Every time there is a new book about mothering, mothers feel dread and hope: Is it for me or against me? Does identifying and talking about maternal desire feed old notions about women's nature and justify restrictions of their rights? Or is it an opportunity to understand women more deeply? Maternal Desire shows that the iconic images of motherhood - from the sacrificial mother to the supermum - and the endless debates about what's best for children, obscure the profound meaning of mothering - and the desire to mother. Here is a book that gives a common voice to mothers and examines motherhood as an active and transforming experience.

Author Biography

Daphne de Marneffe, PhD, is a clinical psychologist experienced in treating adults and children. Educated at Harvard and UC Berkeley, she has lectured on the subject of maternal desire and her scholarly work has been published in psychoanalytic and feminist journals.