Blum, L. M.: Raising Generation Rx: Mothering Kids with Invisible Disabilities in an Age of Inequality

In Raising generation Rx: Mothering kids with invisible disabilities in an age of inequality, Linda M. Blum depicts the struggles of raising a child with an invisible disability. Her primary focus centers around the effect of inequality on the mothers of these children, as well as the children themselves. Throughout each of the seven chapters, Blum conveys various types of inequality, including discrimination based on gender, race, and marital status. Each category generates various levels of mother-blame, or gives culpability to the mother rather than to the child or to society. In the earlier chapters, Blum also stresses the lack of governmental involvement in both educational and medical institutions in terms of providing aid to these mothers. Later chapters describe the relationship between inequalities in mothers and their abilities to provide for their children, both with special needs and without. Lastly, the final chapters describe the inequalities and discrimination involving the invisibly disabled children themselves, revealing the amount of influence peer groups maintain on children. Blum’s message for her book focuses on disrupting social stigmas the society maintains on mothers and their children with invisible disabilities. She provides both fact-based and emotion-based accounts in order to articulate the issues to a broader audience, including mothers of children with special needs, and to families or peers that may fail to understand the everyday struggles of these women and children. Blum thoroughly depicts prevalent and realistic issues of inequality and discrimination, providing insightful research and personal accounts. Despite this thorough analysis, her bias as a feminist somewhat clouds her judgement in believing most mothers are strong and capable of exceptional care providers. However, Blum’s text is nonetheless an insightful portrayal on the struggles of mothers under various strains of inequality and discrimination. …