Journal of the Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement (JMI - York University)

Taylor, Diana

English

Making a Spectacle: The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo

Speier, Diane

Becoming a Mother

Miller, Gill Wright

Becoming: Choreographic Fruits of the Womb

Willey, Nicole

Book Reviews 
Everyday Acts Against Racism: 
Raising Children in a Multiracial World 
Maureen T. Reddy, Ed. 
Seattle, WA: Seal Press, 1996 
Reviewed by Nicole Willey 
Maureen Reddy makes adistinction earlyin her introduction between "nonracist" 
mothering and "antiracist" mothering. When, in conversation, she cites one of 
her major goals in parenting as rearing "antiracist" children, another mother 
quickly agrees that she, of course, practices "nonracist" parenting. But the 
difference is key. Reddy exposes "nonracist" parents in their guilt of consider- 
ing "nonracism" an end, a struggle already finished. The mothers and 
mothering Reddy focuses on in this collection are in the midst ofstruggle. They 
recognize that "everyday acts against racism" must be instilled in children, and 
are the only hope in eventually changing oppression. 
Everyday Acts Against Racism teaches anyone engaged in mothering 
(this can include women and men, biological and adoptive mothers, and 
teachers/community workers who mother children) practices that, slowly but 
surely, change children (and mothers) into committed antiracism advocates. 
The contributors to this collection, mothers who are, admittedly, mostly 
women and mostly college professors (i.e. middle class), write eloquently their 
personal stories of mothering their own children in antiracist practices, teach- 
ing antiracist practices in their classrooms, and striving to make antiracist 
connections in their adult lives. This collection is also about the heroic that can 
be found in ordinary, everyday acts that each one of us is capable of practicing. 
This is not to say that the authors always agree with each other. Some 
writers are completely anecdotal and compelling on a personal level, while 
others academically enmesh the personal and the political. Tones range from 
pessimism about the enduring nature ofracialinjustice, to awholehearted belief 
in changing the world, one act at a time. Some mothers shelter their children 
from racism until they are old enough to understand it cognitively, others 
believe discussion about racism should start even before children can under- 
stand what the word might mean. Some advocate almost constant confronta- 
tion and conflict, while others see the necessity of choosing battles and retiring 
from the fight for at least a moment. What these mothers agree on, however, 
is the politicized space of mothering (in the home, in the community, in the 
classroom) the opportunity to raise antiracist humans. These essays also share 
the conviction that sexism and racism are connected and that they complicate 
each other in a myriad ofways. Feminist, antiracist mothering, then, becomes 
the goal for these individuals. 
194 1 Volume 3, Number 2 
Book Reviews 
As a reader involved with mothering in the community and the classroom, 
though not inside my home (yet), this collection enthralled me. Theoryhas met 
practice in a triumphant and hopefulway in this book. No reader will agree with 
or find resonance with each essay, but the wide range ofvoices balances out any 
inconsistencies. This book is a call to arms for anyone concerned with racial 
injustice, the future of our children, the practice of teaching as a political act, 
and/or the importance of mothering. Invigorating and intensely personal, it is 
a book I will read again, assign to students, and recommend to everyone who 
is involved with children. 
Born in Bondage: 
Growing Up Enslaved in the Antebellum South 
Schwartz, Marie Jenkins. 
Cambridge: Hanrard University Press, 2000 
Reviewed by Roxanne Harde 
Previous examinations of parenting and growing up enslaved have tended to be 
either fictive, such as Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1853), or 
autobiographical, such as Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the L$ of a Slave Girl 
(1861) and Frederick Douglass's autobiography (1845). Historian Marie 
Jenkins Schwartz's thoroughly researched Born in Bondage moves beyond 
Stowe's well-intentioned novel and the personal narratives of Jacobs and 
Douglas to present the experiences of the average parent and child under 
slavery. Schwartz counters the widely held view of paternalistic slave owners 
as men who determined the life and welfare of human property in this 
examination of "the experiences of a bound but resilient people as they learned 
to negotiate between acts of submission and selfhood, between the world of 
commodity and community, as they grew to adulthood" (18). She makes her 
readers aware of the individuality of each slave, individuality the practice of 
slavery attempted to remove. 
Schwartz argues her thesis through a chronological study that follows the 
life cycle of the enslaved from birth through youth to young adulthood and the 
formation of a family. While Schwartz draws heavily on archival material and 
the records of slaveholders, her chief sources are compilations of slave narra- 
tives, in particular the forty-one volume The American Slave: A Composite 
Autobiography, compiled by George P. Rawick and published through the 
1970s. She weaves her resources into a fluent narrative that makes immediate 
the concerns and personalities of the slaves she cites. For example, from the 
Journal ofthe Association for Research on Mothering 1 195 


Everyday Acts Against Racism: Raising Children in a Multiracial World

Harwood, Ginger Hawks

Peace Activist Women During the 1980s in the U.S.: Motherhood, Motivation and Movement

Gearing, Robin Edward

Zand, Niloo

Colvin, Geordie

Engaging Fathers: A Point of Entry in Promoting a Culture of Peace

Bock, Jane D.

