Motherdom by Alex Bollen is a wonderfully written book about the challenges of motherhood and ways to better it as a society. This is a short read packed with information backed up with many sources.

"We must turn away from mother blame and stop laying responsibility for children’s lives at the feet of mothers. Instead, our starting point should be to assume that mothers (and fathers and other caregivers) want to do what’s best for their children – what is getting in the way? It is a long and daunting list: poverty, racism, pollution, inadequate housing, low wages, insecure jobs, poor healthcare and food insecurity."

I would recommend this book to all mothers and those close to them.

"Motherdom means rejecting- fiercely- the idea that there is an 'optimal' way to care for babies and children. There isn't. There really isn't. Philosophically, politically and scientifically, optimisation makes no sense. Variation and diversity are at the heart of what it is to be human, and we see this in the many different ways women mother across and within different societies."

The author discusses a lot of the shaky science that backs up different areas of motherhood, from birthing to breastfeeding to attachment theory. I appreciate how this book is not necessarily forcing a specific few, but giving the facts of the research. The biggest thing to take away though, is there is not enough research, especially in some areas like breastfeeding. There is so much we don't know that mothers, or parents in general, should not be shamed for what they do or do not do.

Motherhood is hard and mom guilt is real and never ending. I was excited to see this book, as a Black mother and a social worker with an OB background, i have had many conversations with patients reassuring them of the choices they were making for themselves and their babies. I DEFINITELY appreciate how race is discussed often; the motherhood experience is vastly different when you are BIPOC. I do feel, however that this book is all over the place, extremely worried and repetitive in its points.

Writings like this make me worry that they will only be read in academic spaces and not actually reach the target audience - your everyday mother.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to access this title in exchange for an honest review.

Alex Bollen’s Motherdom dispels some of the myths and shaky science that have been used to shame and alarm mothers. Now that I know the real story behind the origin of attachment theory, for example, I feel angry that I and so many other moms have been misled about such a tiny and unreplicated study. It makes me wish every mom had a copy of this book.

The book would have been more approachable for busy moms if it had been a bit shorter and more focused in places. Its strength lies in dispelling pseudoscience. Given the book’s assertion to support research-based information, I was disappointed by a couple of claims that were not scientific. I feel Bollen reaches too far in some claims.

Overall however, this book is a great resource; moms just may need to take a couple of claims with a grain of salt. Bollen is absolutely right to provide mothers with encouragement and appreciation - and to urge that they be provided with more support (e.g., affordable childcare) instead of more guilt.

Thank you to NetGalley and Verso Books for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions. This review is posted on Goodreads and will be posted on Amazon and Instagram upon the book’s publication.