21-02-2025
The most anticipated parenting (and parenting-adjacent) books of spring 2025
'Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change'
Olga Khazan, who is anxious and neurotic (join the club!), embarks on a quest to change her personality in just one year. The result is a mix of scientific reporting and immersive anecdata illustrating the malleability of the big-five personality traits: extroversion, agreeableness, openness, neuroticism, and conscientiousness. She also writes about personality transformation and new motherhood on her very funny Substack. It's out on Tuesday, March 11.
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'Raising Calm Kids in a World of Worry: Tools to Ease Anxiety and Overwhelm'
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Speaking of anxiety, family therapists Ashley Graber and Maria Evans offer a blueprint for understanding and managing kids' worries, with an emphasis on regulating your own emotions and identifying the best times to bring up challenging topics. Will definitely peruse before engaging with my 14-year-old about his missing homework for the 298th time. It just came out.
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'Who Needs College Anymore?: Imagining a Future Where Degrees Won't Matter'
Or maybe I should rethink why I'm bugging him about homework at all. Education Design Lab founder Kathleen deLaski, a longtime education reformist, presents a case for equipping kids with non-college pathways and skills to survive in this economy. She presents ideas ranging from apprenticeships to certification programs — and imagines creative ways for colleges to rethink their curricula to meet a new moment. If you've ever wondered where $60,000 per year goes and whether it's all worth it, this book is for you. It's out on Tuesday, Feb. 25.
'The Seven Principles for Raising A Self-Driven Child'
Authors Bill Stixrud (a clinical neuropsychologist specializing in childhood anxiety) and Ned Johnson (who runs an educational planning and tutoring service in Washington, D.C.) have encountered streams of high-achieving kids crippled by worry over their academic futures. This book explains how to calmly give them control over their lives and emotions instead of relying on test scores or a college acceptance letter to dictate happiness. It's out on Tuesday, March 25.
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'Maternal Ambivalence: The Loving Moments & Bitter Truths of Motherhood'
What if you resent your kid? What if you feel angry or bored a lot of the time? In a world where curated versions of motherhood persist and undermine, this book from psychotherapist Margo Lowy is a helpful counterpoint that normalizes and unpacks messier emotions that can make so many people feel like not-good-enough parents. It's out on Tuesday, March 11.
'The Power of Parting'
That said, not every family relationship is built to last. Simon & Schuster vice president and executive editor Eamon Dolan switches roles to write this book about estrangement from his abusive mom, a process that was liberating. His book offers a roadmap for disentangling and healing from fraught family relationships, something that isn't widely discussed even though roughly 27 percent of Americans are estranged from at least one family member. It's out on Tuesday, April 1.
'The Family Dynamic: A Journey into the Mystery of Sibling Success'
Pulitzer Prize-winner (and twin mom) Susan Dominus examines the trajectories of ultra-successful siblings from a range of backgrounds to determine what they have in common. Turns out intelligence and connectedness only go so far: Healthy sibling relationships matter a lot, too. Maybe don't read this when refereeing a fight between your children (or after reading Dolan's book). It's out on Tuesday, May 6.
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'Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age'
Authentic or algorithm? New York Times internet-pop culture writer Amanda Hess navigates the thorny, isolating online world of pregnancy trackers, chat forums, online parenting communities, mom-fluencers, and more, which serve to optimize — and complicate — modern parenthood. If this doesn't make you contemplate leaving Instagram once and for all, nothing will. It's also out on Tuesday, May 6.
'Cook Once Eat Twice: Time-Saving Recipes to Help You Get Ahead in the Kitchen'
Now for something soothing: 'Great British Baking Show' champion Nadiya Hussain shares accessible, batch- and freezer-friendly meals that lend themselves to economical ingredients, advance prep, and non-depressing leftovers. It's out on Tuesday, March 18.
Naptime?
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'Poems of Parenting' and 'Mama Needs a Minute'
Last but not least, some laughs: 'Sesame Street' and 'Ms. Rachel' artist Loryn Brantz's book of cheeky poetry is the perfect baby shower gift. It's out on Tuesday, April 8. Pair it with 'Mama Needs a Minute,' a comic memoir about surviving the triumphs and travails of parenthood from Mom_Life Comics Instagram sensation (and Cape Cod resident) Mary Catherine Starr. It's out on Tuesday, March 11. Happy browsing!
Kara Baskin can be reached at
