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kimabill's review against another edition
4.0
4 1/2 stars. I tagged this book as sci-fi, but I'm not sure that is totally accurate, and if that turns you off from reading it, pretend I didn't say that. The book takes place in perhaps a near future or perhaps an alternate reality in which everything is pretty much the same except for some enhanced technology and enhanced government/authority intervention in people's lives. In the book, the main character Frida has a day of bad judgement where she leaves her toddler daughter alone at home for over two hours. When she is turned in by a neighbor, her custody of her child comes into question. Cameras are installed in her home observing everything she does while separated from her daughter, making sure she feels guilty enough, that she is spending enough time cleaning and cooking and showing what a "good mom" she can actually be. Eventually she is sent to the titular school where she has to spend a year with other "bad moms" learning how to be a perfect mother. The moms at the school (and at the separate, and of course, much less populated school for bad dads) have a curriculum where they learn everything from "motherese" to changing diapers to morality to protecting their children from molesters and car accidents, all while being 100% loving at patient at all times. There are penalties for not being perfect, and their performance in the school is what determines whether they will ever see their children again. It is an incredible depiction of the unreasonable expectations put on mothers to be perfect at all times, and the ambivalence that many parents feel towards parenthood. I recommend this one to everyone.
rockbottom's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This reminds me of the handmaid's tale, so disturbing and sad!!!
jaime_em's review against another edition
3.0
Pure horror with no resolution. Riveting at points yet unsatisfying.
willis_boff's review against another edition
3.0
Wow. I was pre warned a bit about this book from book tok but of course needed to see for myself. I’m so glad I did. I’ve been on a big romantasy kick so I opened this shift and change, and boy was it! I think it was a beautiful glimpse into what we had mothers mentally go through on a day to day basis in our own minds, and additionally what we as mothers go through on a day to day basis from the lens of others. I think back to when I had my first child in 2011, and how afraid I would be to post anything on social media for others to judge me and my choices as a new Mom. This book has me feeling anxious, sad and VERY angry! I think it’s an important work, though Big Brother/1984esque (totally a word) that a mother should read. I do wish some of the characters were built on a bit more. The writing style didn’t really allow that much but I think that was the intent. I have recommended it to several reader friends but have added “It will likely leave you a bit stabby”
bhargavir's review against another edition
4.0
The School for Good Mothers was something I picked up to immerse myself in a new world opposite from much of what I had been reading previously. I had never read dystopia by an Asian author before, and if The School for Good Mothers is what Asian dystopian is like, I definitely need to pick up more.
The whole premise The School for Good Mothers centers on motherhood—after Frida endangers her daughter, she must prove that she can become a good mother, that she can be redeemed. By emphasizing the state of motherhood and what is required of parents regularly, Jessamine Chan takes an insightful, compelling glance at the very notion of parenthood itself, and the intersectionality of womanhood and wealth as well.
Motherhood is not an equitable experience shared by all women who have children, and Chan takes careful note of this. Frida, who is Chinese-American, has a markedly different experience with motherhood than the Black, Latinx, and white mothers she is placed in the program with. Poverty and sexuality also inform Chan's portrayal of motherhood and the "sins" a woman can achieve.
Initially the novel reads rather Dickensian in nature, and seems more like a glimpse into Frida's mental struggle and troubles with motherhood and marriage. I initially questioned how it was a dystopia, as everything about the world seemed almost analogous to my own. However, as soon as Frida was assigned to the institute, the tone of the novel changed rapidly (but not so it was off-putting), becoming much more disturbing and dark in nature. The latter two-thirds of the novel is much more serious and cerebral in nature, Chan writing Frida's experience with this spectator tone that allows us to observe everything that is happening.
Through Frida's lessons and experiences at the institute, Chan takes a searing look at what is expected of mothers in today's society; the sacrifices, expectations, and ideas of what motherhood can and should be. Through these exaggerated portrayals of womanhood and maternal attitudes, Chan exposes how ridiculous many of them are, while simultaneously highlighting the realism of actual motherhood. It becomes more and more apparent what is being asked of the mothers at the school is ridiculous, and there were numerous times during the novel I felt myself getting frustrated with the rhetoric that was being spewed at this mothers.
