Book Review for The School for Good Mothers
Full review for this title will be posted at: @cattleboobooks on Instagram!

This was a great inverse to all these books I've read lately ("The Upstairs House", "The Push", "Baby Teeth") where mother's with newborns who don't latch on right or the mom can't provide enough milk (and really, what is this trend about? Reality? Don't tell me actually I chose ignorance) and in this case the mother is kinda bolstered by a group of women with commonalities and the baby isn't evil, except the communion with other moms comes at the expense of personal liberties and takes place at a decommissioned liberal arts colllege cum gulag for mothers deemed unfit but not irredeemable and even though everything that happens is there basically monstrous and makes the reader want to scream, one mom does teach another the Cupid Shuffle.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of The School for Good Mothers. This is a heartwrenching dystopian tale focusing on how society and the state measure women's worthiness to be good mothers. What really stood out to me was how the author was able to create characters who had done awful things, things I cannot understand or condone, but I could still feel intense empathy for them. It focuses on gender, race, family, and government overreach, and highlights how different the standards are for mothers vs fathers. It also brings up the questions: Can a mother's worthiness to raise her child be measured by science? What is considered rehabilitation in a system that seems to set these mothers up for failure? How does one weigh what's best for a family unit as a whole vs an individual? How much trauma will the children have due to the actions of the system vs the mistakes of the mother? The scariest thing for me was that the events in this book don't seem unimaginable in our current time. I am a birthmom of children I did not have the opportunity to raise, as well as a mother of children who I am currently raising, so it gave me a lot to think about and reflect on, and some of the scenes were especially difficult to process emotionally. I would recommend this book to any parent or caregiver of children, as well as social workers, and anyone who is a fan of dystopian fiction such as Black Mirror or The Handmaid's Tale.

This was an intriguing premise. Dystopian happenings in what seemed to be very similar to the world we know. It wasn't just mothers who were monitored, but the consequences were lighter in a sense lighter for men. I thought it was interesting that they risked breaking the bond between parent and child in an effort to make that bond stronger. I wondered how successful such a plan could be. It did drive me nuts that the main character kept calling her transgression a "very bad day" in an effort to minimize it. The program made some kind of twisted sense, but how can you determine if a parent has the capability to be a good parent? It kept me up last night, and I find myself wanting to start over now that I've finished it.

Jessamine Chan has envisioned a world where mothers are tightly monitored for even the smallest infractions and sent off for training on how to be a good mother. This dystopian story is close enough to our present reality to chill the reader and feel the similarities and possibilities of mothering in the future. Chan amply addresses white privilege as well and enables the reader to see how that affects each mother.
And the dolls... could they be any scarier?

The characters shine in their imperfections and any mother can identify. This would be a great selection for a book club of mothers or one of mothers and daughters.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

As a mother and a social worker, I really hope this book finds an audience. It’s a very engaging read, but his message really needs to be heard. I devoured this book but I cried my way through it. The author’s dystopian setting seems right around the corner. I can’t wait to read more from Ms Chan.

First of all, A HUGE thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.
This book really dealt with white privilege,mass surveillance, loneliness, and the impossible measurements of motherhood. This book deeply touched me.
The fact that this is Jessamine Chan first novel is pretty amazing to me. Her writing will break you, move you, and heal you -all at once and she offers no regrets only explanations of why, how, and when she decided to choose such subjects to tackle with the upmost of respect, dignity, and courage.