Single Mothers by Choice: From Here to Maternity

Norman, Renee

Book Reviews 
The Mother Dance 
Harriet Lerner 
New York: HarperCollins, 1998 
Reviewed by Renee Norman 
Having danced myway through one ofHarriet Lerner's other books The Dance 
$Deception, I sashayed eagerly through her latest offering, The Mother Dance 
(1998), and it was worth the energy on several levels. 
Since my own work is centred on women's autobiographical writing, 
including the mothering theme, I especially appreciated the personal voice 
Lerner uses in this latest dance. The book is full of amusing anecdotes, 
- 
disarmingly authentic confessions of incompetence, and the message that as 
mothers, we are not perfect and that is okay. Lerner deconstructs some of the 
mothering myths (such as "mothers never express hate") which some of the 
fathers have perpetuated. Reading her wise words while sidestepping the 
explosive landmines buried in life with three daughters aged 11, 14, and 16, 
Mother Dance was a timely read, one which made me feel better about my 
mistakes and motherly indiscretions. Lerner conveys one of the basics of 
mothering: you do your best, then hope your children do not rewrite it in into 
Mommie Dearest. And she offers a great deal of support through her dance of 
words, support backed not only by personal experience, but by references to 
other work such as Adrienne Rich's Of Woman Born, and her own expertise as 
a therapist. 
The book is divided into four parts: the prelude-pre and postpartum; the 
theme-living with children; variation on the theme-older and bigger chil- 
dren; and finally, a glissade into other issues such as howwe will feel when they 
leave for college (called launching). 
Lerner iscareful to include 'iesbian mothering, stepmothering, blended 
families, and single motheringin the configurations ofthe dance. Chapter titles 
such as "WillYour Child Become a Serial Killer?" demonstrate her humour and 
practical, no-nonsense approach. 
As I picked up the book in between hanging laundry or devising a course 
outline, I often felt I was in therapy with Lerner. Taking into account these 
interruptions, the book is uneven, as Lerner tackles everything from birth to 
empty nest and all the possibilities in between. At times, the bookveered wildly 
off the mother dance. I t  is also about gender roles, marriage, families, and 
relationships, all part of the mothering experience, of course. But Lerner 
sometimes pulls herselfback to the central topic as if she has herselfrealised that 
she suddenly danced way beyond mothering. In fact, the book should be titled 
The Family Dance, since Lerner rightly refuses to let fathers off the hook. 
Most interesting is Lerner's underlying therapist philosophy, that our 
family histories and stories shape us, our parenting techniques, and how we 
178 1 Volume 3, Number 2 
Book Reviews 
relate with our own children. I particularly related to her Jewish upbringing as 
it reminded me of parts of my own. Harriet is a self-confessed worrier, and she 
fights with her husband. For every psychiatrist or psychologist you ever have 
wanted to send to therapy, Harriet does the heart good by freelywriting about 
the times she has dispensed great advice but has not taken it herself. Mother 
dance or family dance, Harriet's dancing is at times like all of ours, fill of good 
intentions and really loud yelling. 
Creating Balance in Your Child's Life 
Beth Wilson Saavedra 
Chicago: NTC/Contemporary Books, 1999 
Reviewed by Carol Hult 
Pressured to help our children adapt to a fast-paced world, we have filled their 
dayswith lessons, sports, and homework But does relentless activity serve their 
best interests? In Creating Balance in Your Child's L$, Beth Wilson discusses 
the importance of including both scheduled and unscheduled time in our 
children's lives. I t  is essential, she writes, to teach our children about balance 
and to allow them "unrushed time" in which to play, imagine, and feed their 
spirits. 
The signs of over-stressed, out-of-balance children are everywhere: stom- 
- 
achaches, anxiety, shortened attention spans, chronic fatigue. Wilson cites the 
need for children to be offered time to rest and recharge. She says aparent needs 
to "trust the cadence" ofher child's development. Wilson's challenge to me, as 
a mother of three, is to identify and nurture each child's unique strengths. 
T o  help us understand temperament, Wilson offers several tools including 
the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. While this personality test is often used in 
educational and corporate settings, it also allows parents to see the vital aspects 
of a child's nature. That knowledge can be applied to decisions made daily on 
the child's behalf: choosing schools and activities, setting TVlimits, structuring 
unhurried time. Rather than defining balance universally, we need to respect 
individual needs. Aquiet, intuitive child who is tuned into the feelings ofothers 
may need small class settings and regular time alone to think things over. A 
lively, extroverted, intellectual child may need plenty of active stimulation but 
also ways to slow down. 
Several chapters explore key components of balance. "Nourishing with 
Nature" describes how a connection to the natural world helps children to 
connect with themselves, with others, and with a higher source. "Communi- 
cation and Balance" discusses the significance of actively listening to our 
Journal ofthe Association for Research on Mothering 1 179 


