances in this section of the book are riveting, so I'll leave those elements to complete surprise.

I have aggressively never wanted to have children. That ticking clock? I don't even think I have a clock, let alone have ever sensed a single tick. As a result, when it comes to parents doing anything for their children, I'm a hardcore quitter. I cannot fathom from my own experience why folks would want to go to the lengths they often do in these relationships. What struck me about this novel is that even with my non-parenting life and with my utter detachment from many characters' experiences here, I was still totally gripped by the various injustices and traumas the characters face. This novel is DARK on purpose, and I wonder if some readers - particularly those who have the opposite relationship to parenting from mine - will find this overwhelmingly tough to read. Reader, this is for you to determine for yourself.

Though there are spots where the pacing slowed for me a bit, I really enjoyed the narrative arc overall and especially the commentary on expectations for women, for mothers, and especially for women and mothers of color. I may need to read something a little fluffy as a palate cleanser after this one, but I'll be back for more from Chan.

This was an excellent debut from Jessamine Chan. It was well written and thought provoking. It was also heart wrenching and difficult to read at times. This will make an excellent selection and will incite a lot of debate and discussion. I look forward to reading more from Jessamine Chan in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

When Frida is reported to authorities for leaving her 18 month old alone in her home for a few hours, her life is turned upside down by a new rehabilitation program being tested in her area. The School for Good Mothers demands almost unacheivable perfection from the students in their parenting of strange android-like children. The racial and gender biases are intense within the program, and the standards for being a 'good' parent are ridiculous at times.

I appreciated where the author was trying to go with this premise. The book certainly will stay with me, and I it has definitely caused me to think long and hard about some of the issues with the current state of the children and youth program, but something about it just didn't sit well. Perhaps that was the objective of the author, but this one wasn't my cup of tea.

Thank you so much to Simon & Shuster for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
Published: January 4, 2021
Simon & Schuster
Pages: 336
KKECReads Rating:
I received a copy of this novel for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Jessamine Chan’s short stories have appeared in  Tin House and  Epoch. A former reviews editor at  Publishers Weekly, she holds an MFA from Columbia University’s School of the Arts and a BA from Brown University. Her work has received support from the Elizabeth George Foundation, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the Wurlitzer Foundation, the Jentel Foundation, the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center, the Anderson Center, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the Ragdale Foundation. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and daughter.

“I am a bad mother, but I am learning to be good.”

Frieda is a single mother co-parenting with her ex-husband, who had an affair and decided to end their marriage. When Frieda makes a terrible mistake, her works as she knows it completely crumbles, and she finds herself attempting to explain; but no one will listen. Now, Frieda must claim to be things she isn’t, say something she doesn’t mean- for the slim opportunity that she will get her daughter back.

This book hurt my heart for so many reasons. Frieda is such a beautifully sad character. Gust was surprisingly not an entire piece of garbage, considering.

Also, I was not too fond of a lot of this book. The writing is beautiful, and the story is well told. The characters are represented well. But my god. The atrocities these women faced.

I did enjoy the fact that this novel focused on the unrealistic standards we hold women, especially mothers, too. A mother should live for their child. Nothing else matters.

Mothers lose their identities in motherhood. Frieda suddenly wasn’t a woman who made mistakes, and she was a bad mother. She was a narcissist. The mental and emotional abuse is unreal.

The home was terrifying. The dolls, terrifying. The brain scans, the examinations, the keepers in pink- scary hearing these women share their stories, and yes, some were bad, and hearing the treatment was enough to make me need a timeout.

Frieda is a beautiful character. The things she represents, the love she has for her daughter, her desire to be good, and good enough. I found her complex yet simple. She wanted the things most people want out of life, to be a good mom, take care of her family, make her parents proud, find love, be happy, be accepted. Be good enough.

I loved how Chinese culture was lightly woven throughout this novel, and I loved Frieda’s parents; her dad melted my heart. The way race, ethnicity, and culture are discussed in this novel are essential. Representation matters and Emmanuelle was a way of representing so much.

Jessamine Chan wrote a beautiful story about family, culture, tradition, and motherhood. Jessamine Chan also turned the floodlights on the unreal expectations that are placed on mothers every single day.

Did Frieda mess up? Yes. Should she have been reprimanded? Definitely, but the things she was put through. The things that were taken away. The things she witnessed. Wow.

This is a heavy novel with a lot to unpack. But it is powerful, necessary, sad, and scary. Jessamine Chan isn’t holding back- she’s kicking 2022 off with an emotionally captivating story that will grip you from page one. 强大的. 母親. 永恆的愛. 好媽媽.

I received and Advanced Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Postpartum depression can be tough enough on a mother; now imagine having postpartum depression, a divorce, and having your adulterous ex-husband moving in with his mistress, who now thinks she has a larger say in how your child is parented. This is what Frida's life has become. Frida, a first generation child of Chinese Immigrant parents, recently moved to Philadelphia for her white husband, only to have her husband leave her for his mistress not long after she became pregnant with their first child. Frida is now trapped in a city she never wanted to live in - far from her family and friends - in order maintain her court-appointed custody agreement. Ultimately, this leads Frida to having one very bad day - leaving her infant daughter alone for less than two hours while she ran to the office to gather the files she forgot to bring home the day before.

Child Protective Services are called. Harriett, her daughter, is placed in the custody of her father and Susanna - his mistress turned girlfriend, and psychological evaluations and supervised visits become Frida's life until her trial date. In the end, the Judge determines that Frida is a Bad Mother but gives her the choice. Frida can either lose custody, or complete a new government funded training programs for bad mothers for a chance to regain custody rights. Frida chooses the later, requiring her to sign an NDA of this experimental program. Failure to maintain the NDA, or complete the program, resulted in being added to a registration list and loosing all future parental rights.

