The complex topic of attachment theory is opened up to parents, as well as other interested adults, by putting issues of child development, usually couched in antiseptic academic parlance, in lay terms. Ranging through historical developments in the field, Karen, formerly a psychotherapist in the pediatric unit of Bellevue Hospital, attempts to demystify ``mother love,'' or the bond babies have with their primary caregiver (Karen is also concerned with what happens to babies when that bond is disrupted). The author introduces and defends the English researcher John Bowlby, whose intuitions in the late 1930's about ``maternal attachment'' would be borne out not by his research but by that of Mary Ainsworth decades later.

"A marvelous book. Dr. Karen has told in an enchanting and captivating way the exciting story of the gifted pioneers who launched a revolution in psychology. Impelling in its implications for the lives of children as well as the struggle of each of us to understand who we are."--Alan Stroufe, Ph.D., William Harris Professor of Child Psychology, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota

"A provocative primer on the nature versus nurture debate."- -Mirabella

"A tour de force....Beautifully written and a joy to read, it is a must for every parent and parent-to-be."--Michael Franz Basch, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Rush Medical College, Chicago

"A very readable and comprehensive explanation of an immensely important process."--D. Lamar Jacks, Santa Fe Community College

"Eloquent, dramatic, and inspiring....A masterful job."--Mary Ainsworth, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of Virginia

"Eminently readable, long needed, excellent both as a history of attachment research and a history of social science understanding."--Linda Sperry, Indiana State University

"Robert Karen has a rare capacity for presenting complex psychological ideas in language that is accessible to nonspecialists....Karen's book makes fascinating reading and constitutes a considerable achievement."--Contemporary Psychology

"Robert Karen has produced a book that presents, in a most reader-friendly style, a major area of study in the field of psychology. It is just the kind of volume that would serve...to not only instruct students about the nature and history of attachment theory and research, but excite them about the field of psychology, especially child development, as well."--Jay Belsky, Professor of Human Development, Penn State University

"Robert Karen...is one of our smartest and most accessible guides to the arcane world of psychoanalytic theory and research."--Elle

"Truly a brilliant, fascinating, compelling, and beautifully written account....I teach infancy and parenthood...and would certainly assign [it] in all sections."--Arietta Slade, Department of Psychology, City College


"Robert Karen has a rare capacity for presenting complex psychological ideas in language that is accessible to nonspecialists....Karen's book makes fascinating reading and constitutes a considerable achievement."--Contemporary Psychology
"Robert Karen...is one of our smartest and most accessible guides to the arcane world of psychoanalytic theory and research."--Elle