Frida is not a particularly unique character—which is precisely what makes her so compelling in this case. She feels like a realistic woman and mother—one who makes mistakes and who is struggling with motherhood. She is an everywoman—and yet pieces of her background and experience feel so relevant and unique to her they remain compelling. Chan's choice to position Frida as a regular woman and mother lends greatly to the story telling, as the reader often has to debate who is truly at fault here—Frida, or the system? The answer is not as easy as it seems.
In conclusion, The School for Good Mothers was a thought-provoking, analytical, and enjoyable look at motherhood and how we, as a society, treat mothers. It made me consider what motherhood requires, and what it is really like, while setting it in a world all too easy to imagine.
The whole premise The School for Good Mothers centers on motherhood—after Frida endangers her daughter, she must prove that she can become a good mother, that she can be redeemed. By emphasizing the state of motherhood and what is required of parents regularly, Jessamine Chan takes an insightful, compelling glance at the very notion of parenthood itself, and the intersectionality of womanhood and wealth as well.
Motherhood is not an equitable experience shared by all women who have children, and Chan takes careful note of this. Frida, who is Chinese-American, has a markedly different experience with motherhood than the Black, Latinx, and white mothers she is placed in the program with. Poverty and sexuality also inform Chan's portrayal of motherhood and the "sins" a woman can achieve.
Initially the novel reads rather Dickensian in nature, and seems more like a glimpse into Frida's mental struggle and troubles with motherhood and marriage. I initially questioned how it was a dystopia, as everything about the world seemed almost analogous to my own. However, as soon as Frida was assigned to the institute, the tone of the novel changed rapidly (but not so it was off-putting), becoming much more disturbing and dark in nature. The latter two-thirds of the novel is much more serious and cerebral in nature, Chan writing Frida's experience with this spectator tone that allows us to observe everything that is happening.
Through Frida's lessons and experiences at the institute, Chan takes a searing look at what is expected of mothers in today's society; the sacrifices, expectations, and ideas of what motherhood can and should be. Through these exaggerated portrayals of womanhood and maternal attitudes, Chan exposes how ridiculous many of them are, while simultaneously highlighting the realism of actual motherhood. It becomes more and more apparent what is being asked of the mothers at the school is ridiculous, and there were numerous times during the novel I felt myself getting frustrated with the rhetoric that was being spewed at this mothers.
Frida is not a particularly unique character—which is precisely what makes her so compelling in this case. She feels like a realistic woman and mother—one who makes mistakes and who is struggling with motherhood. She is an everywoman—and yet pieces of her background and experience feel so relevant and unique to her they remain compelling. Chan's choice to position Frida as a regular woman and mother lends greatly to the story telling, as the reader often has to debate who is truly at fault here—Frida, or the system? The answer is not as easy as it seems.
In conclusion, The School for Good Mothers was a thought-provoking, analytical, and enjoyable look at motherhood and how we, as a society, treat mothers. It made me consider what motherhood requires, and what it is really like, while setting it in a world all too easy to imagine.
laura_eppinger's review against another edition
5.0
I want to give this MORE than 5 stars, and also, this book made me look at myself in a way that was uncomfortable. I say that to paint a picture of how this book SUCCEEDS.
This novel is set in a bleak dystopia that's not-so-different than life today, making it much more of an essential read right now than, say, "1984." THIS is the surveillance state that we actually built, one of every device around us harvesting our data and also our willing consent to turn our most intimate moments into online content, so that we feel a kind of social clout. Such a small payout, really, considering we give away so much privacy for it!
I won't give away plot spoilers but the way you respond to this story, your predictions and hopes, will reveal much about your position and privilege in society. This book is a hand-held mirror where you look at yourself in the harshest, most honest light. This book is a Rorschach test that will reveal the parts of you that you never wanted to see or even admit existed.
This is also about the internment of Japanese Americans, about the separation of indigenous children from their parents to try to break them from their heritage and make them conform. It's about Slavery. And child separation at the US/Mexico border. (Overarching, all-powerful SYSTEMS that were also fueled by individual people and their compliance, as equally as they were fueled by the violence of the state.)
