Flanagan’s controversial book is irritating mostly for its bait-and-switch argumentation. There’s also a disingenuousness to the way she includes herself in her criticism of working-moms/at-home moms. (Which is she?) Many of these “culture wars” books are disappointing for belabouring a point that’s not working of 250 pages of interest: in this case, the issue of staying at home or working outside the home. For Flanagan, the factors that mitigate the CHOICE aspect are so thoroughly glossed over that it ceases to be a serious discussion of the subject. And, again, like so many books on the “culture wars,” the goal is more glossy prose and slap dash sociology than critique. Oh well!

Seriously, the book isn’t worth the hype or the controversy.

It just was poorly written.