Mothers Who Kill Their Children: Understanding the Acts of Moms from Susan Smith to the "Prom Mom"
"Meyer and Oberman's comprehensive work represents the most extensive study to date of American mothers who have killed their children. Written in a manner that is accessible to the general public, and at the same time useful for medical and legal experts, they use extensive resources and expert methodology to provide a sophisticated contemporary classification of these cases. Perhaps the most significant and unique contribution of this work lies in its invitation to the reader to test the limits of compassion, taking this unique opportunity to understand the tragic causes of child mortality so that we can begin to lay the foundations for understanding these cases as patterned and predictable, identify women and children at risk, and prevent these tragedies."-Margaret G Spinelli M.D,Director of the Maternal Mental Health Program The New York State Psychiatric Institute and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons"Through vivid sketches of the lives of women wh have killed their children, Meyer and Oberman shatter the myth that such mothers are necessarily mad or monstrous. This carefully researched account shows how social forces can contribute to both the causes and the cures for infanticide. Readers will find themselves shifting from asking, 'How could she do that?' to 'How could we have let that happen to her?'."-Laura J. Miller M.D,EditorPostpartum Mood Disordersand Chief of Women's Mental Health Services, University of Illinois at Chicago"This book is informative and interesting and would be useful both in academic and professional settings."-Feminism & Psychology,