In 2010, sev­en women met in New York to form a mom­my group. Com­mis­er­at­ing about the typ­i­cal issues they faced as new moth­ers, things became more com­pli­cat­ed with post­par­tum depres­sion and anx­i­ety, devel­op­men­tal delays, a failed mar­riage. Through it all, they learned lessons from one anoth­er that the ​“experts” had­n’t deliv­ered.

Jour­nal­ist Eliz­a­beth Isado­ra Gold reached out to oth­er mom­my groups and found that moth­ers across all class, geo­graph­ic, reli­gious, and racial bound­aries appear to be search­ing for the same thing: a way to be strong, lov­ing, engaged par­ents — with­out los­ing their sense of self.

A wit­ty, relat­able, and hon­est look at the real­i­ties of par­ent­hood, The Mom­my Group is a com­pan­ion that will help any mom feel under­stood and empow­ered, and keep her laugh­ing all the way.