I am not a mother, but I could not help but feel a connection to Frida in this dystopian novel. The School for Good Mothers, was eerily reminiscent of the "Handmaids" training program from "The Handmaid's Tale." Childless women in pink coats dictate the "correct" way to provide motherese by providing each women with a doll. The only kicker is, the dolls were sentient AIs. They could feel love, fear, and pain - which they experienced numerous occasions by the hands of the trainers.

This novel was thought-provoking and gut wrenching: but should come with a few triggers warnings.

The plot sounded intriguing. After all, early motherhood can be hectic and mothers can end up forgetting the most precious thing to them - their child. It would be easy to sympathize with any mother in this situation. But the main character didn't evoke much of my sympathy.

Frida Liu’s life has begun to spiral out of control. Her seemingly wonderful husband cheated on her and has started an entirely new life with his mistress, a wellness obsessed younger woman. Frida has prestigious degrees and a job in academic writing, but is constantly behind deadlines and struggling to keep her work from home status. She loves her young daughter Harriet, but Harriet is also a source of stress - the screaming, the crying, the pickiness - when she has to essentially be a single working mother. Frida has no friends, feels intensely judged by other moms, and is lonely. All of this culminates in Frida’s one very bad day: overwhelmed and stressed with life and Harriet, Frida leaves her daughter in an “ExerSaucer” jumper while she leaves to get coffee… then goes to work… then answers some emails.

Frida’s neighbors call CPS on her, and the authorities take Harriet in. Thus begins a fundamental altering of Frida’s life. She now has to be subjected to temporary loss of her child, psychological evaluations, and supervised visits. After all of these, a judge officially determines that Frida is a Bad Mother. She can either lose custody of Harriet forever, or spend an entire year in a new program the government is developing: a reform school for bad mothers.

The story takes place in a very, very slight dystopia - the government doesn’t actually have a school for bad mothers where they’re assigned a humanoid doll to mother, but it’s not an inconceivable premise by any means, especially when you hear their arguments that bad mothering leads to crime, addiction, prison, and other societal ills.

This book was so good, so well-written, so realistic, and so, so difficult to read. The subject matter is intensely emotional and dark, and even those far from motherhood can put themselves in Frida’s shoes. Frida (and so many other mothers of color worse off than her) are trapped in an almost Kafkaesque hell of bureaucracy, never-ending meaningless tasks and grading rubrics, and government ideas of what it means to be a mother completely removed from the reality of motherhood. It fits right in with 1984, Handmaid’s Tale, and so many others while capturing the endless difficulties of being a mother, being a woman, being raised by immigrants, and having a career. Chan really nails the intersectionality of all of these topics and that cold, empty, hopeless feeling that dystopian fiction imparts.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the ARC via Netgalley!

Harrowing and absolutely thought provoking. I cannot wait to see this book in the hands of book clubs-- the issues inside about race, parenting, and societal expectations are stunning, and I found myself unable to put this one down. Reminds me of The Handmaid's Tale (I know this one gets a lot of comparisons, but truly it does). Excellent novel!

This is a dystopian tale about a mother that makes one mistake, leaving her child unattended for a few hours, and is sent to the School For Good Mother’s. This is a satire, and that school felt straight out of a handmaids tale. Women are measured on all aspects of motherhood, and to graduate from the school, even the length of time you hug your artificial child must be exactly perfect. It was wild. This felt a bit redundant to me, but the end was so powerful!

I need to start this review by saying that The School for Good Mothers is an exceptional social horror book - but too triggering for me personally as a mother to really enjoy all of the literary elements.  Overall, it took my breath away (though not in a good way), and it felt like a true and somewhat accurate, albeit exaggerated commentary on motherhood in today's society.  While I would rate this book 5 stars based on concept, writing, characters and story, I think I would personally give it a 2 star rating given that this is the scariest book I have ever read.  There were so many parts that made it uncomfortable to read, and the ending had me in tears.  This is really a book you will just have to try for yourself, and I would recommend giving it a chance.  I will warn you, especially mothers, that this book might not be for everyone.  

I want to give a huge thank you to Simon & Schuster, the author and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #netgalley #TheSchoolForGoodMotheres

I found the concept intriguing but the pace was slow and the main character was so flawed that it was hard to feel compassion for her situation. Not recommended

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

That... was so weird. Totally could have been an episode of Black Mirror. Super strange concept, but something I can totally see happening in the future. I wish they'd given just a tiny tiny bit more of what happened at the end!

**Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

This book is extremely chilling and depressing, so perhaps it wasn't the best choice to read over the holidays, but I enjoyed it and I'm giving it 3.5 stars. The book focuses on Frida, who loses custody of her daughter and is sent to a reform school for mothers. Most of the book takes place at this school, and at the end, you discover whether Frida has made herself "worthy" of getting her daughter back. I thought the author did a fabulous job of incorporating real-life issues of racism and classism into the school, and I also loved the way that she contrasted the school for mothers with the school for fathers. It was a great commentary on how society views each parent differently.

Frida is a newly single mom who is struggling and makes a mistake that sends her to the school for good mothers. A state run school to help mothers become better mothers during a year long program. Very Handmaidesque. Dystopion, dark, broody, depressing. I thought the story line had so much potential but at the very core didn't have much compassion for the main character which in turn made the story drag on.