A Good Mother

by Lara Bazelon · 2021

When a celebrated lawyer and single mother, Maya Patel, discovers that her teenage daughter, Leila, has been arrested for a violent crime, her world shatters. Maya must navigate a legal system that questions her parenting, confront the painful secrets that have long been buried, and decide how far she will go to protect the child she loves. As the courtroom drama unfolds, the novel explores the complex intersections of motherhood, justice, and identity, asking whether love alone can shield a family from the consequences of its own choices. Lara Bazelon weaves a gripping, emotionally charged narrative that challenges readers to reconsider what it truly means to be a "good mother" in a world that judges women harshly and unforgivingly.