PunditMom's Mothers of Intention: How Women & Social Media Are Revolutionizing Politics in America [Hardcover]

Joanne C. Bamberger Joanne C. Bamberger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2011

Illuminating women's clout and influence both online and in the political realm, this book, by popular political blogger, PunditMom Joanne Bamberger, studies the rise of the motherhood political movement and how online and social media tools have enabled women to become a larger and more powerful presence in the world of politics and activism.
 
Recognizing the fact that women make up the majority of online users and influencers, Bamberger traces this influence across the intersections of politics, motherhood and social media. Mothers of Intention, with its myriad stories and opinions, sheds light on a strong undercurrent that most of the political realm ignores - women's voices, and more specifically, those of mothers. By countering the political dismissal of mothers with proof of women's varied and impassioned responses to politics and media, the book attests to the increasing importance of mothers' opinions in time for the 2012 campaign and for elections to come.
 
In addition to analyzing this ever-growing trend, Mothers of Intention presents a collection of essays by passionate women who are quickly becoming political influencers, including a preface by Pulitzer Prize winner Connie Schultz, and essays by Mom-101's Liz Gumbinner, Veronica Arreola of Viva la Feminista blog, Jaelithe Judy of MOMocrats, Jessica Gottlieb, and MomsRising's Lisa Frack, among many others.  Bamberger describes "Mothers of Intention" as women, diverse in geography, ethnicity, age and political persuasion, who pursue a world of more political discourse through their powerful, thoughtful and humorous voices about what it's like to be a mother in today's political world.

Joanne Bamberger is a writer, political and media analyst and social media consultant. In addition to writing her own political blog, PunditMom, she is a regular contributor atAOL's Politics Daily and The Huffington Post, as well as MOMocrats and MomsRising. Bamberger was also a contributing editor for News & Politics at BlogHer and is the co-founder of The DC Moms blog and The Broad Side, a new site for women's opinion writing. A former op-ed columnist for The Washington Examiner, Joanne's work has also appeared in a variety of publications such as The Washington Post, Legal Times, Washingtonian Magazine and many others. Her political commentary has appeared on CNN, Fox News, Good Morning America, XM POTUS Radio, BBC Radio, NPR.com, and more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A brilliant fist-pumping, 'hell-yeah!' great read. Bipartisan proof ... of the power & validity of women in the political arena through their savvy use of social media. --Lara DiPaola, Examiner.com & author, Chicken Nuggets of Wisdom blog

One of the most important political books of 2012! -- Jason Williams, Host of For The People Show, KVNU Radio, Provo, Utah

"A real awakening about women online!" -- Maggie Linton, co-host, Cover to Cover show, XM/Sirius Radio

" ...[P]ositive and energizing, no matter whether you're a C-SPAN junkie or barely get a second to skim the headlines over coffee. [Mothers of Intention] is a great reminder that while mothers differ on specific issues, our common concern for our kids' futures unites us."-- Cool Mom Picks, coolmompicks.com

"Encouraging mothers to step up & enter the political fray, whether through public policy process or espousing political opinions in blogs or columns, Bamberger calls upon mothers to muster their courage, harness their intellectual prowess & change the political conversation."  Meredith O'Brien, columnist, MommyTrackd.com

From the Inside Flap

From her vantage point in the nation's capital, Joanne Bamberger reveals the powerful impact social media tools have in amplifying female voices in American politics.  Mothers of Intention examines the rise of the motherhood political movement and how women have become a larger, more powerful presence in political activism.  In the first book to describe this new political idiom, Bamberger analyzes this ever-growing trend and debunks the commonly held notion that motherhood renders women mute when it comes to public policy and electoral politics. Mothers of Intention explores today's complex political scene with humor, intelligence and humility and explains what it means to be a mother within it.  An important coda to the last presidential election and the essential gender issues it raised, Mothers of Intention is must reading for anyone wanting to understand what motivates women in the political arena.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Bright Sky Press (June 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933979941
• ISBN-13: 978-1933979946
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 0.9 x 6.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,149,649 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > Computers & Technology > Home Computing & How-to > Social Media How-to

More About the Author

Joanne is an author, journalist, political and media strategist/analyst, and recovering attorney. She is best known for her popular political blog PunditMom, which was one of the first internet voices speaking about the intersection of women/mothers online and political/social activism.

