A Good Mother by Lara Bazelon

Reviewed by: Laura (The Oldest Sister)

Rating: ★★★/5

Genre: Legal Thriller

Summary

Who is a good mother? Is it the ambitious public defender who views prioritizing her career as the ultimate sacrifice? Or is it the woman currently on trial for murder but is only concerned about her baby's well-being? The answer depends on how well each of these two women are able to hide and justify their decisions, especially regarding their babies. These two women meet after one of them stabs her husband, and the other one decides to be her public defender over maternity leave. The case is a challenging one because the crime happened in an overseas U.S. Army base, and it uncovers secrets about everyone involved. It is also one that challenges gendered and racial stereotypes, especially since the mother on trial is a young, Hispanic woman. As the case progresses, both of the women

"And don't you dare pull this bad mother bullshit on me. I am so sick of you, of all of you, and your 1950s misogyny. I am doing my job. My very fucking important job." - Abby Rosenberg (p. 217)

Opinion

Honestly, I had very high hopes for this book. The book is written by a law professor, which was both good and bad. It was a good thing because she was able to provide a detailed description of what happens inside a courthouse how public defenders prepare for a case. This was also its downfall because the author sometimes focused too much on the mechanics of the case instead of the people involved. It was kind of frustrating to wait several chapters to learn more about the people involved. This made it hard to sympathize with any of the characters.

Something that I hated about this book is the portrayal of the accused mother, Luz Rivera Hollis. I understand that the author used this character to highlight prevailing stereotypes about Hispanic women, but these stereotypes should not have been part of her background story. It made it difficult for Abby Rosenberg, the public defender, to present Luz as a caring mother when her background proved otherwise.

Questions I Asked Myself After Reading This Book

• Is there such thing as a "good" mother?

• What makes some trial cases more important than others? Is it the people involved or the secrets that are uncovered?

• Is there such thing as a secret?