Unmaking Mary demolishes the myths of motherhood

Chine McDonald’s new book will free mothers from perfectionism as it challenges religious expectations that burden women. With a fresh perspective on the Virgin Mary, Unmaking Mary invites readers to embrace a more authentic, grace-filled approach, says our reviewer

As a Protestant, and particularly from a Presbyterian perspective, Mary has never played a central role in shaping my understanding of motherhood - or so I thought before reading Unmaking Mary: Shattering the Myth of Perfect Motherhood (Hodder & Stoughton). I suspect Chine McDonald may have approached this topic with similar assumptions before exploring the deeper constructs of what it truly means to be a mother. What defines a mother? How should she be understood? McDonald cultural and societal myths about motherhood that often leave women feeling inadequate. With insight and discernment, she encourages a more grace-filled, biblically grounded understanding.

McDonald carefully dismantles conventional expectations of motherhood. Drawing from her own journey - pregnancy, the newborn stage, returning to work, and the ever-present fears of raising a child - she offers an honest and deeply relatable perspective. As a mother, I found her insights painfully familiar. Any reader who has experienced motherhood will recognise the expectations, pressures, and judgments placed upon them.

We are invited to explore the character of Mary afresh, to see her not as a distant, untouchable figure but as a woman who experienced the same struggles, challenges, and realities of motherhood as the rest of us. Far from being merely a passive character, McDonald presents Mary as a disciple, a leader, and even…