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Title details for When Mothers Kill by Cheryl L. Meyer - Available

When Mothers Kill

Interviews from Prison

by Cheryl L. Meyer
Michelle Oberman
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Winner of the 2008 Outstanding Book Award by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
Michelle Oberman and Cheryl L. Meyer don't write for news magazines or prime-time investigative television shows, but the stories they tell hold the same fascination. When Mothers Kill is compelling. In a clear, direct fashion the authors recount what they have learned from interviewing women imprisoned for killing their children. Readers will be shocked and outraged—as much by the violence the women have endured in their own lives as by the violence they engaged in—but they will also be informed and even enlightened.
Oberman and Meyer are leading authorities on their subject. Their 2001 book, Mothers Who Kill Their Children, drew from hundreds of newspaper articles as well as from medical and social science journals to propose a comprehensive typology of maternal filicide. In that same year, driven by a desire to test their typology—and to better understand child-killing women not just as types but as individuals—Oberman and Meyer began interviewing women who had been incarcerated for the crime. After conducting lengthy, face-to-face interviews with forty prison inmates, they returned and selected eight women to speak with at even greater length. This new book begins with these stories, recounted in the matter-of-fact words of the inmates themselves.
There are collective themes that emerge from these individual accounts, including histories of relentless interpersonal violence, troubled relationships with parents (particularly with mothers), twisted notions of romantic love, and deep conflicts about motherhood. These themes structure the books overall narrative, which also includes an insightful examination of the social and institutional systems that have failed these women. Neither the mothers nor the authors offer these stories as excuses for these crimes.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 1, 2008

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780814762516
      • File size: 1814 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 2, 2008
      Oberman and Meyer first sought to understand one of the most terrifying crimes in their 2001 Mothers Who Kill Their Children, creating a "comprehensive typology" of the perpetrator based on careful case studies. Taking the next step, the authors and professors interview 40 female inmates incarcerated for the crime to test their typology. What they find, disturbingly, is "a heavy truth: these mothers were not that different from any other mothers we know." The common themes that emerge in each of these women's stories include domestic violence, troubled relationships with parents, twisted notions of romantic love and deep conflicts about motherhood. Even more pervasive is how many of these women were failed by the social and institutional systems set up to detect and defuse problems before they become tragedies; their interaction with the health care system, the foster care system, public assistance and child protective agencies all offer insights into how these women literally slipped through the cracks. Unflinching and not for the feint, this important title should provide great insight for anyone whose job affects the welfare of mothers.

    • Library Journal

      May 1, 2008
      While its title may turn off some readers, this book is only tangentially about killing. Instead, it tells the stories of mothers who kill in these women's own words and aims to find common themes in and derive lessons from their deadly acts. Oberman and Meyerwho also coauthored "Mothers Who Kill Their Children", which they often reference hereinterviewed 40 such mothers incarcerated at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, eight of whose cases they examine here at length. Though these women come from various backgrounds, several themes are common among them, including abuse and/or violence in childhood, social isolation, drug/alcohol abuse, and teen pregnancy. The authors make the point that, while these women are accountable for their actions, in many cases government and private institutionse.g., hospitals, social workers, and Child Protective Servicesfailed them. Those working in social services could benefit from reading this book. Perhaps teaching women about abuse early in their lives or providing them with more domestic abuse resources can help prevent future such cases. Recommended for academic libraries, especially those with psychology or social work collections.Leigh Mihlrad, Albany Medical Coll. Lib., NY

      Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read

subjects

Languages

  • English

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