The Mother Dance

Chastain, Melissa Miller

there are deeply felt experiences of transformative motherhood both in choos- 
ing to relinquish a child for adoption and in making the commitment to raise 
an adopted child. Another chapter focusing on teen motherhood explores the 
effects of new motherhood on young women who are still in transition to 
adulthood. Bergum displays profound respect for the experiences of each and 
every mother she interviews. 
Bergum shines brightest in her final chapter, "The Way of the Mother." 
Here she does an artful job of drawing out the commonalities in the varied - 
experiences of motherhood described by the diverse group ofwomen she has 
interviewed, and she makes an eloquent case for motherhood as the basis of a 
morality of responsibility: 
I suggest that the experience ofwomen during pregnancy, birth, and 
nurturance demonstrates how the woman turns toward the child, and 
how, in this turning to the child (as Other), she comes to a renewed 
sense of herself (the Self). In this moral turn the woman asks the 
questions, 'Who am I?" and 'What should I do now?" Using repro- 
ductive choices as an example, I propose that moral questions and our 
responses to them stem from a relational root-the commitment that 
we have toward each other.. . . The stories of mothering are sources of 
moral knowledge. (134) 
The Rhetoric of Midwifery: 
Gender, Knowledge, and Power 
Mary M. Lay 
New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2000 
Reviewed by Melissa Miller Chastain 
A well-researched, articulate contribution to the field of midwifery and 
rhetoric, this book analyses the recent Minnesota hearings on midwifery 
licensing and regulation. A professor at the University of Minnesota, Lay 
affirms that this book provides a "rare opportunity to study the medical and 
midwifery practices in conflict; the use of discourse to maintain professional 
jurisdictions; the exclusive claim to scientific knowledge and discourse by 
dominant professions; and the cultural status granted to women's experience 
and knowledge of their bodies" (ix). Written in an approachable style, The 
Rhetoric ofMidwfe y not only offers an understanding of "how the hegemonic 
medical profession maintains its jurisdiction claims and how midwifery prac- 
tice currently responds to those claims, but also insight into the role that 
discourse or language plays throughout these interactions" (X). 
Journal ofthe Association for Research on Mothering 1 225 
Book Reviews 
The Rhetoric ofMidwlfey is well structured. It  explains the previous and 
current controversies surrounding midwifery and birth in a lucid manner, so 
that those outside the field may easily comprehend the material. The first three 
chapters cover the midwiferydebate in the U.S., rhetorical analysis within these 
midwifery debates, and the rhetorical history of midwifery. The following 
three chapters detail the experience of the Minnesota midwives, their profes- 
sional jurisdictions, and their licensing rules and regulations. The final chapter 
recapitulates the issues of gender and power surrounding the direct-entry 
midwife. Also included in the book are three sets of appendices; Notes; a 
Bibliography; and an Index, all of which are exceptionally helpful in and of 
themselves. 
Lay's explicit coverage of these proceedings shows how each side, the 
midwives and the traditional medical community, has its own individual 
authoritative terminology. Clearly, the book is written in support of the 
Minnesota midwives but, to accurately portray the hearings, Lay includes the 
language of their opponents. The fact that a reader is able to conceptualize both 
sides of the argument and then make a judgment is one of the strengths of this 
book. Although the Minnesota midwives were granted their licensing by the 
passing of a state law in January2000, the statutes are ambiguous. For example, 
midwives are able to provide care "for those women who are expected to have 
a normal pregnancy, labor and delivery," but they are not able to perform 
emergency episiotomies (186). 
A wonderful scholarly addition to the field, The Rhetoric ofMidwfe y will 
also be a valuable resource not only for the field of midwifery, but also for 
women's studies, the medical field, for historians, sociologists, philosophers, 
and rhetoricians. 
Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: 
The Complete Guide 
Penny Simkin, Janet Whalley, and Ann Keppler 
New York: Meadowbrook Press, 1991. Second ed. 
Reviewed by Jillian Duquaine 
Penny Simkin, Janet Whalley, and Ann Keppler, three members of the 
Childbirth Education Association of Seattle, have compiled a well-organized, 
comprehensive guide to the three stages in the female reproductive cycle: 
pregnancy, birth, and caring for a newborn. The second edition, updated and 
expanded, includes more illustrations, photographs, and charts, as well as two 
226 1 Volume 3, Number 1 


