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"One of the best-kept secrets of the last 30 years," Hewlett and West aver, "is that big business, government, and the wider culture have waged a silent war against parents, undermining the work that they do. Some of the hostility has been inadvertent, and some of it has been deliberate. But whatever forces are responsible for the war against parents, one thing is for sure: parents have been left twisting in the wind by a society intent on other agendas."
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
39 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Assessment of problem is on target; solutions are absurd,
This review is from: The War Against Parents: What We Can Do for America's Beleaguered Moms and Dads (Hardcover)
The book really should have been called "The War Against Children Brought On By Parents", a title which I would be inclined to agree with. The authors detail the havoc wreaked on children by the abdication of parental responsibility, time and love. True. But the authors say it's not the fault of parents themselves, but the economy or the government which make parents "unable" (an oft-used term in this book) to give children what they need. . The authors reach the elusive realization that our society is crumbling because children need their parents' attention, in a two-parent family. The most profound and true statement in the book comes early on: "At the heart of the matter is time, huge amounts of it, freely given. Whatever the child-raising technique, a child simply does better with loving, committed, long-term attention from both mom and dad." They then come to some baffling--in light of this truth--conclusions: year-round school and government-subsidized day care, among other things. The authors conclude that parents are economically unable to care for their children. and compare our day to the 1950's when tax credits favored families with children. I have news: the main thing that has changed from the 1950's to now is that baby boomers, a group which includes me, have come to expect a standard of living that our parents would have probably thought luxurious. I am a stay-at-home mother, married to the father of our children (what a concept!) who does it by working from home, shopping garage sales and thrift stores, and bulk cooking from each week's grocery sale items. Out there are truly desperate people in desperate situations, but most people I have ever encountered who thought they "could not" stay home with their children lived in twice the house we live in, shop at the mall, drive two new cars and use credit cards. I have known a few also who simply felt more "fulfilled" working than raising their children. I would love to hear from some of you out there who made raising your children your top priority and then found a way to make it happen. E-mail me at dorriegiroux@hotmail.com. I would love to hear from the authors of this book, too. I still recommend this book, as it is highly insightful and scholarly and does offer many useful recommendations, such as making divorce harder to come by and promoting adoption. However, I think its authors overlooked society's greatest problems: materialism and consumerism.
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Neither liberal nor conservative,
By "olddomer" (South Bend, IN USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The War Against Parents (Paperback)
This book walks a hazardous line, neither liberal nor conservative, and it infuriates some and baffles others who insist on familiar dichotomies. There's a litmus test for prospective readers, however: if you think parents should be as politically powerful as the AARP, read this book, and anything written or edited by either Hewlett or West. If you think current disparities between the top and bottom deciles in socioeconomic status in the U.S are about right, don't.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The War Against Parents - a review,
This review is from: The War Against Parents (Paperback)
If you are one of the politically hard-over types --left or right-- don't bother buying this book. This book is really for the open minded reader who is looking for an analytical and cautious approach to what ails us as a nation.
Systematically Cornell and Hewlett do that. They look at what worked in the past (when families seemed to be working for adults and children), and how that has changed to get us where we are today (latch key kids, high child suicide rates, high pregnancy rates). They point fingers at the far left and at the far right. They look at myth and truth and how often it is hard to discern which is which. Some reviewers say they are liberal. Perhaps. But not so it matters. They certainly don't find much good to say about the programs of LBJ's Great Society, nor liberal divorce policies. Plus they argue for the importance of religion and parent-in-charge strategies in regards to child rearing, voting, and generally participating in society. Four stars. If you are hard-over one way or another politically, ignore their arguments and just look at the data that Cornell and Hewlett have collected, then make up your own mind. For the rest of you, this is a conscientious book that attempts to take a broad look at the problems that ail the American family today.
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