Doing It All

Ruby Russell

'With courage, compassion and generosity, Russell presents an intersectional history which honours single motherhood in all its complexity . . . Bold, revelatory and a joy to read' Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell Women

'Lucid and liberating' Eliane Glaser, author of Motherhood: A Manifesto

Nearly a quarter of UK families with dependent children are single-parent families, and around 90% of single parents are women. Yet the single mother is still cast as victim or welfare queen, sexually irresponsible or too independent by half.

Tracing a history through Victorian brothels, welfare rights activism and Black feminist traditions of othermothering, Ruby Russell tells a different story: of motherhood defined not by marriage or men, but as a nexus of solidarity beyond the patriarchal status quo.

A personal quest for empowerment, Doing It All is also a fierce critique of the structures that leave single mums marginalised and exhausted - and a call to reclaim mothering as the life force of sustainable, connected and radically responsible communities.

'A riveting memoir-cum-cri-de-cœur-cum-manifesto for envisioning motherhood anew' Kirsten Swinth, author of Feminism's Forgotten Fight