The Mother Knot by Jane Lazarre (McGraw Hill, 1976; Dell, 1977)
First edition by McGraw Hill, 1976
ITC Serif Gothic with a twist, for the cover of The Mother Knot by Jane Lazarre. I’d love to know who designed this cover. From the book’s introduction:
THE MYTH
The Good Mother: that omnipotent woman who can do no wrong, whose knowledge, understanding, patience, and love magically overcome all problems large and small; whose house is immaculate; whose children are beautiful and well-behaved. This is the American ideal and the cause of much of the anxiety, guilt, and frustration of motherhood.THE REALITY
The shock and pain of giving birth, the total exhaustion of caring for a demanding newborn, the loss of identity and freedom, the feelings of ambivalence, fear, helplessness, resentment, guilt, and, yes, of love and joy … this is the life of a mother. The Mother Knot is Jane Lazarre’s intimate and painfully honest exploration of her own experiences with motherhood. With this book, she destroys the myth of the Good Mother and dares to confront the feelings which most mothers have been afraid to acknowledge even to themselves. In so doing, Jane Lazarre opens the way to healthier, more honest and fulfilling mother-father-child relationships.
First Laurel printing, Dell, Jan. 1977. The title was placed on a less steep angle here, to accomodate the blurb by Adrienne Rich: “A wholly original and important book. … I cannot imagine a woman who would not be moved, or a man who would not be enlightened.…”
