The School for Good Mothers
A Novel
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3.7 • 629 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel and the Carnegie Medal for Excellence | Shortlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize | Selected as One of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of the Year!
In this New York Times bestseller and Today show Read with Jenna Book Club Pick, one lapse in judgment lands a young mother in a dystopian government reform program where custody of her child hangs in the balance, in this “surreal” (People), “remarkable” (Vogue), and “infuriatingly timely” (The New York Times Book Review) debut literary fiction novel.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In Jessamine Chan’s dark debut, the ultimate helicopter parent is the state. Hardworking single mother Frida Liu is struggling to raise her toddler when, in a moment of terrible judgment, she leaves her daughter alone for a couple of hours. The next thing she knows, Frida’s lost custody to her ex-husband and is trapped in an authoritarian parenting school ripped from George Orwell’s worst nightmares. Chan’s disturbing thriller plays with a common parental anxiety of being far from perfect—and constantly being judged. We were biting our nails as we read about the beleaguered but likable Frida fighting her way through an alternative modern world full of awkward blended families, passive-aggressive custody agreements, and a version of Child Protective Services that feels positively dystopian. Like the best episodes of Black Mirror, this is a fun-house mirror version of a frighteningly plausible world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Chan's enthralling speculative debut opens with a woman having "one very bad day" in Philadelphia. Frida Liu, Chinese American and recently divorced, has left her daughter, 18-month-old Harriet, alone at home in an ExerSaucer for two hours so she can work, a decision that results in Harriet's removal to a crisis center. Frida is then sentenced by a family court judge to one year in a live-in rehab program for bad moms that will use constant instruction, training, and supervision to determine if she can make "sufficient progress" as a mother or if her parental rights should be terminated. Guided by the mantra "I am a bad mother, but I am learning to be good," Frida and the other 200 moms must prove their worth by raising surrogate children in order to earn their own children back. Chan raises the stakes as she explores Frida's relationships with the other mothers, Harriet and Emmanuelle (her surrogate daughter), her ex-husband's new family, and her romantic interests. Chan (a former PW reviews editor) also tightens the screws of the program itself as the leaders capriciously deny privileges, such as 10-minute Sunday phone calls home, and broaden the definitions for what's considered an offense. Woven seamlessly throughout are societal assumptions and stereotypes about mothers, especially mothers of color, and their consequences. Chan's imaginative flourishes render the mothers' vulnerability to social pressures and governmental whims nightmarish and palpable. It's a powerful story, made more so by its empathetic and complicated heroine.
Customer Reviews
Shocking read
I loved this book. I hated this book.
More scy-fy than I liked or expected hence 4/5 stars.
Thought provoking about judicial system and cps
What mother has not done something that make her a bad mom? The difference in expectations for fathers? The range of “crimes”?!?
Haunting and not at all recommended for parents of young kids.
Wow. Wait until Lulu is a teen!
Sysiphus for Imperfect Mothers
The challenge of becoming a “perfect“ mother in an authoritarian system, where the expectations are nearly impossible to achieve is a tough read. There are obvious dystopian elements to the story as well as racist and misogynistic ones. Complex, well-defined characters. A disturbing, very interesting and well-written story.
Emotional stirring!
As a previous state family/children social worker, the beginning angered me at giving the state a bad name. In my role I can’t ever imagine keeping children and parents apart at removal let alone 15 months and no contact. That would be so hard for the children and abandonment. Yet I continued to be drawn in. By the end I truly am confused with my thoughts, would an intensive parenting class be beneficial, especially ones in the generational cycle. Yet I also know some parents are selfish and/or just unable to prioritize children with other addictions being the priority (unhealthy chaos relationships, drugs, anger etc) and it is best for the children to have a stable environment and being prioritized. Comparing the state proceedings in the book compared to what I’m familiar with is driving me crazy wanting friends to read this so much I can explore this! Very well written to invoke such emotion from a reader!