Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-242).

Part I: Fear itself. The day I left my son in the car ; Parenthood as a competitive sport ; The fabrication of fear ; Negative feedback ; Self-report -- Part II: The cost of fear. What a horrible mother ; Quality of life ; Guinea pigs ; Small animals.

"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.