Unsung Heroines: Single Mothers and the American Dream (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I was raised by a single parent..." (more)
Key Phrases: single motherhood, New York, United States, Young Heoy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Observing that single mothers embody the best American values—"courage, determination, commitment to others, and independence of spirit"—sociologist Sidel contends that "rather than being stigmatized, they should be celebrated and indeed applauded." Sidel's 50 subjects are diverse in age, class, race, ethnicity and marital status (including unmarried by departure, divorce or death). They recount the different paths that led them to single motherhood, their struggles to provide for their children, and their own feelings of loss (of income, self-esteem, emotional and social support, youth, etc.). They describe the steps they took to turn their lives around and recall the forces (people, institutions and faith) that aided and sometimes thwarted them. Sidel looks back at the different male and female responses "to intimate heterosexual relationships and to the enormous responsibility of caring for children" and forward to an agenda that would recognize that "the well-being of children and their families is the responsibility not only of the families themselves but of government at all levels and of civil society as well." Sidel's mothers tell individual tales, but the effect is cumulative, allowing the author to sound an alarm about the real needs of American families in all their varieties. (Apr.)
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Review

"Ruth Sidel's dramatic life histories of single mothers make a revealing point: These mothers, especially the poor ones among them, work far harder and act more responsibly than some two parent families. they have to, because their and their children's survival depends on it. Perhaps they are America's true Supermoms." - Herbert J. Gans, author of Making Sense of America"

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Product Details

• Paperback: 265 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (April 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520247728
• ISBN-13: 978-0520247727
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #408,328 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read, not exactly good representative of single mothers as a whole., May 13, 2006

By	tara (USA) - See all my reviews

This book gives a bird's eye view of what it's like to be a single mother. The book is pertaining to a study that Sidel did where she interviewed single mothers in the NYC area. All ages, ethnicities, and Socio-economic status' were interviewed. Excerpts from some of these interviews form the backbones of each chapter's theme.

The first half to two-thirds of the book use excerpts that do not appear to be representative of single mothers as a whole. Almost every single one of the mothers goes on to graduate school (and finishes). In my opinion, this implies that single mothers that go on to grad school are the "unsung heroines" and that the mothers struggling to survive in dead-end jobs or even government assistance are anything but. The last third or so of the book includes some more "real-life" single mothers' excerpts and the book becomes less biased.

I really liked how Sidel made it a point to show that single mothers DO come from all socio-economic statuses. Some were upper middle class (or higher) and ended up at complete rock bottom with no money and a few hungry kids to feed as a result of a divorce, but some were part of the stereotypical young and urban type.

All in all, a pretty good book. Definately not bedtime reading but definately worth your while!