Maxed Out: American Moms on the Brink

Description

"Katrina Alcorn was a 37-year-old mother with a happy marriage and a thriving career when one day, on the way to Target to buy diapers, she had a breakdown. Her carefully built career shuddered to a halt, and her journey through depression, anxiety, and insomnia--followed by medication, meditation, and therapy--began. Alcorn began to question how a woman like herself, with a loving husband, a supportive boss, three healthy kids, and a good income, was unable to manage the demands of having a career and a family. Over time, she realized that she wasn't alone in her feeling of overwhelm. As she questioned other working moms, she realized that many women were attempting to do it all and crashing, and worse, feeling as if they were somehow failing as a result. Mothers are the breadwinners in two-thirds of American families, yet Alcorn explains that the American workplace is uniquely hostile to the needs of parents. Weaving in surprising research about the dysfunction between the careers and home lives of working mothers, as well as the consequences to women's health, she tells a deeply personal story about "having it all," failing miserably, and what comes after. Ultimately, she offers readers a vision for a healthier, happier, and more productive way to work and live"--Provided by publisher.