Are Mothers Really Necessary?

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Despite its flip title, this is a highly focused study of John Bowlby, an influential British child psychiatrist who has stressed the longlasting effects of maternal care on the child's future self. Some feminists accuse Bowlby of attempting to chain women to their kitchens and babies, while other psychologists fault him for overemphasizing the mother's importance. Mullan, a British writer and BBC producer, staunchly defends Bowlby, arguing that childhood can make or break a persona fact he contends has been forgotten in an age of female careerism and underfunded day-care services. When Mullan discusses adop tion, gender identity, the impact of divorce on children and the nature of love, his narrative becomes a compendium of other people's opinions. But his advocacy of community programs and direct aid to families with children deserves a hearing. Mothering is neither natural nor easy, in Bowlby's view, and Mullan persuasively argues that mothers need greater recognition and support from society at large. (Nov.)

Library Journal

A British professor of sociology and psychology, Mullan enthusiastically supports child psychiatrist John Bowlby's belief in the importance of affectionate mothering marked by secure attachments and few separations. Although he denies trying to lure ``women back into the kitchen,'' Mullan offers no real solutions to the frustrations of combining career and mothering and deflects any criticisms of Bowlby with a researcher's skepticism and selective quotes from other theorists. And though informative, sections on divorce, the ``new man,'' and the history of childhood hint at an unclear focus. Collections owning Bowlby titles won't miss this well-intended but misguided polemic.Janice Arenofsky, formerly with Arizona State Lib., Phoenix