Bad Mother

I started Ayelet Waldman's new book, Bad Mother, with some trepidation. I am not a mother, I saw her book on Newsweek magazine's must read list, and I am a loyal fan of her husband Michael Chabon. I should point out that I am not Jewish, but rather lapsed Catholic. Twenty minutes on my exercise bike with this pithy, slightly precious memoir and I was hooked. Waldman blows the lid off of the stereotypical Supermom and allows all of her warts to show. She proves that no matter how many college degrees you have, your kids are often dirty and exhausting and there is no shame in having less than loving feelings towards them. Her public villification was unwarranted...let he who is without sin cast the first stone and so on. My only complaint about this excellent compilation of very real, personal essays is that she paints her award-winning husband as some kind of demi-god. If he is half as wonderful as he is portrayed in this book, then oy, her mother should be extra proud of her daughter for snagging him.