Joanne is the author of the Amazon bestselling book Mothers of Intention: How Women & Social Media are Revolutionizing Politics in America (Bright Sky Press), the first book to examine the phenomenon of the rise of women in social media, how they've used online tools for change and the uphill battle women still face in the world of politics and activism.

A new media expert and authority on the political involvement of women and mothers, Joanne is a regular contributor to POLITICO's Arena and Huffington Post, and was a regular contributor to AOL's Politics Daily. She also was a founding contributor to MOMocrats.com. Her commentary has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, Good Morning America, and XM Radio POTUS, among others. She's been featured in More Magazine, Ms. Magazine, the Washington Post, and other national publications.

In 2011, Joanne was nominated for the prestigious Social Media Award by the Women's Media Center. She's appeared on numerous top blogger lists including Working Mother Magazine's Most Powerful Women in Social Media (2011), Babble Top 50 (2010), Babble Top 100 (2011), and BlogHer's Must-Read Political Blogs by Women. Her blog PunditMom was also a finalist for the best political blog in the 2011 annual Weblog Awards, the "Bloggies.

In addition to her own book, her work has appeared in several anthologies, including Courageous Parents, Confident Kids, Kirtsy Takes a Bow and Welcome to My World.

She's the publisher of The Broad Side, an online magazine of the best women's commentary from around the web.

Joanne is a sought after speaker, who has participated in panels at many conferences, including BlogHer, Netroots Nation, Mom 2.0 Summit, the Feminist Majority Foundation, EMILY's List, Activism+Media+Policy Summit, and many other events. She has advised a variety of political and institutional clients on social media strategy and the role women online can play in advancing agendas.

Joanne is at work on her second book about how women's friendships shape the political world.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars PunditMom is Fantastic June 18, 2011

By Stimey

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Joanne Bamburger's voice is one of the smartest in the political blogosphere. This book is wonderful. Joanne is a thoughtful writer and has brought together a slew of intelligent voices to contribute to her book. Too often, mothers are dismissed in politics. Joanne highlights the ways that women and mothers are relevant, smart, and important. Highly recommended!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful and easy read August 18, 2011

By J. Aragon VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a perfect book to read before bed every night. It will leave you with good thoughts about the different ways that women are using social media to their advantage to advance their political beliefs. The second part of the title is telling--revolutionizing politics. This is exactly what women are doing in politics and other spheres. The inclusion of blog posts or the excerpts in the book are pleasing and frankly the book's layout is aesthetically pleasing.

This book will speak to the political continuum. I didn't agree with all of the contributors, but that's a good thing. The book is written well and for the lay audience. The book could work in a lower division Gender and Politics or Gender and Society course at the college level.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An assortment of women's voices you won't find elsewhere August 9, 2011

By ADP

Format:Hardcover

Here's why I'm so glad I bought this book: I have a ready reference to the smartest political bloggers on women's issues and perspectives right at my fingertips. I don't have to search for their best posts; I've got them all in one place. Bamberger has done the research to find the most interesting and relevant blogposts on and by women in politics, then tied it together with excellent analysis of her own. I keep this book by my office desk and scan through it daily, whenever I want an interesting take on politics from a mom's perspective. Bamberger not only gives us the published posts of some terrific bloggers, but insider moments that can't be found elsewhere (a colleague's son meeting Hillary Clinton, and what that meant for their family; DeeDee Myers' personal take on politics in her own family; etc.).

As we approach 2012, this is a particularly great read for anyone wondering how to find and speak with moms in politics. But anyone who is a mom or has a mom should pick this up. You'll enjoy it.