The Mask of Motherhood

How Becoming a Mother Changes Our Lives and Why We Never Talk About It

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Paperback
$24.00 US
On sale May 01, 2000 | 288 Pages | 9780140291780

Becoming a mother is filled with the extremes of emotion --the highest highs and the lowest lows. But women are often reluctant to talk honestly about the experience for fear they'll be seen as bad mothers. With wit and candor, The Mask of Motherhood takes on the myths and the misinformation, helping women to prepare and deal with the depth of feeling that comes with the experience and perhaps most important, it lets them know that many, if not most, new mothers are feeling the same way.Susan Maushart, sociologist and mother of three, explores how motherhood affects our marriages and friendships, our relationships with parents, our sex lives, and our self-esteem. In The Mask of Motherhood, mothers will find the comfort and reassurance they are looking for, and confirmation that, indeed, motherhood is the toughest job in the world, but can also be the most rewarding.
The Mask of Motherhood - Susan Maushart Acknowledgments
Introduction
Faking Motherhood: The Mask Revealed
"Falling": The Experience of Pregnancy
Laboring Under Delusions
Penelope Leach Meets Godzilla: A Chaos Theory of New Motherhood
Lactation Intolerant: The Worst of Breast Is Best
The Juggled Life
Superwoman and Stuporman: Parenthood and Partnership
Conclusion
Notes
Susan Maushart is a columnist for Weekend Australian Magazine and is heard regularly on ABC Radio as host of the acclaimed online series "Multiple Choice." Maushart has a PhD in Media Ecology from New York University and her book The Mask of Motherhood was hailed by the London Times as "a feminist classic." She lives in Australia but will be returning to live in the Long Island, New York, area this winter. View titles by Susan Maushart

About

Becoming a mother is filled with the extremes of emotion --the highest highs and the lowest lows. But women are often reluctant to talk honestly about the experience for fear they'll be seen as bad mothers. With wit and candor, The Mask of Motherhood takes on the myths and the misinformation, helping women to prepare and deal with the depth of feeling that comes with the experience and perhaps most important, it lets them know that many, if not most, new mothers are feeling the same way.Susan Maushart, sociologist and mother of three, explores how motherhood affects our marriages and friendships, our relationships with parents, our sex lives, and our self-esteem. In The Mask of Motherhood, mothers will find the comfort and reassurance they are looking for, and confirmation that, indeed, motherhood is the toughest job in the world, but can also be the most rewarding.

Table of Contents

The Mask of Motherhood - Susan Maushart Acknowledgments
Introduction
Faking Motherhood: The Mask Revealed
"Falling": The Experience of Pregnancy
Laboring Under Delusions
Penelope Leach Meets Godzilla: A Chaos Theory of New Motherhood
Lactation Intolerant: The Worst of Breast Is Best
The Juggled Life
Superwoman and Stuporman: Parenthood and Partnership
Conclusion
Notes

Author

Susan Maushart is a columnist for Weekend Australian Magazine and is heard regularly on ABC Radio as host of the acclaimed online series "Multiple Choice." Maushart has a PhD in Media Ecology from New York University and her book The Mask of Motherhood was hailed by the London Times as "a feminist classic." She lives in Australia but will be returning to live in the Long Island, New York, area this winter. View titles by Susan Maushart

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