Parenting in the modern world is an overwhelming concept. It seems to divide everyone from psychologists and politicians to scientists and salesmen, leaving the parents themselves with a terrible headache as a result. How can anyone live up to such expansive and conflicting expectations? As Zoe Williams explores, the madness begins before the baby has even arrived: hysteria is rife surrounding everything from drinking alcohol and eating cheese to using a new frying pan. And it only gets worse. The list of things you need to consider (as well as the things you never realised you needed to consider) is ever-increasing, and questions of breastfeeding, buggies, staying at home, schooling - and what your mother-in-law thinks you're doing wrong - take over completely. The task of raising a child has been turned into a circus of ludicrous proportions. Combining laugh-out-loud tales of parenthood with myth-busting facts and figures, Zoe provides the antithesis of all parenting discussions to date. After all, parents managed perfectly well for centuries before this modern madness, so why do today's mothers and fathers make such an almighty fuss about everything? Provocations is a groundbreaking new series of short polemics composed by some of the most intriguing voices in contemporary culture and edited by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown. Sharp, intelligent and controversial, Provocations provides insightful contributions to the most vital discussions in society today.

About the Author
Zoe Williams has been a columnist on The Guardian since 2000 - previously, she wrote a column for the London Evening Standard. In her ceaseless endeavour to smash the patriarchy, she contributes to various magazines and news weeklies, including Marie Claire, Glamour, Good Housekeeping, Red and Grazia. Broadcasting includes Question Time, Daily Politics, The Politics Show and Newsnight for the BBC; Dispatches and the Channel 4 News for Channel 4; a paper review for Sky News; and appearances on the Today programme, Woman's Hour, PM and The World Tonight for BBC Radio 4. She was 2014's Restaurant Reviewer of the Year, 2013's Print Journalist of the Year for the Speaking Together Media Awards, 2011's Columnist of the Year at the Workworld Awards and is the author of one non-fiction book, Bring It On, Baby.

Reviews
"An ambitious new series that tackles the controversy of the topics explored with a mixture of intelligence and forthright argument from some excellent writers." The Observer



Book Information
ISBN 9781849547512
Author Zoe Williams
Format Hardback
Page Count 128
Imprint Biteback Publishing
Publisher Biteback Publishing
Weight(grams) 136g
Dimensions(mm) 181mm * 111mm * 15mm