As a white person, I watched white characters make parenting mistakes and be judged less harshly than people of color, on the inter-personal level but also by the carceral state. I also watched white people feel *personal outrage* when the system doled out harsher punishments to people of color, women over men, poor people, etc., have a good cry, then move on with their lives and their own bubbles. It hurt to watch, even though or BECAUSE I know this really happens, all the time, every day, in a thousand ways.
I wanted the system to be just. I wanted wrong corrected and apologies given. I found myself rooting for Compliance! Compliance leads to fair outcomes, right? (THAT is the part that makes this book a mirror--do I really believe that? Why do I believe that?) Compliance or rebellion, those were the things I wanted to see. I believed a (human, gut-wrenching, well-freaking-written) story would see a happy ending. Even now, in 2022, I have enough privilege and protection in my own little life to anticipate a joyful, equitable, and satisfying resolution to this story.
Is it a spoiler that I feel gutted. And furious. At myself. ? This masterpiece of a book made me feel compliant, made me experience self-loathing.
This novel is set in a bleak dystopia that's not-so-different than life today, making it much more of an essential read right now than, say, "1984." THIS is the surveillance state that we actually built, one of every device around us harvesting our data and also our willing consent to turn our most intimate moments into online content, so that we feel a kind of social clout. Such a small payout, really, considering we give away so much privacy for it!
I won't give away plot spoilers but the way you respond to this story, your predictions and hopes, will reveal much about your position and privilege in society. This book is a hand-held mirror where you look at yourself in the harshest, most honest light. This book is a Rorschach test that will reveal the parts of you that you never wanted to see or even admit existed.
This is also about the internment of Japanese Americans, about the separation of indigenous children from their parents to try to break them from their heritage and make them conform. It's about Slavery. And child separation at the US/Mexico border. (Overarching, all-powerful SYSTEMS that were also fueled by individual people and their compliance, as equally as they were fueled by the violence of the state.)
As a white person, I watched white characters make parenting mistakes and be judged less harshly than people of color, on the inter-personal level but also by the carceral state. I also watched white people feel *personal outrage* when the system doled out harsher punishments to people of color, women over men, poor people, etc., have a good cry, then move on with their lives and their own bubbles. It hurt to watch, even though or BECAUSE I know this really happens, all the time, every day, in a thousand ways.
I wanted the system to be just. I wanted wrong corrected and apologies given. I found myself rooting for Compliance! Compliance leads to fair outcomes, right? (THAT is the part that makes this book a mirror--do I really believe that? Why do I believe that?) Compliance or rebellion, those were the things I wanted to see. I believed a (human, gut-wrenching, well-freaking-written) story would see a happy ending. Even now, in 2022, I have enough privilege and protection in my own little life to anticipate a joyful, equitable, and satisfying resolution to this story.
Is it a spoiler that I feel gutted. And furious. At myself. ? This masterpiece of a book made me feel compliant, made me experience self-loathing.
dockbbrooks's review
3.0
Interesting book that I think would've hit me a bit harder if I was a mother. Terrifying but rushed and too much romance for me for this book's vibe.
moons_child's review against another edition
4.0
Quelle bonne dystopie! Ça semble si impossible, si farfelue, si loin de nous, mais quand on y réfléchi un peu, c'est possible et c'est ce qui fait peur. Si on regarde tout ce qu'il se passe avec l'avortement, de condammer des mères comme ça est probablement la prochaine étape... Quelle excellente représentation de la société où le racisme et le sexisme sévi toujours grandement. Où l'on demande tellement moins des pères que des mères... Le début de chapitre 18 ouch sérieusement, je ne m'attendais pas à ça. Et le pauvre destin de Emanuelle me fend le coeur... On pourrait le comparer à un livre de Margaret Atwood par sa possibilité épeurante.
nakamotoyuta's review against another edition
3.0
3.25, rounded down. that ending......... fine i guess. my issue isn't so much with the story, though, as it is the pacing here. it moves awfully quick if you consider we're basically in one of two major places throughout.