Jessamine Chan's disturbing, dystopian novel, The School for Good Mothers, focuses on mother shaming. Frida, a young mother, has what she refers to asJessamine Chan's disturbing, dystopian novel, The School for Good Mothers, focuses on mother shaming. Frida, a young mother, has what she refers to as a bad day and leaves her daughter, Harriet, in an exercise saucer for two and a half hours while Frida goes out for coffee and to work.
In the state-controlled society, neighbors, friends, and family turn in "bad mothers" who are then sent to prison under the guise of being a school to learn to be a good mother. While imprisoned, the mothers are given dolls that are creepier than anything I have read in horror stories. These dolls emulate children of all ages and also measure the number and types of hugs they receive from the mothers. Lots of data and surveillance are done on the mothers as well as training about kidnappings, pedophiles, stranger danger, car accidents, etc.
I have also been reading The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters and it discussed the criticism Barbara Walters received about being a mother while having a successful career. The word opprobrium was used and I wasn't familiar with it. It means harsh criticism. The point was made that men are rarely referred to as bad fathers while they aggressively pursue their careers but women are expected to reduce or eliminate their career aspirations when they have children.
Dystopian novels are often disturbing because they reflect some realities that are often rationalized or ignored. The School for Good Mothers is not a light read. It is a gut-punching, thought provoking, haunting novel. ...more
Mind blowing. Disturbing. Published in 1985 when women had more rights than they have currently.
Margaret Atwood's, The Handmaid’s Tale, is a dystopianMind blowing. Disturbing. Published in 1985 when women had more rights than they have currently.
Margaret Atwood's, The Handmaid’s Tale, is a dystopian novel about a male, militaristic, hierarchical society where women's sole purpose is to have children. Women aren't allowed to read or hold jobs.
They are told that Bible scriptures indicate that men can be polygamists. One passage in the book stated, "It was from the Bible or so they said, since we're not allowed to read."
Women were treated like slaves and could be tortured or killed for minor disobedience. Usually their arms and legs were the first parts of their bodies that were maimed because those parts were viewed as unnecessary.
While reading Atwood's book, I kept thinking of George Orwell, the dystopian author of several books, including 1984 and Animal Farm / 1984. I found an article that indicated Atwood was influenced by Orwell's writings and she wanted to write a dystopian novel that was told from the point of view of a woman.
I learned that there is a Handmaid's Tale series on Hulu that won eight Emmy Awards from 13 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series.
This haunting, terrifying book will stay with me a very long time. ...more
Celeste Ng is an incredible author. Our Missing Hearts is my third book that I have read that is written by her. It packs a powerful punch! I also thoCeleste Ng is an incredible author. Our Missing Hearts is my third book that I have read that is written by her. It packs a powerful punch! I also thoroughly enjoyed Little Fires Everywhere and Everything I Never Told You.
Our Missing Hearts is initially told from the perspective of Noah "Bird" Gardner. Bird lives with his father; his mother left over three years ago and he hasn't heard from her. The country is focused on extreme nationalism and wants to root out any people, books, thoughts, and discussions that are not supportive of the country.
It is a dystopian novel that borders close to reality, at times. Children are separated from their parents if either the parent or the child demonstrates subversive thoughts or behaviors. The country is filled with anti-Asian sentiment which results in bullying, harassment, and death.
Many people in the book focus on keeping their heads down and doing whatever is necessary to prove they are patriotic. Their silence enables the horrible treatment of others. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr so eloquently said, "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people."
Ng's Author Note at the end of the book is fabulous. She reminds us of the many times that children have been separated from their families in the US: slavery, indigenous boarding schools, Japanese internment camps, and cages for children at the US and Mexico border. Ng provides many book recommendations that influenced her research and writing.
When I did additional Google research on this book, I discovered a book, Fourteen Days, that has 36 authors' short stories about the pandemic. Some of the authors include Celeste Ng, Margaret Atwood, Scott Turow, John Grisham, and many others. Proceeds from the book will go toward fighting against book banning.
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