The Mother Knot [Paperback]

Jane Lazarre (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1997

In this compelling memoir by a writer, mother, and feminist, Jane Lazarre confronts the myth of the "good mother" with her fiercely honest and intimate portrait of early motherhood as a time of profound ambivalence and upheaval, filled with desperation as well as joy, the struggle to reclaim a sense of self, and sheer physical exhaustion. Originally published in 1976, The Mother Knot is a feminist classic, as relevant today as it was twenty years ago.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The Mother Knot deserves a permanent place in the stirring body of testimonial literature American feminism has given rise to.”—Vivian Gornick

“A modern feminist classic, certain to leave its readers changed from the experience of reading seldom spoken truths.”—Maureen T. Reddy, from the Introduction to the new edition of The Mother Knot

“A wholly original and important book. . . . I cannot imagine a woman who would not be moved, or a man who would not be enlightened.”—Adrienne Rich

About the Author

Jane Lazarre is on the Faculty of Eugene Lang College at the New School for Social Research. She is the author of numerous works of fiction and non-fiction, including Beyond the Whiteness of Whiteness and Wet Earth and Dreams, both published by Duke University Press.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Duke University Press Books (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822320398
• ISBN-13: 978-0822320395
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,288,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening!, February 22, 2000

By 

Leslie Farnsworth - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mother Knot (Paperback)

I had heard The Mother Knot mentioned and recommended highly in a few other books I've read, including one I read recently that prompted me to order it and read it for myself. It's a short book, but it's packed with eye-opening details that distill and debunk the mother myth. Although written in the mid-1970s, this book feels as fresh as if it were written today, and its insights into the reality of life for new mothers was refreshing and enlightning. I recommend it very highly for every woman, mother or otherwise, and for every man. If it doesn't enlighten you as to your own experience or possible experience, it will awaken you to the reality of mothers everywhere--and to your mother's reality.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Parenting- the hidden thoughts of a mother, November 30, 2005

By 

Anna M. Ahn (Chicago, Il) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mother Knot (Paperback)

Mother Knot, an autobiography by Jane Lazzarre shows a different but very real reaction and perspective of a mother who is raising a child. Uncontrollable crying, bathing, feeding, and just being with your child is a handful, but some mothers are afraid to tell people the struggles, anger, frustration, and pain they go through when raising their child because they fear that people will see them as an inadequate or even bad mother. Thus there are not many stories by parents on how much they struggled when raising their children. In this book, the pain, confusion, and struggle Lazzarre goes through as a mother is very vivid and moving. She describes her frustrations with her child, her husband, and herself and through out the book we see how she learns to deal. Mother Knot is definitely and eye opener on how much mothers and fathers struggle and give up so much for their children.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful View of the Complexity of Motherhood, October 10, 2011

By 

Donna Hill - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mother Knot (Paperback)

I read this book when my daughter was a toddler and it made me me feel so much less alone. Mothers' groups are fine, but moms don't always want to admit to all their worst feelings. This book covers a wide range of feelings. The author isn't afraid to open her heart to us and in journal-like form she really explores the light side and the dark side of motherhood. If you read this book, you won't feel as though you're the only one with such negative feelings.