On Motherhood and Rage

A Q&A with author Minna Dubin.

Today I’m so excited to be running a Q&A with Minna Dubin, the author of the new book Mom Rage, which explores the rage many mothers feel, why we feel it, and what we can do with it. You may have read Minna’s viral article about mom rage for The New York Times back in 2020, which led to the book. I remember reading the article and feeling so seen, and I’ve been excited for her book ever since.

In our Q&A, I asked Minna to explain some of the key forces that fuel mom rage and to explain the inherent value of our rage. I also asked her what we can do to rise above judgment — because women, and especially mothers, are judged so unfairly for their anger. I recommend you read the entire book — which, coincidentally, is one of the books I’m giving away as part of my October giveaway, yay!

In your book you unpack so many reasons that mothers today feel overwhelming rage. One of them, you argue, is that we don't have enough agency. "Lack of control is a quintessential component of both rage itself and the circumstances that set mothers up for it," you wrote. Can you unpack this a bit?