In Broken Patterns, journalist Anita Harris reveals how a powerful mother-daughter dynamic has shaped the experience of professional women in America. Using a unique approach that integrates personal interviews and historical and psychological research, she examines the complex relationships women share with their mothers and grandmothers and considers how those relationships and society's changing attitudes affect women's roles.

The book offers an important new perspective on the dilemmas of modern career women and on current feminist debate. Broken Patterns provides a new and useful framework through which professional women can think about their own lives. It challenges current notions of success and emphasizes the importance of respecting both the similarities and differences that exist among women.