Thousands of books have examined the effects of parents on their children. In All Joy and No Fun, Jennifer Senior now asks: what are the effects of children on their parents?

Salted with insights and epigrams, the book is argued with bracing honesty and flashes of authentic wisdom ... [an] excellent book New York Times Book Review [An] astute book ... clear and helpful ... refreshing ... an eye opening debut, and it will help a lot of parents feel less alone, if not less frazzled New York Times A quick, lively read ... [Senior's] carefully observed case studies of modern families read like scenes from novels San Francisco Chronicle A richly woven, entertaining, enlightening, wrenching and funny book Washington Post Senior's wise compassion provides guidance that's both necessary and inspiring Boston Globe The hit of the season ... Every few pages, there's another terrifyingly believable research finding Sydney Morning Herald If you're a parent in the year 2014, you have to get your hands on a copy of this book. Wise, engrossing, and so real that I fear perhaps Jennifer Senior has been spying inside my house, All Joy and No Fun is a must-read for those of us whose lives have been immeasurably enriched and logistically derailed by having kids -- Curtis Sittenfeld, author of PREP A lovely, thoughtful book, written in a generous spirit and with a piercing intelligence. Jennifer Senior manages to mix unflinching social commentary with a warm and compassionate voice -- Susan Cain, author of QUIET: THE POWER OF INTROVERTS IN A WORLD THAT WON'T STOP TALKING An indispensable map for a journey that most of us take without one. Brilliant, funny and brimming with insight... an important book that every parent should read, and then read again. Jennifer Senior is surely one of the best writers on the planet -- Daniel Gilbert, author of STUMBLING ON HAPPINESS Always generous in tone, Senior is a keen observer of the impact children have on their parents' marriages, mental health, work, and social lives, and she makes deft use of social-science research to tease out cultural shifts New Yorker

Jennifer Senior is a contributing editor at New York magazine. She lives in New York with her family.