2.5 ⭐️ rounded up
As someone who’s spent the past 15 years in the thick of motherhood, I was drawn to this book’s premise. I expected personal, emotionally rich stories of new mothers around the world, along with insight into parenting systems and support structures. Instead, the book felt impersonal and leaned heavily into political framing.

I was especially surprised by the choice of the American mother - a woman in a polyamorous relationship with complex dynamics that felt too fringe to represent broader American motherhood. It distracted from the book’s message and made it hard to take the social critique seriously. The concept is strong, but I wish the execution had been more emotionally grounded and relatable.

FOUR MOTHERS by Abigail Leonard is subtitled "An Intimate Journey through the First Year of Parenthood in Four Countries." And Leonard, an award-winning journalist, contrasts giving birth and raising a young child in Japan, Kenya, Finland, and the United States. Leonard cleverly shares events and policies, often providing important political background for each country. The personal stories, particularly conflicts with parents and partners, are compelling, although I did question how representative they were (especially the polyamory relationship in the US). Taken together, they point to the advantages for children in a nuclear family with two involved parents (and maybe other relatives as well), showing the impact of societal expectations and gender roles. This research should give other scholars and policy makers much to consider in terms of paid maternity and paternity leave, daycare availability and cost, other incentives (tax, etc.) for families, and both physical and mental healthcare. In its starred review for FOUR MOTHERS Publishers Weekly says, "This is an enthralling and kaleidoscopic view of modern motherhood." Here is a recent interview with Abigail Leonard from PBS NewsHour:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeNN71Ruw8E

Fuck. This one was profound.

I had to sit with it for a few days and as a new mother myself, I both bit my inner cheek through the painful realities and expressed envy for the opportunities that other countries have established for their new and expecting mothers.

Readers are given narratives from four different women in four different countries - Japan, Kenya, Finland, and USA. All benefits and experiences are completely different and troublesome in their own ways, but open up a door into how mothers are treated to varying degrees.

I am extensively thankful to Algonquin Books, Netgalley, and Abigail Leonard for granting me advanced access before this piece hits shelves on May 6, 2025.

Really nicely done! Leonard tells the stories of mothers in Japan, Kenya, Finland, and America tracing their lives from pregnancy to birth and through the first year. If anything I wished there were more! What makes this book even better is the inclusion of the history and culture of pregnancy and child-raising in each country. We see it from a legislative view and a societal view, not to mention the very personal circumstances of each mother. No judgement and after reading it, if you were to pick one of the countries to become a mother in.... well, America would not be at the top of my list.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. A lot of meaty food for thought here!

Four equally interesting and enthralling stories of motherhood. This really captures the reality of being a mother in ways that impressed me.