In this book, Rob Evans focuses clearly on troubles in families which interfere with childrens' readiness for school and learning. The book is filled with thoughtful reflections on how families have changed, with special attention to the many ways in which parents' energies have been drawn away from home and family. The book is thoroughly researched, extremely articulate, and a very entertaining read. Evans does not shy away from provocative assertions to support his diagnosis. He is a compassionate advocate for children and their families, and while he respectfully declines from offering simple solutions to complex dilemmas, parents will find much to use here, and educators at all levels will look at their challenges in a new light.

Evans discusses many of the pressing issues confronting teachers and parents in an interesting way. He pre-emptively admits that there is no "golden age" of parenting, and acknowledges the hard-won freedoms of last century. However, as the book goes on, it becomes clear that he blames student failure on the disintegration of the illusory 50s nuclear family in which the mother stayed home and in which there was somehow less stress and more time for nurture. Evans also consistently cites conservative theorists to back up many of his assertions. My own hard-won experience as a teacher and a parent (and as a child in the 50s, remembering how all the parents seemed much less concerned with nurturing than Evans thinks they were) convinces me that consumer culture rather than increased freedom has more to do with the troubles our students have than whether or not their mothers are working. Ultimately this book is a one-sided, if enjoyable, read, with some flaws in its reasoning.

In Family Matters Rob Evans offers an insightful, respectful perspective of childrearing today and the resulting challenges faced by schools. Practical solutions are offered to benefit the social and emotional well being of our children and strengthen home-school partnerships. This book offers intuitive, essential information for both parents and school faculty.