Writings
“Lacera v. Department of Children, Youth, and Families, 272 A.3d 1064 (R.I. 2022).” Summer 2023. Roger Williams University Law Review. 28(3), Article 34.
“The ‘Reality’ of Kinds on Television.” October 24, 2022. Psychology Today.
“Girls and beauty (pageant) culture.” Pages 349-356 in The Routledge Companion to Beauty Politics edited by Maxine Leeds Craig. 2021: Routledge Press.
“The Miss America Daughters Club.” May 7, 2021. Glamour.
“Reflecting on Governor Raimondo as a female leader.” February 3, 2021. The Providence Journal.
“What It’s Really Like to Run for Miss USA During a Pandemic.” November 9, 2020. Glamour.
“There’s No Miss America Pageant This Year. The Contest’s History Suggests It Could Return Stronger Than Ever— Or Not.” September 3, 2020. Time.
“The Page 99 Test: Hilary Levey Friedman’s Here She Is.” August 31, 2020.
“On Writing HERE SHE IS.” August 25, 2020. Women Writers, Women’s Books.
“The Improbable Journey of the Suffragist Sash.” August 15, 2020. The New York Times.
“The Unlikely Feminist Journey of Miss America 1971.” July 16, 2020. Jezebel.
“Power Struggle in Beauty Pageants: On ‘Mrs. America’ and ‘Miss Americana.’” May 22, 2020. Pop Matters.
“Is This Year Miss America’s Final Bow?” December 6, 2019. Hour Detroit.
“Review: Botox Nation.” September 2019. Semiotic Review.
“My Turn: Democrats have votes for abortion rights.” May 12, 2019. The Providence Journal.
“Book review: How College Athletics Are Hurting Girls’ Sports: The Pay-to-Play Pipeline.” 2019. Contemporary Sociology. 48(1): 53-5.
“RI NOW: We support Senator Whitehouse’s efforts to #StopKavanaugh and denounce Flanders’ statements.” September 17, 2018. UpriseRI.
“From Bras to Bathing Suits.” September 9, 2018. Public Seminar.
"Let's get rid of this crony system in R.I." July 12, 2018. The Providence Journal.
"The Rhode Island Chapter of the National Organization for Women calls for the Rhode Island Democratic Party to formally renounce party endorsements." July 4, 2018. UpriseRI.
"Rhode Island has created a political environment in which women are ignored." June 27, 2018. UpriseRI.
“Good riddance to the Miss America swimsuit contest, but did we have to lose fitness, too?” June 6, 2018. USA Today.
“No swimsuits? Even more reason to take kids to pageants.” June 6, 2018. The Washington Post (On Parenting).
“Why Banning Swimsuits Won’t Fix Miss America.” June 6, 2018. Fortune.com.
“Child-care facilitates R.I. democracy.” April 29, 2018. The Providence Journal. (with Alyson Powell)
“Book review: Story of two Americas through a teacher’s eyes.” November 9, 2017. The Providence Journal.
“Running for Miss America now looks a lot like running for office.” September 18, 2017. The Washington Post.
“Book review: The Playdate: Parents, Children, and the New Expectations of Play.” Winter 2017. American Journal of Play. pg. 272-4.
“Book review: A guidebook for raising your child to succeed.” April 16, 2017. The Providence Journal.
“Book review: Empire in Waves: A Political History of Surfing.” March 2017. Sociology of Sport. 34(1): 92-3.
“Let’s use existing resources.” March 9, 2017. The East Greenwich Pendulum. (with Christa Thompson)
“Lives: Cara McCollum ’15: With smarts and beauty, she wanted to be relevant.” February 8, 2017. PAW (Princeton Alumni Weekly).
“Book review: ‘Chasing the Dream’ follows the love of the game in the AHL.” February 2, 2017. The Providence Journal.
“An ordinary mother’s letters and poems tell of the heartbreak of life under the Third Reich.” January 20, 2017. The Jewish Voice.
“Torat scores with annual fundraiser.” November 25, 2016. The Jewish Voice.
