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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
"Frequent Parenting Miles." Mothers of the 21st Century may not be familiar with this term, (coined by author Faulkner Fox), but they’ll quickly catch the gist, no doubt about it. In her irreverent, smart, thought-provoking memoir, Fox raises a lot of questions, and even answers a few. A biggie is this: "If you love someone and he’s a feminist, and you create children together...shouldn’t the groundwork for peace and generosity be laid? Perhaps Duncan [Fox’s husband--not his real name] was a fake feminist, an armchair spouter of equity-talk." Fox agonizes over what is just, for her little family and for womankind. She obsessively (and hilariously) counts the hours she spends caring for her two sons versus the hours her husband spends doing the same thing (a.k.a. frequent parenting miles). She reflects on the social, political, and health ramifications of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood. In her professional life she ponders the time-honored tradition of paying women less to do the same jobs men do. And she returns, again and again, to a fantasy she had in her 20s, in which she writes peacefully in a house by the sea while a man cooks in the kitchen and a small child plays quietly in the corner. Why does real life look so different, even with a swell husband, much-loved children, a part-time job, and a little time to write?
"Frequent Parenting Miles." Mothers of the 21st Century may not be familiar with this term, (coined by author Faulkner Fox), but they’ll quickly catch the gist, no doubt about it. In her irreverent, smart, thought-provoking memoir, Fox raises a lot of questions, and even answers a few. A biggie is this: "If you love someone and he’s a feminist, and you create children together...shouldn’t the groundwork for peace and generosity be laid? Perhaps Duncan [Fox’s husband--not his real name] was a fake feminist, an armchair spouter of equity-talk." Fox agonizes over what is just, for her little family and for womankind. She obsessively (and hilariously) counts the hours she spends caring for her two sons versus the hours her husband spends doing the same thing (a.k.a. frequent parenting miles). She reflects on the social, political, and health ramifications of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood. In her professional life she ponders the time-honored tradition of paying women less to do the same jobs men do. And she returns, again and again, to a fantasy she had in her 20s, in which she writes peacefully in a house by the sea while a man cooks in the kitchen and a small child plays quietly in the corner. Why does real life look so different, even with a swell husband, much-loved children, a part-time job, and a little time to write?
Dispatches from a Not-So-Perfect Life is packed with the kind of ambivalence and unexpected humor and joy that so many women find in life today. It should be required reading for any woman or man contemplating marriage, parenthood, or simply life as an adult. --Emilie Coulter
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Fox recalls a recurring fantasy from young adulthood that featured her living in a house by the sea, with a husband and young child, in a relationship so loving and harmonious that she could work without interference or guilt. When she later married and had children, Fox discovered a life full of obligations, interferences, guilt, and resentment. In this frank, and often amusing, memoir, Fox recounts her experiences with two children three years apart and her occasional ambivalence about motherhood. Her specific issues: maintaining a sense of individual self; work ambitions versus motherhood; negotiating child care and housework with her husband; and the constant question, "Is it just me?" From her feminist perspective, she ponders the oppressive and redemptive nature of housekeeping and child rearing and the never-ending selflessness required of mothers versus a woman's personal choices. Women of various political perspectives will appreciate this honest look at the rigors of motherhood. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
When I had a three-year-old and a seven-month-old, I loved my children passionately, and I was also very unhappy. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Orleans, New York, Frequent Parenting Miles, King Arthur, United States, Frank Gilroy, North Carolina, Sylvia Plath, Betty Friedan, Miss Kimmy, After Detox, Anne Sexton, Eat When You're Expecting, Jake Miller, Miss Beth, The Feminine Mystique New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
When I had a three-year-old and a seven-month-old, I loved my children passionately, and I was also very unhappy. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Orleans, New York, Frequent Parenting Miles, King Arthur, United States, Frank Gilroy, North Carolina, Sylvia Plath, Betty Friedan, Miss Kimmy, After Detox, Anne Sexton, Eat When You're Expecting, Jake Miller, Miss Beth, The Feminine Mystique New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 17
books:
See all 17 books this book cites
- The Bitch in the House: 26 Women Tell the Truth About Sex, Solitude, Work, Motherhood, and Marriage by Cathi Hanauer in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan on page 216, and page 218
- Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution by Adrienne Rich on page 33
- Screaming to be Heard: Hormonal Connections Women Suspect, and Doctors Still Ignore, Revised and Updated by Elizabeth Vliet on page 33
- Complete Stories by Dorothy Parker on page 220
See all 17 books this book cites
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