The "mother's fear of child loss" is universal, omnipotent and inescapable, Smith (Private Matters: In Defense of the Personal Life) argues; women's urge to protect their young is their bottom line, their most fundamental drive. This "maternal vulnerability" explains much about "women's unequal status" in society, as it makes it difficult for women—the majority of whom become mothers—to commit to the job world as men do. (Why men are not similarly afflicted goes largely unexplained.) Furthermore, Smith argues, throughout human history, "mother blaming" has been a key method of maintaining high levels of "maternal sacrifice." To support her argument, Smith calls on anecdotes from her own mothering experiences, as well as examples from various Greek classics, Puritan meditations on child loss and child-rearing advice manuals. While her choice of evidence is hardly systematic, it's the conclusions she draws from her hypothesis that are most problematic. She suggests more social support for "free mothers," such as flexible career paths and better day care, yet these measures might not make much difference if mother-love obsession is, as she believes, instinctive. The author means well, but pads her book with repeated assertions and doesn't fully explore the existential implications of mother-love obsession. Her pleas to stop guilt-tripping employed moms and her endorsement of more social responsibility for child-rearing will find favor with many feminist readers, but her overall argument is so muddled it will be hard to appeal to anyone. Agent, Miriam Altshuler. (Jan. 16)
