Jessica Grose combines a journalist’s perspective with ferocious personal candor to lay bare the subject of motherhood in America.

Fierce, timely, unflinching.

Compelling and sharp.

Though the info might not be surprising, this is a validating look at contemporary parenting..

Grose covers topics like the idealization of motherhood, how to look at Instagram without feeling terrible, and what happened when the catastrophe of a still-unfolding pandemic met our already catastrophic lack of national support for caretakers of all types. It’s hard to imagine a mother (or other) who won’t feel seen somewhere in Grose’s accessible, empathetic, data-driven report..

We sense Grose is a work in progress, but she refrains from making a deeper dive into her own psyche. We don’t hear her questioning her desire to conform and succeed and be well-liked; it still sometimes seems enough for her that she figure out how to do so. The same can be said about her evolving feelings about motherhood.

Stirring.

Grose’s fiery compassion is matched by her profoundly complex understanding of the material and her trenchant, witty prose. Although she consciously includes the voices of diverse, modern mothers, her analysis is sometimes more relevant to White, heterosexual, cisgendered mothers, particularly in the historical sections. Still, the author is clear in her intent to be inclusive, and her topic is relevant and worthy of discussion.