The Mask of Motherhood: How Becoming a Mother Changes Everything and Why We Pretend It Doesn't
Everything changes when a woman becomes a mother, but  society--particularly women themselves--often colludes to deny this simple truism. InThe  Mask of Motherhood, author Susan Maushart (a nationally syndicated  columnist in Australia and the mother of three children) explores the effect childbearing has upon women. In the process, she removes the veils of serenity and satisfaction to reveal what she holds to be the truth: the early years of motherhood are physically difficult and can be  emotionally devastating. New mothers increasingly enter full-scale identity crises,  few women have sufficient information about child-rearing realities, and, as Maushart writes, "the realities of parenthood and especially motherhood  are kept carefully shrouded in silence, misinformation, and outright lies."  The book comprises seven essay-style chapters. In "Falling: The Experience of Pregnancy," Maushart discusses wrongful notions about  morning sickness, the mixed messages about pregnancy weight gain, and the  "mask" of stoicism pregnant women feel compelled to wear. In "Laboring Under Delusions," Maushart exposes the changes 30 years have brought in childbirth, and the contemporary woman's need for self-control in all things, including birth. In "Superwoman and Stuporman," Maushart  disabuses readers of the myth of what she calls, "pseudo-egalitarian family  life."The Mask of Motherhoodis extensively researched, convincing,  and deeply insightful.--Ericka Lutz