“Monthly kid-friendly service and dinner returns to Torat Yisrael.” November 11, 2016. The Jewish Voice.
“Too many Rhode Islanders struggle to find housing.” October 27, 2016. The East Greenwich Pendulum. (with Susan Aitcheson and Bill Daly)
“Book review: A perfect read for die-hard gymnastics fans.” July 28, 2016. The Providence Journal.
“Book review: Why practice doesn’t always make perfect.” July 24,2016. The Providence Journal.
“Book review: America’s preoccupation with ‘good and bad breeds.‘” July 7, 2016. The Providence Journal.
“No More Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikinis: Why dropping swimsuit at Miss Teen USA matters, and why it doesn’t.” June 29, 2016. Psychology Today.
“Book review: Driving after Class: Anxious Times in an American Suburb.” July 2016. Contemporary Sociology. 45(4): 455-7.
“Book Review: Girls face challenges in new YA fiction.” June 26, 2016. The Providence Journal.
“The Relative Age Effect on Youth Sports Injuries.” June 2016. Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise. 48(6): 1068-1075.
“Book Review: ‘Girls & Sex’ explores fast track to womanhood.” June 5, 2016. The Providence Journal.
“Book Review– First Bite: How We Learn to Eat.” May 13, 2016. Brain, Child.
“Book review: Intensive Mothering: The Cultural Contradictions of Modern Motherhood.” May 2016. Contemporary Sociology. 45(3); 299-301.
“Chess.” Pg. 114-118 in Youth Cultures in America (edited by Simon J. Bronner and Cindy Dell Clark). 2016. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
“Beyond the Pale: Folklore, Family and the Mystery of Our Hidden Genes.” February 19, 2016. Brain, Child.
“Modern Families: Stories of Extraordinary Journeys to Kinship: A Book Review.” January 28, 2016. Brain, Child.
“Book review: The transformative power of high school sports.” January 24, 2016. The Providence Journal.
“Book review: At age 60, pursuing her dream of of dancing in the ballet.” January 3, 2016. The Providence Journal.
“And the Winner Is… Miss Universe 2016: Dream Fulfillment and Social Roles.” December 21, 2015. Psychology Today.
“Shakespeare’s Guide to Parenting: A Book Review.” December 18, 2015. Brain, Child.
“Are Our Kids Maturing Faster?” December 15, 2015. Brain, Child.
“Gift Guide: Children’s Books.” December 2015. Rhode Island Parent Magazine. Pg. 18-21.
“Top 10 Books on Discipline.” November 24, 2015. Brain, Child.
“Book review: How we embraced our favorite holidays.” November 22, 2015. The Providence Journal.
“The Happy Kid Handbook: A Book Review.” October 20, 2015, Brain, Child.
“Top 10 Books for Raising a Reader.” September 28, 2015. Brain, Child.
“Will the Obama Girls Stay Up Late for Miss America 2016?” September 10, 2015. Psychology Today.
“Parental Participation Prizes: Practical Advice from the Participation Trophy Brouhaha.” September 3, 2015. Psychology Today.
“Top 10 Books to Gift at a Baby Shower.” August 3, 2015. Brain, Child.
“Child, Please: A Book Review.” July 31, 2015. Brain, Child.
“All In: A Book Review.” June 25, 2015. Brain, Child.
“Book Birthday Parties.” June 8, 2015. Brain, Child.
“Youth soccer’s case of the missing $195,000: Did one Framingham United youth soccer dad really help himself to daily Dunkin’ Donuts, vacations, and piles of club cash?” June 3, 2015. The Boston Globe Magazine.
“Is it mature to be competitive?” May 14, 2015. Psychology Today blog.
“Top 15 Birthday Books.” May 6, 2015. Brain, Child.
“Laboring Over Children’s Work.” Spring/Summer 2015. WSQ: Child. 43(1&2): 308-11.
“Top 10 Humor Books.” April 27, 2015. Brain, Child.
“How to Raise a Wild Child: A Book Review.” March 27, 2015. Brain, Child.
“Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis.” March 11, 2015. New York Journal of Books.
“Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids: A Book Review of Laura Markham’s Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings.” February 27, 2015. Brain, Child.
“Not Just High Achievers: What Child Genius says about American achievement patterns.” February 26, 2015. Psychology Today blog.
“On siblings.” February 25, 2015. Brain, Child.
“Play, Outsourced.” February 14, 2015. You Plus 2 Parenting, 28 Days of Play series.
“Two Insider Books Take on Beauty Pageants and Figure Skating: The New Memoirs of Dick Button and Kate Shindle.” February 12, 2015. The Huffington Post.
“Top Ten Book for Parenting Children with Disabilities.” January 29, 2015. Brain, Child.
“Top 10 Books on Children and Sleep.” January 5, 2015. Brain, Child.
“Where Children Sleep: A Book Review.” December 26, 2014. Brain, Child.
“Love, Limits & Lists: Managing the Emotional Storm of Toddlers.” Winter 2015. Brain, Child Magazine. Pg. 62-3.
“My boy likes soccer and dance, trains and the color purple.” November 13, 2014. The Washington Post: On Parenting.
“Book Review: The Marshmallow Test.” October 30, 2014. Brain, Child.
“The Catholic School Teacher Who Made Me Want to Raise My Kids Jewish.” October 15, 2014. Kveller.
“Top Ten Nonfiction Books for Thinking Mothers.” October 12, 2014. Brain, Child.
“Competitive Kid Capital.” October 8, 2014. Kidz Edge Magazine.
“Raising Readers.” September 29, 2014. Brain, Child.
“Catholic Schools Are Brazenly Firing Pregnant Lesbian Teachers: And they’re using morality as a defense.” September 4, 2014. The New Republic.
“Book Review: The Price of Silence.” August 29, 2014. Brain, Child.
“Book Review: Amy Ogata’s Designing the Creative Child: Playthings and Places in Midcentury America.” Journal of American Studies. 48 (2014): e82.
“Trust Funds of Competitive Kid Capital.” August 13, 2014. University of California Press blog.
“A Closer Look at Overuse Injuries in the Pediatric Athlete.” June 14, 2014. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine.
“Book Review: Mad Science (Experimenting with Babies).” May 23, 2014. Brain, Child.
“Goldilocks vs. GoldieBlox.” April 11, 2014. Gender & Society blog.
“Making It Count: How to Raise a Mathlete.” April 2014. ParentMap. Pg. 57-61.
“Pediatric Sports Injuries: A Comparison of Males Versus Females.” February 24, 2014. The American Journal of Sports Medicine.
“The Wild, Unregulated Business of After-School Programs.” December 2, 2013. The New Republic.
“Competition and Kids– Is it Healthy? Yes!” Winter 2014 (Vol. 19, Issue 1). Brain, Child. Pg. 17.
“Book Review: The Big Disconnect.” Winter 2014 (Vol. 19, Issue 1). Brain, Child. Pg. 62-3.
“Children and Competitiveness.” November 27, 2013. Oxford Bibliographies, Childhood Studies.
“After-school Activities Make Educational Inequality Even Worse.” November 13, 2013. The Atlantic EDU.
“Tiger Girls on the Soccer Field.” Contexts. Fall 2013 (12:4). Pg. 30-35.
“Competitive Kids: College admissions game starts early.” Winter 2014 (14:1) . Education Next. Pg. 96.
“What to Do After School.” November 2013. Framingham Life. Page 20.
“The Impact of Competitive Youth Sports on Children.” October 25, 2013. The Robert Wood Johnson Human Capital Blog.
“Playing to win.” October 24, 2013. Gates Cambridge blog. (Reposted at HuffPost Students on October 28, 2013).
“‘My Basmati Bat Mitzvah’– and Pew.” October 17, 2013. The Jewish Daily Forward’s Sisterhood Blog.
“Encourage girls to be whoever they want, even if it’s Miss America.” September 25, 2013. MSNBC.com.
