Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time. By Brigid Schulte. “Schulte, a journalist for the Washington Post, delves deep into the lives of busy moms, wondering why life feels too busy to manage and why women in particular struggle to carve out any meaningful free time to themselves. Currently an at-home mom, I find the book's theme and questions as urgent for me as for those struggling to maintain a balance between work life and family life. The book covers lots of territory, looking at cultural, psychological, historical, and social forces that tie women to their ‘to do lists’ and leaves them feeling guilty for engaging in personal pursuits. Schulte's cross-cultural examination makes a well-grounded case for why women need to carve out space to ‘play’ - i.e., meaningful leisure time - and why men, women, and families all suffer from a U.S. workforce culture that values long hours and face time. Schulte has a great wit and is an amusing story-teller. Her serious-minded book is no less fun to read for its high-minded, highly important subject matter.” … “I almost didn't buy this - I was afraid of another simplistic take on our generation's frazzled/harried existence, but the author uses her background as a reporter for The Washington Post to present a thoroughly researched work, complete with chapters about companies who have accommodated workers as they have children, families in Denmark who have successfully balanced engaging careers with childcare and resources for negotiating domestic issues with your spouse. I especially like how the author is unapologetic about wanting engaging work while having a family, illustrated in an exchange the author has with her father: My father couldn’t even wrap his mind around the idea [of men asking for flexible workplaces]. ‘You’ve got to understand, Brigie,’ he said, getting flustered. ‘There comes a time in every man’s life when he has to decide, ‘Who am I? What am I going to be? Will I be a doctor? A lawyer? What will I do with my life?’”
