With their rollicking expression of outrage at how the media portrays modern motherhood, Susan J. Douglas and Meredith W. Michaels have been garnering considerable attention for The Mommy Myth: The Idealization of Motherhood and How It Has Undermined Women. Published on February 9 by the Free Press, the book combines the frazzled humor of Erma Bombeck with the cultural analysis of Susan Faludi's Backlash, taking aim at what the authors characterize as the tacit insistence by pundits and politicians that gender equality has been achieved; women don't have anything left to fight for; and mothers are now free to choose to stay home with their children—and they'd better.
Quipping that "regular mothers do not have a SWAT team of nannies" to point out how images of celebrity moms help perpetuate unreasonable standards, Douglas appeared on Today on February 5. Last week, the University of Michigan professor was also featured on CBS's The Early Show and NPR's The Diane Rehm Show. Articles and reviews are also scheduled to appear in USA Today, the New Yorker, Newsweek, Glamour and Child. And Douglas will set out on an eight-city author tour (with Smith College research associate Michaels joining her on some stops) that will continue through April 1.
Like babies, book buzz requires a gestation period. In late October, months before the 40,000-copy first printing reached stores, the Free Press arranged a New York media luncheon that attracted more than 20 magazine editors. The authors also went to Borders headquarters in Ann Arbor, Mich., in September for a brown bag lunch with marketing and merchandising personnel. "That visit got a great response from moms in the audience," recalled Borders buyer Karin Stratton. "The book is well-researched, but also sharp and funny."
By marrying humor and research about such topics as childcare and welfare legislation over the last 30 years, the book has the potential to appeal to a range of readers, several booksellers said. Its tales of contemporary women's experiences may appeal to readers of Cathi Hanauer's bestselling anthology The Bitch in the House (Morrow, 2002), while its more serious social analysis may attract readers of Ann Crittenden's economic critique The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World Is Still the Least Valued (Metropolitan, 2001).
"The humor in The Mommy Myth really caught our attention, because it gets the information out and talks about the subject without being offensive or off-putting," reported Stesha Brandon, events coordinator for University Bookstore in Seattle, Wash., which has ordered 60 copies in anticipation of a February 23 event. Brandon noted that readings for humorous titles on motherhood have drawn large crowds, and that about 50 "punk-rock mothers" showed up when Ariel Gore read from her memoir, Atlas of the Human Heart (Seal Press, 2003).
In early April, Wellesley Booksmith in Wellesley, Mass. will host a lunch with both Douglas and Michaels at the nearby Figs restaurant, and book buyer Susan Taylor predicted the store would have no problem selling 25 tickets for approximately $20 each. "Wellesley is a big 'better parenting' community. There aren't a lot of stupid moms around here," she said.
Still more thinking mothers will be exposed to The Mommy Myth in April, when Douglas participates in an e-mail discussion group about media distortion of motherhood through Mothers & More (www.mothersandmore.org), a 7,500-member nonprofit that advocates for the mother as a whole person. Visitors to the site will be able to click through to Amazon to purchase the book. Kristin Maschka, president of Mothers & More, said, "Whether or not you agree with the political angle or how the message is delivered, this book opens a much-needed debate."
