Description

Generations of mothers have been told—and believed—that having a baby means checking their own brains at the delivery room door. “The Mommy Brain” usually refers to a head full of feeding times, soccer schedules, and nursery rhymes, at the expense of creative or challenging ideas. But recent scientific research paints a dramatically different and far rosier picture. Journalist Katherine Ellison draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to demonstrate that, contrary to long-established wisdom that having children dumbs you down, raising children may make moms smarter. From enhanced senses in pregnancy and early motherhood to the alertness and memory skills necessary to manage like a pro, to a greater aptitude for risk-taking and a talent for empathy and negotiation, these advantages not only help mothers in raising their children, but in their work and social lives as well. Filled with lively (and often hilarious) stories of multitasking moms at home and on the job, The Mommy Brain encourages all of us to cast aside conventional thinking and discover the positive ways in which having children changes mothers’ brains for the better.

Praise for The Mommy Brain

“Ellison’s book is poised to begin a lively debate about gender roles and the malleability of the human brain. American families of every stripe will no doubt welcome a discussion that results in hopeful, positive and practical solutions that might ease some of the many stresses that are part of family life.”
—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Ellison has done her homework, citing legitimate social and neurological research to back up her conclusions—a procedure sadly lacking in too many books about parenting.”
—Library Journal

“Ellison’s often humorous and always thorough approach reveals plenty of other illustrations of these skills that will amuse and intrigue smart mothers everywhere.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Moms may say they have no time to read—but they’ll make time for this discussion of brainy motherhood.... Sure to be controversial, as well as encouraging to many, many women.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“I highly recommend this cutting-edge work—and not just because it proves what moms have known all along!”
—Mothering Magazine

“A smart and provocative argument.”
—The Buffalo News

“Ellison’s book is both fascinating and fun to read, and it is especially encouraging for those of us moms who insist we lost our minds when we gave birth. We were wrong. We found our minds, and they are stronger and smarter than ever!”
—Curled Up with a Good Book

“While the Mommy Brain cliché suggests that women blunder through motherhood, we may be at our most efficient, and for good reason.
—Parents Press

“Good news—motherhood makes us smarter. Ellison uses honest-to-goodness research to back up the fact that motherhood gives women unexpected mental advantages, such as improving perception, efficiency, resilience, motivation and emotional intelligence.”
—Contra Costa Times

Extended Copyright Information

Copyright 2005 by Katherine Ellison. All rights reserved.

Previously published by Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Book Group.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, address Basic Books, 387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016–8810.

Jacket design by Nicole Caputo & Rick Pracher.
Jacket photograph copyright CORBIS.

Back to top

About the Author

Katherine Ellison is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, veteran foreign correspondent, and author of two previous books: Imelda: Steel Butterfly of the Philippines and The New Economy of Nature: The Quest to Make Conservation Possible (co-authored with Gretchen Daily). A working mother of two young boys, she has written on this topic for Salon and Working Mother magazine. She lives in San Anselmo, California.

Like this author? Check out the list of books by this author available on DailyLit.

Back to top

Opening Lines (Experimental)

PART ONE:
CHAPTER 1:
_Smart\smart\adj 1: making one smart: causing a sharp stinging 2: marked by often sharp forceful activity or vigorous strength (a ~ pull of the starter cord) 3: BRISK, SPIRITED 4 a: mentally alert: BRIGHT_.
A FEW WEEKS AFTER my first son was born, I had a troubling dream. It ...

Back to top

Copyright

Copyright 2005 by Katherine Ellison.

All Rights Reserved.

Back to top