One morning, Kim Brooks made a split-second decision to leave her four-year old son in the car while she ran into a store. What happened would consume the next several years of her life and spur her to investigate the broader role America's culture of fear plays in parenthood. In Small Animals , Brooks asks, Of all the emotions inherent in parenting, is there any more universal or profound than fear? Why have our notions of what it means to be a good parent changed so radically? In what ways do these changes impact the lives of parents, children, and the structure of society at large? And what, in the end, does the rise of fearful parenting tell us about ourselves? Fueled by urgency and the emotional intensity of Brooks's own story, Small Animals is a riveting examination of the ways our culture of competitive, anxious, and judgmental parenting has profoundly altered the experiences of parents and children.

"A cultural critique that will change the way we view parenting forever: On a crisp spring morning, Kim Brooks made a split-second decision to leave her four-year-old son in the car while she ran into the store. She was gone for only a few minutes, and when she came back he was still happily absorbed in a game. What Brooks didn't know was that a stranger had filmed her and would go on to send the video to the police. The fallout from this single moment would consume the next several years of Kim's life and spur her to investigate the broader role America's culture of fear plays in parenthood. In her searingly honest memoir, Small Animals, Brooks dives into the American psyche of competition and anxiety, all while recounting the two most harrowing years of her life. Brooks asks, Of all the emotions inherent in parenting, is there any more universal or profound than fear? Why have our notions of what it means to be a good parent changed so radically? In what ways do these changes impact the lives of parents, children, and the structure of society at large? And what, in the end, does the rise of fearful parenting tell us about ourselves? In her signature style, by turns funny, penetrating, and always illuminating ..., Brooks offers a provocative, compelling portrait of parenthood in America and calls us to examine what we value most in our relationships with our children and one another."--Dust jacket.