The assault on parenthood

the long version

In this timely and impassioned book, Dana Mack exposes a disturbing aspect of American society. Embedded in the very institutions that are supposed to be helping parents in the difficult enterprise of child-rearing is a pronounced anti-family bent. Despite the fuss over "family values," Mack argues, we're living in an increasingly family-hating culture that offers little respect or support for parents - that in fact undermines their efforts at a time when they are working harder than ever to raise their children right. This state of affairs, Mack maintains, is at odds with the real aspirations and values of parents everywhere and jeopardizes what we treasure most about the family. But a rising groundswell of disenchanted parents is forging a pro-family counterculture aimed at reclaiming the rights and responsibilities of child-rearing and revitalizing family intimacy. Mack sees in their efforts a blueprint for a new family policy, which she articulates in a call to arms that cannot be ignored.