Official URL: http://www.harpercollins.com/
Author: Stephanie Hirsch
List Price: $24.95
Rating:

Young athletes study other athletes to learn from their techniques, artists study other artists, and now mothers can study other mothers, particularly the mothers that have raised some of the most successful, most driven, and most innovative people alive today.

This book is a series of interviews with the mothers of successful children such as Beyonce, Steven Spielberg, Uma Thurman, Lance Armstrong, and others for a total of fifty-two interviews that cover a vast range of mothering philosophies and that drive home a message that there are very few “wrong” ways to go about raising your children.

The last few pages of this book provide a space for you to write the story of your own mother, or better yet- for a loving husband and father to write the tale of his wife from the viewpoint of their children. This book is easily an excellent mother’s day gift and a celebration of motherhood.

CONTENT

Stephanie Hirsch is by no means the most adept interviewer, and the chapters take on a bit of a formulaic feeling as the book progresses. Despite this, the book is a fairly entertaining read. The mothers interviewed in each chapter are very giving in their interviews and have a lot of insight to offer. The love and pride they have in their children is wonderful and uplifting.

Every mom will find a philosophy that she agrees with in this book. Some of the mothers interviewed talk about how they encouraged their children to think outside the box. Others cautioned their offspring to “color within the lines”. Some mothers kept a rigid schedule, and others refused to consider any schedule at all. It is remarkably reassuring to rifle through this book and find many stories that reflect my own personal parenting ideals. It is also a great inspiration to see how others do things, and I’ve already adopted some of the more creative approaches into the day to day life with my children.

Each story is about 2-5 pages long, and this book includes interviews with the mothers of:

Julie Aigner-Clark: Founder of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side

Lance Armstrong: Seven-time winner of the Tour de France and cancer survivor

Andre Balazs: Hotel moglul

Nate Berkus: Interior designer and founder of Nate Berkus Associates

Jerome “The Bus” Bettis: One of the greatest running backs in NFL history

Lisa Blume: Court TV commentator

Michael Bolton: Highly successful musician

Christopher Bridges aka Ludacris: Hip Hop musician and business owner

Christie Brinkley: Supermodel, writer, photographer, actress and celebrity mom

Bobbi Brown: Renowned makeup artist and founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics

George W. and Jeb Bush: The fourty-third president of the United States and well known two-term governor of Florida

Marc Cherry: Creator of Desperate Housewives

Kevin Clash: Creator of the beloved Sesame Street character Elmo

Sasha Cohen: One of the world’s best figure skaters and Olympic silver medalist (among many other honors)

Barbara Corcoran: Real estate mogul

Colin Cowie: Author of 7 books on style, weddings, and entertaining. Dubbed “The twenty-first-century arbiter of style” and founder of successful “Coli cowie Lifestyle”

Cindy Crawford: Iconic supermodel

Tom and Steve Florio: Two Conde Nast publishing executives

Stephanie Greenfield: Co-founder of the wildly successful Coop botique franchise

Tony Hawk: Single most influential skateboarder in the history of the sport

Carol Higgins Clark: Bestselling author of novels

Derek Jeter: Eight-time All-Star shortstop and captain for the New York Yankees

Alicia Keys: Singer, song-writer, composer and actor that has sold over fourty million albums

David Kirsch: Fitness guru, writer of books, and a series of videos on fitness and health

Beyonce Knowles: A founding member of Destiny’s Child, one of the bestselling female groups of all time and winner of many awards including GrammyAwards, American Music Awards, and others

Matt Lauer: Affable anchor of the “Today Show”

John Legend: Platinum-selling musician

Dr. Robi Ludwig: Nationally known psychotherapist and award-winning reporter

Joan Lunden: Former Good Morning America icon, television celebrity and author

Kevin Mazur: Photographer to the rock stars

Bonnie McElveen: Chairwoman of the American Red Cross

Tim McGraw: One of the most famous country singers of all time

Georgette Mosbacher: President and CEO of Borghese, a global cosmetics company

David Neeleman: JetBlue Airways founder

Dr. Mehmet Oz: Widely touted as the most accomplished and respected cardiothoracic surgeon in the United States

Danica Patrick: Racing phenomenon and the fourth woman to race in the Indianapolis 500

Meryl Poster: TV producer and former Miramax executive

Brett Ratner: One of Hollywood’s most successful directors

Antonio “L.A.” Reid: The chairman of Island Def Jam Musical Group and one of the most successful executives in the music industry

Amy Sacco: New York nightclub owner and restaurateur

Diane Sawyer: Anchor of Good Morning America and Primetime

Stephen Schwarzman: Chairman, CEO, and co founder of the Blackstone Group, one of the leading and most profitable private equity firms in the country

Rosanna, Elaina, Anthony Jr., and John Scotto: Quartet of successful restaurateurs

Pam Skaist-Levy: Co founder of Juicy Couture

Kelly Slater: The most successful professional surfer in the history of the sport

Steven Spielberg: One of the most prominent filmmakers in Hollywood

Gela Nash-Taylor: Co founder of Juicy Couture

Nikki Taylor: One of the most famous models in history, and a millionaire and president of her company Nikki, Inc., at age 16

Uma Thurman: Actress and model

Justin Timberlake: Emmy-award winning entertainer and former member of ‘N Sync

Montel Williams: Successful talk show host

Jeff Zucker: President and CEO of NBC Universal

As you can see from this list, the author chose to focus a bit more on celebrity. This book is a bit top-heavy with models, Hollywood, the music industry and fashion. Unfortunately it is bit skimpy in other areas of excellence. I would have liked to read a few more interviews of the mothers of acclaimed scientists, possibly some interviews of influential scholars or politicians outside of the Bush family. Regardless, this book has something for everyone.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephanie Hirsch is an entrepreneur, designer, wife and mother living with her family in New York City.

BOTTOM LINE

This book is an entertaining and informative read. It’s not intended to be a blueprint on how to raise a successful child, rather it’s intended as a collage of perspectives. It is the author’s hope that you will find something inspirational within the 318 pages of this book. I, for one, found plenty to be inspired by. More importantly, I found an overall message that should be ingrained into the hearts of mothers. Support, love, and encourage. The rest is just details.