So many mothers feel like something is out of joint, something is missing—and maybe the truth is that we’re all just missing each other.

C. J. Schneider found herself in the middle of a perfect storm after giving birth to her third child and moving to a new neighborhood. Conditions for misery and postpartum depression were ideal: she was isolated, lonely, and exhausted with three young children at home. As she started talking with other mothers, she realized that she was not alone in her experience of feeling alone.

In her unique voice, Schneider intelligently and compassionately offers practical advice on how to create the essential community that mothers need. Given the many examples of communal mothering from the past and around the world, as well as modern examples of communities in which mothers are thriving, the research is clear: since the beginning of womankind, mothering has been a communal effort.

Mothers of the Village affirms that as mothers connect with each other and learn to work with each other, despite the challenges, they may find a piece of themselves that they have felt missing all along.

C.J. Schneider's profile page

C.J. Schneider lives in Alberta, Canada, with her husband, three sweet children, a wild imagination, and a distaste for all things laundry. Though she had many adventures before motherhood—exploring and working in Asia, Europe, and Africa—her greatest and most challenging venture has been discovering the wonder of family and building a village of friends and fellow moms.

"I loved reading this phenomenal exploration of an essential, deeply satisfying, yet often missing part of many mothers' experiences: a close-knit community. Bringing to light this missing piece we all desperately want yet rarely talk about, this is a must-read for any mother."
—Melissa Puente, Emmy Award–winning editor, filmmaker, and mother of four "We are the mothers of the 21st century. We are smeared with organic almond butter and grape cough syrup and tears. We are equipped with every baby invention from toilet locks to breast pumps to video monitors. And yet, with every expensive accessory we acquire our disappointment deepens that this doesn't get any easier. Because what we cannot buy or rent or invent is a community. We cannot buy the personal connections and safety nets that save from our own despair and exhaustion. Schneider offers a credible and comforting voice to all mothers wondering if they are alone in this struggle. Pointing to distressing research from around the world, Schneider beckons mothers to re-examine the importance of their roles and the societal and personal consequences of women who feel disconnected from other women. Hers is a reassurance that we can once again find ways to rely on one another and gain a communal strength none of us possess alone. With honesty so brutal you will laugh through the tears, she relates her own voyage of motherhood, as well as stories from mothers in multiple countries. Mothers of the Village reminds us that we were never designed to do this alone and calls to all women to stop trying to fly through motherhood solo."
—Regina Sirois, 2012 Young Adult Fiction ABNA Winner, and author of On Little Wings