Unsung Heroines: Single Mothers and the American Dream

By Ruth Sidel

Book Overview

This compelling book destroys the derogatory images of single mothers that too often prevail in the media and in politics by creating a rich, moving, multidimensional picture of who these women really are. Ruth Sidel interviewed mothers from diverse races, ethnicities, religions, and social classes who became single through divorce, separation, widowhood, or who never married; none had planned to raise children on their own. Weaving together these women's voices with an accessible, cutting-edge sociological and political analysis of single motherhood today, Unsung Heroines introduces a resilient, resourceful, and courageous population of women committed to their families, holding fast to quintessential American values, and creating positive new lives for themselves and their children. What emerges from this penetrating study is a clear message about what all families--two-parent as well as single parent--must have to succeed: decent jobs at a living wage, comprehensive health care, and preschool and after-school care. In a final chapter, Sidel gives a broad political-economic analysis that provides historical background on the way American social policy has evolved and compares the situation in the U.S. to the social policies and ideologies of other countries.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520247728
• ISBN13: 9780520247727
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 265 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Good read, not exactly good representative of single mothers as a whole.

This book gives a bird's eye view of what it's like to be a single mother. The book is pertaining to a study that Sidel did where she interviewed single mothers in the NYC area. All ages, ethnicities, and Socio-economic status' were interviewed. Excerpts from some of these interviews form the backbones of each chapter's theme. The first half to two-thirds of the book use excerpts that do not appear to be representative of single mothers as a whole. Almost every single one of the mothers goes on to graduate school (and finishes). In my opinion, this implies that single mothers that go on to grad school are the "unsung heroines" and that the mothers struggling to survive in dead-end jobs or even government assistance are anything but. The last third or so of the book includes some more "real-life" single mothers' excerpts and the book becomes less biased. I really liked how Sidel made it a point to show that single mothers DO come from all socio-economic statuses. Some were upper middle class (or higher) and ended up at complete rock bottom with no money and a few hungry kids to feed as a result of a divorce, but some were part of the stereotypical young and urban type. All in all, a pretty good book. Definately not bedtime reading but definately worth your while!