Hulbert, Ann 1956–

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Hulbert, Ann 1956–

PERSONAL: Born June 6, 1956; daughter of Richard W. (a lawyer) and Dorothy (a teacher; maiden name, Hanni) Hulbert; married Stephen Sestanovich (a foreign affairs researcher), July 17, 1982; children: Benjamin, Clare Suzanne. Education: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, B.A., 1977; graduate study at Cambridge University, England.

ADDRESSES: Home—3929 Livingston St. NW, Washington, DC 20015. Office—New Republic, 1220 19th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036.

CAREER: Writer and editor. New Republic, Washington, DC, editor, 1978–.

MEMBER: National Book Critics Circle.

AWARDS, HONORS: National Endowment for the Humanities fellow, 1986–87.

WRITINGS:

The Interior Castle: The Art and Life of Jean Stafford, Knopf (New York, NY), 1992.

Raising America: Experts, Parents, and a Century of Advice about Children, Knopf (New York, NY), 2003.

Contributor of articles and reviews to periodicals, including the New York Times Book Review, New York Review of Books, and the New Republic.

SIDELIGHTS: In her first book, The Interior Castle: The Art and Life of Jean Stafford, Ann Hulbert presents a critical biography of the writer best known for her numerous short stories in the New Yorker and for her three novels. Writing in the Nation, Richard Howard noted that the biography "admirably disentangles the successful "art" from the catastrophic 'life'" of Stafford, who was married three times. Howard went on to note: "Ann Hulbert's book … is principally precious as an evidence of the cost, as well as the worth, of a woman's effort, in our society, to overcome the … obstacles to an autonomous creative life." Peter Davison, writing in the Atlantic, noted that the author "quite brilliantly manages not only to tell us Stafford's life story but also to track the strange processes of … her mind." Commonweal contributor Irving Malin noted that he was "grateful for [Hulbert's] brilliant daring insights."

In Raising America: Experts, Parents, and a Century of Advice about Children, Hulbert presents an historical perspective on the types of advice given about child rearing in America since 1900. The author writes about such child-rearing experts as Luther Hold, J.B. Watson, and Benjamin Spock. She delves into how their various approaches covered the spectrum from an emphasis on being strict to more permissive philosophies. Divided into four sections focusing on different time periods, the book includes a discussion of how parents have responded to advice on child rearing, and the middle-of-the-road approaches they often take. Writing in the Library Journal, Mary Ann Hughes noted the book's "lively and accessible prose." In a review in Booklist, Vanessa Bush noted: "This sweeping book presents parents with a panoramic view of child-rearing advice and philosophy." American Prospect contributor Carl Elliott called the book a "graceful, engaging history of child-care expertise."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Prospect, May, 2003, Carl Elliott, review of Raising America: Experts, Parents and a Century of Advice about Children, p. 45.

Atlantic, June, 1992, Peter Davison, review of The Interior Castle: The Art and Life of Jean Stafford, p. 123; May, 2003, Sandra Tsing Loh, review of Raising America, p. 118.

Booklist, March 15, 2003, Vanessa Bush, review of Raising America, p. 1263.

Commonweal, August 14, 1992, Irving Malin, review of The Interior Castle, p. 31.

Entertainment Weekly, May 29, 1992, L.S. Klepp, review of The Interior Castle, p. 60.

Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2003, review of Raising America, p. 207.

Library Journal, March 1, 2003, Mary Ann Hughes, review of Raising America, p. 107.

Los Angeles Times, April 20, 2003, Francine Prose, review of Raising America, p. R3.

Nation, April 27, 1992, Richard Howard, review of The Interior Castle, p. 563.

New Yorker, May 5, 2003, Joan Acocella, review of Raising America, p. 94.

New York Times Book Review, April 27, 2003, Stacy Schiff, review of Raising America, p. 9.

New York Times, April 5, 2003, Patricia Cohen, review of Raising America, p. 1.

Wall Street Journal, May 2, 2003, Meghan Cox Gurdon, review of Raising America, p. W8.