More Press and Praise for The
Mother-Daughter Project
"A thoroughly realistic roadmap for sustaining mother-daughter
relationships in a culture that seems determined to undermine them…Hamkins
and Schultz demonstrate how collective energy and commitment can help
mothers and daughters thrive.
-Meredith Michaels, co-author, The Mommy Myth:
The Idealization of Motherhood and How It Has Undermined All Women
"A lively and engaging book that offers hope and inspiration
as well as practical advice for maintaining and enhancing the mother-daughter
connection."
-Jean Kilbourne, author, Can't Buy My Love: How
Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel
"Wise to the ways of girls and the stresses on moms, Hamkins
and Schultz bring to life a mother-daughter revolution-a revolution of
love and connection during the most difficult transition in a girl's life."
-Elizabeth Debold, co-author, Mother Daughter Revolution:
From Good Girls to Great Women
"Just wait 'til she grows up and hates you." Hamkins
and Schultz, psychotherapists and mothers, dreaded the day when they might
hear those words from their own daughters. In an effort to avoid that
scene, keep their relationships close and loving, and create ongoing communication
between mothers and daughters, they started a group of mothers and daughters
in 1997. They conversed, supported one another, played a bit, and talked
out problems. Eventually, this led to the creation of the Mother-Daughter
Project in 2002 - a model for sustaining loving mother/daughter relationships
throughout the stormy years of adolescence and into adulthood. This book
describes how the project got started, what it attempted to do, how it
succeeded (and where it could be improved), and what to expect from daughters
each year from ages seven to 17. The authors' approach is realistic, taking
"supermom" off her pedestal, addressing big questions (sex,
drugs) early, and offering moms support. The initial assumption is that
mothers and daughters can have close, loving relationships at any age,
a premise well supported by the project. An excellent approach for all
public libraries.
-Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, PA for Library
Journal © 2007 Reed Business Information, Inc. (US)
"This book is a wonderful story of transforming the relationship
between mothers and their adolescent daughters from one of distance to
one of connection. Extremely well written with rich examples, it is a
realistic approach to the stresses of life cycle development - a beacon
for all mothers and daughters and those who love them."
-Monica McGoldrick, Director, Multicultural Family
Institute, nationally known teacher, author and family therapist. Books
include: Re-Visioning Family Therapy, The Expanded Family Life Cycle
(3rd Ed., 1999), Ethnicity and Family Therapy (3rd Ed., 2005),
Genograms in Family Assessment, Women in Families, Living Beyond
Loss (2nd Ed, 2004), and You Can Go Home Again (1995).
"An enthralling chronicle of a pioneering community of mothers
and their daughters. Here, the generation gap closes, as mothers and daughters
join in solidarity, mothers empowering their daughters while having their
own sense of empowerment re-charged. As one concerned about the pandemic
of eating disorders, I particularly recommend Chapter 10: Learning to
Love Our Bodies. Invigorating and engaging...rich in invention."
-David Epston, family therapist, co-director of the
Family Therapy Centre, Auckland, N.Z., co-author of Biting the Hand
That Starves You: Inspiring Resistance to Anorexia/Bulimia (2004),
W. W. Norton, New York.
