Reviews

?This thoughtful collection adds depth to the conversation about motherhood and social media. In considering the many different and contradictory effects of life online, this book engages with issues of self-representation, privacy, and meaning making. In acknowledging that this is now the village we all live in, Taking the Village Online widens the conversation about why we live and, how and what we do, in these spaces.? ?May Friedman, author of Mommyblogs: The Changing Face of Motherhood ?Taking the Village Online is a timely and significant piece of work. It addresses many areas relevant to motherhood such as intensive mothering; the mommy wars; relying on each other rather than on specialists; and the ambivalence of motherhood. The book addresses how difficult it is to be an intensive mother on twitter and addresses the issue through reflection and from mothers? perspectives. The organization of the book is terrific and the chapters meld into the sections beautifully. It could easily cross over into the mainstream, as it is meaningful and pertinent to both academic and reader alike.? ?Linda Rose Ennis, author/editor of Intensive Mothering: The Cultural Contradictions of Modern Motherhood, psychoanalytic therapist and family mediator ?Taking the Village Online offers an empowered perspective of mothers, and how parents can utilize social media to gain and give voice, create and maintain community and support, become individual activists and allies, and ultimately aid in becoming more open and aware individuals with regards to the relationships with their children, their possible partners, intimate and extended communities, and their selves. Poignantly addressing issues of motherhood and mothering in a mediated society from differing research perspectives, the power of the book lies in its ability to engage the reader in conversations surrounding contemporary mothering and motherhood while offering room for resonation and application to the readers own experiences of mothering, community, relationships and self.? ?Daniel S. Strasser, Assistant Professor, Gender and Family Communication, Rowan University