--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the perversity is not lost on me that the…" description: "\"“the perversity is not lost on me that the most oft-cited, well-respected, best-selling books about the caretaking of babies—Winnicott, Spock, Sears, W..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/316/maggie-nelson-4294_books_the-perversity-is-not-lost-on-me-that-th_1433957.jpg" --- # the perversity is not lost on me that the most oft-cited… ![“the perversity is not lost on me that the most oft-cited, well-respected, best-selling books about the caretaking of babies—Winnicott, Spock, Sears, Weissbluth— have been and are mostly still by men. On the front cover of The Baby Book—arguably one of the more progressive contemporary options…” quote by Maggie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/316/maggie-nelson-4294_books_the-perversity-is-not-lost-on-me-that-th_1433957.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/316/maggie-nelson-4294_books_the-perversity-is-not-lost-on-me-that-th_1433957.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/316/maggie-nelson-4294_books_the-perversity-is-not-lost-on-me-that-th_1433957.jpg) > ““the perversity is not lost on me that the most oft-cited, well-respected, best-selling books about the caretaking of babies—Winnicott, Spock, Sears, Weissbluth— have been and are mostly still by men. On the front cover of The Baby Book—arguably one of the more progressive contemporary options (albeit oppressively heteronormative)—the byline reads “by William Sears (MD) and Martha Sears (RN).” This seems promising(ish), but nurse/wife/mother Martha’s voice appears only in anecdotes, italics, and sidebars, never as conarrator. Was she too busy taking care of their eight children to join in the first-person?”” [Maggie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-nelson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights gender imbalance in parenting literature, noting male authors dominate while female voices are marginalized to peripheral roles. **In simple terms:** Male authors dominate parenting books; women's perspectives are sidelined. Key Takeaway Recognize and amplify women's expertise in parenting discourse. Themes gender inequality parenting literature authororship representation voice Mood critical reflective Type analytical critical When to use this quote - parenting workshops - book reviews - academic curricula - publishing decisions - media analysis Key Concepts feminist critique authorship dynamics media representation Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure women's voices are central in parenting resources? - What impact does marginalizing women's perspectives have on parenting practices? A Different Perspective The quote may overlook male contributions or collaborative efforts that are not visible. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baby Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baby-book/) [Book Arguably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-arguably-5112186/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Caretaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-caretaking-5112184/) [Caretaking Babies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caretaking-babies-5112183/) [Martha Sears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martha-sears-5112185/) [Too busy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-busy/) [Wife mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife-mother/) ## Related quotes > [“All the baby books written by women who had the most perfect birth experience in the world said you should talk to your child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-sivec/all-the-baby-books-written-by-women-who-had-the-most-perfect-birth/) [Tara Sivec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-sivec/) > [Most baby books also tend to romanticize the mother who stays at home, as if she really spends her entire day doing nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-chira/most-baby-books-also-tend-to-romanticize-the-mother-who-stays-at-home/) [Susan Chira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-chira/) > [Certainly I do not wish that instead of these masters I had read baby books, written down to children, and with such ignorant dullness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-fuller/certainly-i-do-not-wish-that-instead-of-these-masters-i-had-read-baby/) [Margaret Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-fuller/) > [“To her further surprise, she found a breakfast tray waiting for her on the table with bagels, cheese and an assortment of fruit. 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She looked at that, understandably so,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/when-my-wife-was-pregnant-she-got-very-upset-with-me-because-i-didnt/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [Names are hard. I have a library of What to Name Your Baby books, and I’m always picking up new books, and books of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/names-are-hard-i-have-a-library-of-what-to-name-your-baby-books-and-i/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [I won’t lie. Walking into a room and seeing your girlfriend reading a baby-name book can kind of make your heart stop. “I’m no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/i-won-t-lie-walking-into-a-room-and-seeing-your-girlfriend-reading-a/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [Don't listen to anyone's advice. Listen to your baby ... There are so many books, doctors, and well-meaning friends and family. We like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayim-bialik/don-t-listen-to-anyone-s-advice-listen-to-your-baby-there-are-so-many/) [Mayim Bialik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayim-bialik/) > [“The Baby Name book can be a very dangerous tool in the hands of a prolific author.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-m-pillow/the-baby-name-book-can-be-a-very-dangerous-tool-in-the-hands-of-a/) [Michelle M. Pillow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-m-pillow/) > [“I return to the sprinklers and sit down. George plunks down next to me. “Did you know that a bird-eating tarantula is as big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huntley-fitzpatrick/i-return-to-the-sprinklers-and-sit-down-george-plunks-down-next-to-me/) [Huntley Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huntley-fitzpatrick/) > [I am a historian. With the exception of being a wife and mother, it is who I am. And there is nothing I take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-am-a-historian-with-the-exception-of-being-a-wife-and-mother-it-is/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [Recognizing and preventing men's health problems is not just a man's issue. Because of its impact on wives, mothers, daughters, and sisters, men's health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-richardson/recognizing-and-preventing-men-s-health-problems-is-not-just-a-man-s/) [Bill Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-richardson/) > [Beware an Irishman who loves his wife the most but his mother the longest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/beware-an-irishman-who-loves-his-wife-the-most-but-his-mother-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Maggie Nelson > [“When I was alive, I aimed to be a student not of longing but of light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-nelson/when-i-was-alive-i-aimed-to-be-a-student-not-of-longing-but-of-light/) [Maggie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-nelson/) > [I think writing kind of burns out the flaming question. 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Can blue solve the problem, or can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-nelson/it-is-easier-of-course-to-find-dignity-in-one-s-solitude-loneliness/) [Maggie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-nelson/) > [“But “knowing the truth” does not come with redemption as a guarantee, nor does a feeling of redemption guarantee an end to a cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-nelson/but-knowing-the-truth-does-not-come-with-redemption-as-a-guarantee/) [Maggie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-nelson/) > [“Girls are cruelest to themselves,” observes Anne Carson in “The Glass Essay,” her brilliant long poem about the ravages of female anger, loneliness, grief,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-nelson/girls-are-cruelest-to-themselves-observes-anne-carson-in-the-glass/) [Maggie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-nelson/) > [“On one hand, the Aristotelian, perhaps evolutionary need to put everything into categories– predators, twilight, edible – on the other, the need to pay homage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-nelson/on-one-hand-the-aristotelian-perhaps-evolutionary-need-to-put/) [Maggie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-nelson/) > [“Do not, however, make the mistake of thinking that all desire is yearning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-nelson/do-not-however-make-the-mistake-of-thinking-that-all-desire-is/) [Maggie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-nelson/) > [“Psychology forces everything we call love into the pathological or the delusional or the biologically explicable, that if that I was feeling wasn't love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-nelson/psychology-forces-everything-we-call-love-into-the-pathological-or/) [Maggie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-nelson/) > [“I edit myself into a boldness that is neither native or foreign to me. 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People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. 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Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“the perversity is not lost on me that the most oft-cited, well-respected, best-selling books about the caretaking of babies—Winnicott, Spock, Sears, Weissbluth— have been and are mostly still by men. On the front cover of The Baby Book—arguably one of the more progressive contemporary options (albeit oppressively heteronormative)—the byline reads “by William Sears (MD) and Martha Sears (RN).” This seems promising(ish), but nurse/wife/mother Martha’s voice appears only in anecdotes, italics, and sidebars, never as conarrator. 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