Cutting Teeth by Chandler BakerGratitude
Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways and Flatiron Books for the review copy of Cutting Teeth by Chandler Baker.Description
There are many unglamorous things about motherhood, including so many things that have to do with bodies: breastfeeding, changing diapers, potty training, etc., etc., etc. In Cutting Teeth Chandler Baker takes it next level with a preschool class afflicted with Renfield’s syndrome, the term used for people who feel compelled to drink blood. For the fours class at Little Academy, it is the blood of their parents, particularly their mothers, that they crave.
Amidst the drama of the parents as they struggle with their children’s needs, their preschool teacher is murdered. For Rhea, Darby, and Mary Beth, who all have children in the class, the drama is just beginning.
The book alternates between the points of view of the three as they struggle to make it through the days. Rhea is a single mother struggling to launch her business, Darby is racked by second-guessing herself, and Mary Beth is the powerhouse room mom and fundraiser for her church who takes care of everyone’s needs but her own.
Cutting Teeth is really about the sacrifices, fears, and resentment that accompany motherhood. It highlights how mothers still tend to be the primary caregivers and fathers have more social freedom. The literal draining of blood is a metaphor of the expectations and responsibilities placed on mothers to the point of great mental and emotional strain. To that degree, the book does depict how the stress and obligations can feel as though parts of you are being taken away.
Amidst the drama of the parents as they struggle with their children’s needs, their preschool teacher is murdered. For Rhea, Darby, and Mary Beth, who all have children in the class, the drama is just beginning.
The book alternates between the points of view of the three as they struggle to make it through the days. Rhea is a single mother struggling to launch her business, Darby is racked by second-guessing herself, and Mary Beth is the powerhouse room mom and fundraiser for her church who takes care of everyone’s needs but her own.
Cutting Teeth is really about the sacrifices, fears, and resentment that accompany motherhood. It highlights how mothers still tend to be the primary caregivers and fathers have more social freedom. The literal draining of blood is a metaphor of the expectations and responsibilities placed on mothers to the point of great mental and emotional strain. To that degree, the book does depict how the stress and obligations can feel as though parts of you are being taken away.
Would I Teach This Book?
Would I teach this book? I can see myself teaching Cutting Teeth in a literature class that focuses on gender or a contemporary literature class. It would be interesting to teach a class on depictions of mothers in literature or attitudes toward motherhood in literature. Cutting Teeth depicts some of the difficulties of motherhood and the almost compulsive desire to protect our children. The point of the book is not to give a balanced view of the experience of being a modern mother, but to highlight how much is asked of mothers and how terribly draining daily life can be. As it is still difficult to explain the difficulties of motherhood and people can be especially judgy about mothers discussing how sometimes we have moments of actual distaste or dislike for motherhood. It would be interesting to explore how literature treats these themes in a class or book club.
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