Judith Warner became a mother while living abroad. Returning to the United States from France several years later with her two young children, she was shocked to discover the differences between the two cultures in regard to motherhood-with the U.S. coming up short. What she found here in the U.S. are mothers living lives of quiet desperation as they struggle to parent in an age of anxiety.

Regardless of race, cultural background, geographic location, or working versus stay-at-home moms, the mothering concerns of American mothers are largely the same. Warner, a writer and journalist, examines how we've gotten to this state of perfect madness-and where we're headed. She draws on her own experiences as both a stay-at-home and working mother, along with interviews with more than 150 women nationwide. She also evaluates the influences that popular culture, economics, politics, and psychology have had in shaping society's perceptions of mothers and motherhood.

Intelligent, frank, and entertaining, Perfect Madness is an insightful look at modern motherhood, an illuminating history of a century of American culture, and an urgent wake-up call for the future of the American family.