June 13, 2006
Interview with Caitlin Flanagan
My interview with Caitlin Flanagan and review of her book, To Hell with All That: Loving and Loathing Our Inner Housewife, have been posted. If you have any comments, we'd love to read them here.
Posted by Jen at June 13, 2006 07:53 PMGreat interview!
Posted by: Shandra at June 14, 2006 02:35 PMGreat review, Jen, and a fabulous profile. Here's my take on them in my blog: http://midlifemama.blogspot.com/2006/06/required-reading.html
Posted by: Libby at June 14, 2006 04:45 PMI find Flanagan to be completely baffling. But you picked up on a lot of great points that I missed.
Posted by: MommyWithAttitude at June 15, 2006 08:49 PMWhat a terrific review, Jen, and a fascinating profile. Thanks for these! I've quoted you on my blog:
http://www.carolineandtony.com/2006/06/15/the-last-best-word-on-caitlin-flanagan/
Savvy marketer, indeed. I really appreciate that you pursued this issue because that is, really, what it comes down to. The book, as you say, is not tremendously controversial. But it *was* advertised as such, and Flanagan herself overtly invited and flirted with that controversy. And it's false 'controversy' like that fosters ill-feeling among women and mothers. I resent Flanagan's disingenuity about that.
One more thing (and I may need to post about this): I also resent the continual emphasis on'loss.' What about 'choice'? Obviously, we can't have everything (although as you say, Flanagan has a lot). Choosing to have children limits our choices in other areas. So does staying at home. So does working outside the home. But why characterize it as a loss? Don't we make the choices we do around children, family and work - indeed, anything - because we expected to *gain* from those choices?
Women (or men) who *must* work outside the home, especially when they would rather stay at home with their children - that is, people without choices - can talk about loss. Those who can and do make choices should recognize their good fortune and celebrate those choices and what they *gain* from what they've chosen.
Posted by: Her Bad Mother at June 16, 2006 02:25 AMA fabulous read, Jen. Thank you.
Posted by: Ann D at June 17, 2006 03:49 AMAt the latest Berkeley MotherTalk I admitted to "not hating" Flanagan's book and the I ducked, expecting fur to fly. Rebecca said I'd probably like your essay, and (not suprisingly) I do! But not just because I agree with your conclusion, but also because it's well written.
Whew. Glad to know I'm not the only woman who is okay with Flanagan's book.
Posted by: Mary Tsao at June 22, 2006 07:37 AM