The Scholar and the Housewife
Susan Whelan, 2013
Createspace Independent Publishing
566 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781482658316
Summary
As The Scholar, Susan Whelan endeavored to further her education and realize her professional potential, working on Wall Street as an attorney.
As The Housewife, she was deeply committed to guiding her children into adulthood with thought and compassion. Now, she gathers her experiences in The Scholar and The Housewife, a letter to her children that explains her struggle to fulfill not only the dreams of her parents and the goals of her youth, but at the same time, to be the mother that her own mother was to her.
Set in the backdrop of Wall Street in the 1980s and 1990s, the author recounts the events and people that informed her choices and strengthened her beliefs. Global economic expansion, technology, and new financial instruments as well as advances in prenatal testing, early childhood development and preschool philosophies are among the topics she considers, all the while questioning goals and values, "walls and moral hazards" and causes and effects.
In an ambitious yet easily digestible work, Whelan brings her experience as a mother, volunteer, lawyer, businesswoman, and United Nations delegate to an honest discussion of the pressures on women, children and families today in America. In doing so, she offers some practical food for thought, particularly in the way of some provocative and compelling economic considerations. (From the author's website.)
Author Bio
• Birth—February 18, 1959
• Where—New York, New York, USA
• Education—B.A., Boston College; J.D., Fordham
University
• Currently—lives in Westchester County, New York, and
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Susan Whelan graduated from Boston College as the Scholar of the College, after which she earned a J.D. at the Fordham University School of Law. She practiced law on Wall Street, advising financial institutions, and currently serves the Holy See as a legal expert and Delegate to the United Nations covering trade law and the law of the sea. She is happily married, is the mother of six children, and lives with her family in Westchester County, New York and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. (Visit the author's website.)
Book Reviews
This book is a fantastic choice for women who are focused on excelling in their careers while loving and raising a family of their own. Susan Whelan's experiences will spark discussions on a range of topics including - work/life balance, economics, politics, and parenting.
User review - Goodreads.com
I love this book. So true to life and real but in a light hearted, fun way. The short extracts really work and the mix up of the mommy bits with the Wall Street world keep you engaged. Inspiring.
User review - Amazon.com
Discussion Questions
1. On page 13 in “Empty Nest”, Susan tells her children to “Follow your heart.” After reading the book, how do you think that Susan followed that advice on her path from law school graduation through her decision to stay home with her children?
2. Think about Gloria’s experience during her high school reunion in the chapter “Walls” from pp. 17-18, are there other examples in the book where walls are drawn between two people because of success or lack thereof? Do you think those who belittled Gloria’s success have a perspective that can be brought into a more instructive discussion with regard to the role of both Wall Street and education in our society?
3. Susan writes
Where we begin is with the knowledge that I am just one of hundreds of thousands of children who were brought up with the same values and attitudes in the 1960s, ‘70s, and early ‘80s. I was just a normal kid from a big Irish family, with parents who were happily married, a mother who was home taking care of us for the most part and who later returned to work as a teacher, and a father who worked hard balancing corporate work and family responsibilities (49).
How is Susan’s upbringing at once both extremely average and also unique? How does her upbringing translate into how she raises her children?
4. How does Bill’s role play out in Susan’s decisions? How does his unwavering support compare with the lack of support from the federal government discussed in the chapter “Maternity Leave” from pp. 63-65?
5. The chapter “Free Advice” illustrates a problem that is even more exaggerated today. Unsolicited advice is around every corner—on the front of a hundred magazines, discussed on television talk shows, and has hundreds of dedicated websites. While Susan begins the book with advice to her children, she resents the critical advice of a stranger in a store. How does this juxtaposition make sense? Do you think advice is appropriate without personal knowledge of a person’s individual problem? How has advice become such a valuable and sellable commodity when it is so readily given away—by friends, relatives and strangers on the grocery line?
6. Discuss Susan’s response to her interview in the chapter “The Victim.” Do you think her reaction was the best possible course of action?
7. What do you think about the different pre-school philosophies described in the book? While there are certainly merits to each system, is there one system that works best?
8. How does Susan Whelan respond to the arguments made by Anne-Marie Slaughter and Sheryl Sandberg regarding work-life balance?
9. How does the ability to hire home assistance change the Whelan’s family life? How does Susan address the unique circumstances that allow her to hire help? Does she address how other families can handle children while all parents continue to work?
10. What do you think is the most important current issue that Susan raises in the book?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)