The Moms Are Not Alright: Inside America's New Parenting Crisis

Written by Anne Helen Petersen

Narrated by Marissa Hampton

From the author of the bestselling cultural touchstones Out of Office and Can’t Even, an honest, intimate, and often shocking look at how the events of the past three years have pushed parents to the breaking point—and how many of them are emerging stronger and more resourceful than before. 

Parenting is tough under the best of conditions. Thanks to the ongoing calamities of recent years, it’s more challenging than ever—for mothers in particular. Recent statistics show that more than 60 percent of women have taken on the majority of pandemic parenting and household duties, almost 50 percent are under regular stress, and 39 percent with children under five say they have either left the workforce or reduced their hours because of a lack of reliable and affordable childcare. In short, mothers are not okay.  

Plenty of news stories have reported on the increased pressure mothers have been under in the face of Covid, gun violence, inflation, racial acrimony, and more, but we’ve heard little beyond sound bites from women themselves. In this powerful account, Anne Helen Petersen, one of today’s most astute and empathetic cultural observers, gives women voice. Drawing on responses she received from more than a thousand mothers, Petersen shares the first-person stories of thirty-three of them. We hear from moms from a wide range of races, backgrounds, income levels, cities, and towns. Some are single, some divorced, some in same-sex unions. All of them are ready to talk.

With cathartic, raw candor, these moms tell how they’re attempting to work through the anxiety, fatigue, and abject terror of the early 2020s. In stunning detail, they discuss how they’re grappling with the day-to-day emotional and economic fallout, and the deep demoralization that accompanies the sinking feeling that so few people in power are thinking about ways to help. During the shutdown and now, these mothers have felt alone and largely forgotten. For many, it’s increasingly impossible to do what feels like good parenting within the system as it is. Some of this is the fault of the pandemic, but some, too, is the ongoing unraveling of the social safety net and government failure to cultivate communities that support parents. As one mom says, “Most of my friends and their partners are barely hanging on.”

But these stories also show something else: the resilience and adaptability of families. Despite their hardships and worries, these mothers have crafted ways to survive—and thrive. In the absence of political solutions, they’re building their own support systems for themselves and their children. Yes, these moms are pissed off and worn out, but they’re also, ultimately, hopeful.

Not just a story for mothers, this is for friends, colleagues, employers, and even (perhaps especially) policymakers. The way we treat parents is the way we regard caregiving, labor, gender, family, and community at large. If we don’t figure out how to address these issues now, all of us will suffer. The Moms Are Not Alright will make parents feel seen, but it will also speak to the many who are eager to reconsider the way we think of community and care moving forward. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Everand Originals
• Release date: Sep 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781094452838

Anne Helen Petersen

Anne Helen Petersen is an author and journalist who writes about culture, celebrity and feminism for Buzzfeed News. She received her PhD from the University of Texas. She is the author of Scandals of Classic Hollywood, and Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud is her second book. She lives in Brooklyn.

Reviews for The Moms Are Not Alright

[Colleen Watson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very relatable!
We did what we had to do.
Not sure how we all survived this!

[Autase Austin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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[Soun Nigam · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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[Mara Lyons · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The author does a great job documenting what parents have gone through since March 2020 in the US. It does bring back some of the anxiety of living through that time and feeling pushed to the edge. I wish there were more takeaways. It seems like the big one is summed up in the title, that we are struggling and often very isolated and left largely without a safety net. This adds to the discussion of how we grieve or rather haven't grieved or processed the past couple of years.

[Danielle B · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Not what I was expecting. The thoughts and actions of some of the moms in the story was insightful, hilarious and all so true. The pandemic has done and still doing a number on everyone.

[Bethany Carlson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a powerful and relatable book. All women, particularly parents should read this. It made me feel seen.

[mars gars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

i really needed to hear these stories. wish i could add it to my goodreads. wish i could share it w my friends but many don’t have scribd. i think the stories are focused on a particular subset of parents, but i don’t have a problem with that. totally a worthwhile read.

[Britany Ellerbrook · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As a mom with a 4 and 6 year old when the Pandemic hit, hearing these stories was healing to me in a way I didn’t expect. It’s inspired me to write my own story as a way to process and take stock of the last 2.5 years.

[Madeline Friend · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excited to read/listen to more from Dr. AHP about this!

[Lucero Neri-Hernandez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m a new mom, my little guy came to me in August 2022… I had no idea how much I needed to hear these stories. Highly recommend this audiobook!

[Courtney Noga · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is propaganda plain and simple. The author is very biased.

[Ali · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lots of yuppies in this one. The pandemic was a good and bad thing.

[Monica Benninghoff · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Always eye-opening to hear of others' experiences of the same crisis. But this book would've been better if the experiences had included a wider variety of mothers with cultural, religious and political belief systems. Her editors need to allow Dr AHP to broaden her scope.

[Betty Bennett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This collection of first story accounts of mothers who faced various challenges during the pandemic reminds the reader that we are really all in this together

[Brianna Allen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book perfectly describes what moms went through during Covid. Definitely recommend!

[Mercedes Bonner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great read for any mom that made it through the pandemic.

[Megan Redfearn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So relatable and powerful. Makes me feel seen as a mom. Thank you for doing this work.

[Hessah · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A short overview of mothers struggles during the Pandemic; especially in the aftermath of Lockdowns. Stories are short submissions, shared by mothers across North America. No psychological discussion!

[Angie Rose · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So honest and eye-opening. So many of us have been so scared to tell the truth about how we're feeling because of this pandemic. This is a life-changing piece of literature in my opinion and well worth reading.
Thank you for the honesty.