"One morning, Kim Brooks made a split-second decision to leave her four-year old son in the car while she ran into a store. What happened would consume the next several years of her life and spur her to investigate the broader role America's culture of fear plays in parenthood. In Small Animals, Brooks asks, Of all the emotions inherent in parenting, is there any more universal or profound than fear? Why have our notions of what it means to be a good parent changed so radically? In what ways do these changes impact the lives of parents, children, and the structure of society at large? And what, in the end, does the rise of fearful parenting tell us about ourselves?"
I remember reading about Kim Brooks, and then I read an essay by Kim Brooks. I do not have children, but I found this to be a pretty fascinating book. Like some people I talk to, when we share stories about our childhoods, we marvel at how children these days would never be allowed to do what we did. For example, I would get out of the house in the morning, go ride my bike over to a friend's house and then spend most of the day outside, riding around or going to a local creek to sit and read (and yes, wade through the very shallow water). I would also go out in the afternoon, exploring on my own, knowing to listen for the ringing of the school bell my mom used to call me home (and knowing there was hell to pay if I was late and said I couldn't hear that bell). Granted, I grew up in a small town. However, by the time I was 10, I was able to go into Chicago with my father and then spend an hour or two by myself, going to Marshall Field's or the Art Institute or Kroch's & Brentano's bookstore (or just walking around downtown Chicago looking at the beautiful buildings). I can't imagine any of these things being possible for my 10-year-old nephew.
While I can't say I agree with everything that Brooks writes, I found her story and her research to be very interesting. The book is described as "Part memoir, part history, part documentary, part impassioned manifesto..." on Goodreads and I would agree with that.
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