Take a photo of a barcode or cover
cdasher 's review for:
All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood
by Jennifer Senior
This is not a parenting guide, but rather a book about how parenting changes us, both individually and within our closest relationships. Senior’s writing is brisk, engaging, and smart, and reminds us that becoming/being a parent brings pain and joy in equal measure. To expect it to do otherwise is basically a misguided and ultimately doomed attempt to use our children “as antidepressants.”
One of the things I most appreciated about this book was the way Senior framed the research studies she mined. Let’s face it, there’s plenty of bad social science research out there. (As my college statistics prof used to say, the phrase “Studies show,” or even worse, “A study shows,” should immediately provoke skepticism, not credence.) Sample sizes may be miniscule. Results may be unreplicated or unreplicable. Terms are often so vaguely defined as to be meaningless. Surveys read more like push polls than unbiased research instruments. And “peer review” can mean that colleagues who share similar points of view sign off on each other’s shoddy work. I could go on, but my point is, Senior does her readers a great favor by noting the sample sizes of the studies she cites, and often noting their duration and something about the research design as well, without ever bogging down the narrative. This gives readers context for judging how much credence to give her supporting data.
One of the things I most appreciated about this book was the way Senior framed the research studies she mined. Let’s face it, there’s plenty of bad social science research out there. (As my college statistics prof used to say, the phrase “Studies show,” or even worse, “A study shows,” should immediately provoke skepticism, not credence.) Sample sizes may be miniscule. Results may be unreplicated or unreplicable. Terms are often so vaguely defined as to be meaningless. Surveys read more like push polls than unbiased research instruments. And “peer review” can mean that colleagues who share similar points of view sign off on each other’s shoddy work. I could go on, but my point is, Senior does her readers a great favor by noting the sample sizes of the studies she cites, and often noting their duration and something about the research design as well, without ever bogging down the narrative. This gives readers context for judging how much credence to give her supporting data.