The Rhetoric of Midwifery: Gender, Knowledge and Power

Sempruch, Justyna

Book Reviews 
menting the excellent books, The Courage to Raise Good Men by Silverstein & 
Rashbaum and Real Boys by Pollack, Kivel takes the task of raising our sons out 
into the streets. First, Kivel challenges us to "see every boy as one of our sons." 
Kivel says we must first learn to have empathy for all  boys before we can 
successfully help any boy have empathy for himself and others. Second, he 
emphasizes community over the nuclear family. He urges us to teach our sons 
how to get ahead and get together. 
Specific chapters provide hands-on suggestions for parents in nearly all 
aspects of a boy's life, from family rules to sports to relationships with women 
to homophobia. Kivel shows us how to become allies with our sons and how 
to help them become allies with themselves and others. In keeping with the 
overall theme of reaching out beyond the nuclear family, the final chapters focus 
on community action. The connection between individual and community is 
central to Kivel's message. In his words, "Personal awareness is only useful if 
it can be connected to social practice." 
The book is graced with beautiful black and white photographs by Kathy 
Sloane. Kivel makes appropriate use of questions throughout the book- some 
to ask ourselves, some to ask our sons- to help us consider our own situations 
and to help us communicate with our sons. Finally, Kivel has compiled an 
extensive, topically-arranged resource list of books and organizations. 
This book would be more complete, however, with a chapter on the non- 
traditional family in all its evolving forms, including shared custody/two 
homes, single parenting, absent parents, and blended families. Kivel refers far 
too briefly to the real and important issue of divorce and its impact on pact. 
Our Sons Were Labeled Behaviour Disordered: 
Here Are the Stories of Our Lives 
Joy-Ruth Mickelson 
Troy, NY: Educator's International Press, 2000 
Reviewed by Justyna Sempruch 
Their sons are diagnosed as hyperactive, severely depressed, and possibly 
suicidal. In school, administrators segregate them in Behaviour Disordered 
classrooms, and consult psychologists. Pharmacotherapy is strongly suggested 
and sophisticated vocabulary is used to make their mothers feel helpless. 
In Our Sons Were LabeledBehaviorDisordered, Ruth Mickelson intertwines 
her academic discourse with personal stories (letters) written directly to the 
interviewed mothers. She chooses narrative inquiry as her research method and 
includes the testimonials of mothers daunted by professional opinion. Moth- 
Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering 1 183 
Book Reviews 
ers, trapped in socially determined constructions, are left to their own devices, 
but it is not always bad tolet mothers speakand decide for their chiidren, argues 
Mickelson. Who could claim to know their sons better? Who knows what is it 
like to live in the world of antidepressants, unable to communicate? I t  is while 
listening to mothers that Mickelson is able to see the boys as individuals and 
to define their frustration, despair, and hope. To  recognize them, she con- 
cludes, is not to summarize, evaluate, or diagnose them but to try and live with 
them every day. The theme of hope emerges repeatedly throughout the 
mother's stories. 
Little is heard from mothers, Mickelson argues correctly, since they often 
are stereotyped and humiliated along with their children. Dismissive and 
inappropriate statements, such as "Find me a BD kid and I'll find you his BD 
mom," shut too many doors and limit potential treatment. Mickelson repeat- 
edly emphasizes that her letters do not provide clear cut, black-and-white 
pictures but complex kaleidoscopic realities that should uncover the individual 
buried under "a load oflabels." Her study confirms that behavioural analyses are 
valuable only as ongoing interpretations. 
Self-Esteem - A Family Affair 
Jean Illsley Clarke 
Center City, MN: Hazelden, 1998 
Reviewed by Debbie Dickinson 
Self-esteem is a catch all phrase that puts most parents in a quandary. How do 
we raise responsible and confident children and encourage independence and 
creativity? How do we best shape our children's emotional well being? These 
questions are adequately answered in Jean Illsley Clarke's book, Sey-Esteem, A 
Family Afair. The title itself places the responsibility for the emotional 
wellness of children on the entire family. Positive self-esteem can be achieved 
through advising and supporting chiidren and by acknowledging that both 
parents and children need reassurance. As a result, the responsibility for 
children's self-esteem does not fall wholly on one parent. In the past, for 
example, mothers have been blamed for the problems of low self-esteem, 
especially in their daughters. 
Through examples, exercises, and worksheets, parents are guided in the 
skillfd negotiation ofproblem solvingwhich clearly set out the expectations for 
families. With these tools in each chapter, parents have a template that can 
assist in the process of fostering a positive attitude in our children. Let us not 
184 1 Volume 3, Number 2 


Our Sons Were Labeled Behaviour Disordered: Here Are the Stories of Our Lives