Searching for Mary Poppins: Women Write About the Intense Relationship Between Mothers and Nannies

With wit, sensitivity, and unflinching honesty, Searching for Mary Poppins brings together twenty-five of today s leading woman writers including Marisa de los Santos, Susan Cheever, Joyce Maynard, and Jacquelyn Mitchard to explore the emotional minefield of mother-nanny relationships. From Daphne Merkin on the challenges of hiring a nanny after having been raised by one to Lauren Slater on her regret at having given her mothering away, the collection s stunningly original pieces offer rare insight into the complex issues that emerge when a mother turns the care of her child over to a stranger. Raising questions that reach beyond money, race, class, and gender into the darkest areas of love and fear that a mother feels, this book ultimately provides hope, solace, and welcome perspective on this unique relationship.