Maureen T. Reddy explores her personal experiences as a white mother of biracial children in Crossing the Color Line: Race, Parenting, and Culture. She convincingly explores the ways that reproduction between two races is still a controversial issue in a nation which needs "a serious, sustained, meaningful dialogue about race." (p. xi) Reddy describes her experience as a mother as bridging two races in a culture where racism still exists. The personal experiences of Maureen Reddy support her consideration of racial issues. Previously unaware of the implications of her racial identity, Reddy realized in her cross-cultural marriage that the doctrine of whiteness is "the norm against which all differences are measured." (p. 12) Her newfound awareness of whiteness as a social category moved her out of the mainstream of whiteness into uncharted territory. Reddy eloquently discusses t5he fact that in the U.S., "for both blacks and whites, there is an automatic presumption of underlying pathology in interracial relationships" (p. 10) because of such forces as segregation and normative whiteness. Parenting brought to light issues of discrimination which her marriage had not yet uncovered. After the birth of her son, she needed to work towards racial equality because the future of black Americans was now the future of her progeny. Perhaps the most controversial and logical part of Maureen Reddy's discussion is the societal motivation for whites to ignore race as a social force. Reddy believes that "[m]ost white liberals are willing to 'add in' blacks, but many are not willing to step aside in order to stand next to blacks." (p. 138) If whites acknowledge racism and seek social justice, there children would lose privileges currently inherent in "whiteness". Maurren Reddy's experience as a white mother of biracial children led her to examine the forces of racism at work in our society. She implies that these racist forces are visible to all who want to see them.

I had heard The Mother Knot mentioned and recommended highly in a few other books I've read, including one I read recently that prompted me to order it and read it for myself. It's a short book, but it's packed with eye-opening details that distill and debunk the mother myth. Although written in the mid-1970s, this book feels as fresh as if it were written today, and its insights into the reality of life for new mothers was refreshing and enlightning. I recommend it very highly for every woman, mother or otherwise, and for every man. If it doesn't enlighten you as to your own experience or possible experience, it will awaken you to the reality of mothers everywhere--and to your mother's reality.