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Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety by Judith Warner

In Perfect Madness, Judith Warner describes the anxiety of American mothers to be the perfect mom and to produce perfect children. The drive to succeed as a parent and involve themselves in every aspect of their children's lives often results in burnt-out mothers or spoiled children. This also often leads to women shortchanging or leaving their careers, leaving their husbands to work longer hours to make up the financial difference. If employers expect professional women to take the mommy track instead of the career track, it affects all women. It also highlights some of the cultural differences and rivalry between stay-at-home mothers and working mothers. Perfect Madness is a book that may make you angry, or nod your head in agreement, or both. The San Francisco Chronicle says, "Warner doesn't want to heap blame on mothers -- the experts are happy do that regularly in women's magazines. Rather, her book is a wake-up call for Americans that something is dreadfully wrong in our society and needs to be fixed."