“Is Miss America for for Nice Jewish Girls?” September 22, 2013. The Jewish Daily Forward’s Sisterhood Blog.
“When Did Competitive Sports Take Over American Childhood?” September 20, 2013. The Atlantic EDU.
“Writers Read: Hilary Levey Friedman.” September 15, 2013.
“There She Is, Miss America: Big Money to Be Made.” September 12, 2013. The New York Times. Page 8 of Sunday Review on September 15, 2013.
“The Page 99 Test: Hilary Levey Friedman’s Playing to Win.” September 12, 2013.
“Where It Hurts: The most common sports injuries for kids may surprise you.” September 8, 2013. The Boston Globe Magazine. Pg. 27.
“How to Choose the Best Afterschool Activity for Your Child.” September 5, 2013. Mamapedia.
“Do Your Kids Need More Competitive Capital?” September 3, 2013. Harvard Business Review Blog.
“The Problem with Prize Culture.” September 2, 2013. TIME Ideas.
“Book Review: Fact-Based Pregnancy Books.” Fall 2013 (Vol. 18, Issue 4). Brain, Child. Pg. 62-3.
“Book Review: Are You Worried About Bullying?” August 30, 2013. Brain, Mother Blog for Brain, Child Magazine.
“The Rise of Private Hebrew Tutoring.” August 29, 2013. The Jewish Daily Forward’s Sisterhood Blog.
“Should Kids Diversify or Specialize After School?” August 27, 2013. PsychologyToday.com.
“Soccer Isn’t for Girly-Girls? How Parents Pick the Sports Their Daughters Play.” August 6, 2013. The Atlantic.com.
“Measuring Ambition in Today’s Youth.” July 3, 2013. PsychologyToday.com.
“McCollum ’14 wins Miss New Jersey crown.” June 20, 2013. PAW: The Weekly Blog.
“Pediatric Sports Injuries: An Age Comparison of Children Versus Adolescents (with Rebecca Casciano, Andrea Stracciolini, William Meehan, and Lyle Micheli).” June 5, 2013 (online). The American Journal of Sports Medicine. [Appendix]
“How Do You Spell R-E-S-I-L-I-E-N-T? National Spelling Bee highlights the importance of resilience in childhood.” June 4, 2013. PsychologyToday.com.
“Review of Madeline Levine’s Teach Your Children Well.” Summer 2013 (Vol.17. Issue1). Brain, Child. Pg. 62-3.
“Unleashing Momsters: It’s a Small World of Pageant Reality.” May 20, 2013. The Huffington Post.
“Youth Soccer Shouldn’t Be A Blood Sport.” May 10, 2013. Cognoscenti.
“Competitions Within Competitions: America’s insatiable hunger.” May 10, 2013. PsychologyToday.com.
“Why ‘Bet on Your Baby’ is Bad for the Babies.” April 24, 2013. Kveller.
“After-school Hours and Activities.” April 22, 2012. Oxford Bibliographies, Childhood Studies.
“Child Beauty Pageants.” April 22, 2013. Oxford Bibliographies, Childhood Studies.
“It’s College Admissions Decision Time: Are Parents Prepared?” April 19, 2013. The Huffington Post.
“Qualities of the B (aka Bench-Warming) Player.” April 12, 2013. PsychologyToday.com
“My Son’s First Mitzvah.” March 31, 2012. JewishBoston.com.
“Leaning In to Single-Sex Education.” March 27, 2013. The Huffington Post.
“Lil Poopy: The Male Honey Boo Boo?” March 1, 2013. The Huffington Post.
“Reading Room: Jon Wiener ’66 (Review of How We Forgot the Cold War).” February 6, 2013. PAW (Princeton Alumni Weekly). Page 60.
“Brainy Babies: Boston is a growing hub for research into the infant mind.” February 2013. Boston Magazine. Pg. 17-18 (click here for PDF).
“Who Does Your Baby Look Like?” December 21, 2012. Kveller.
“Upping the rigor in class.” December 12, 2012. PAW (Princeton Alumni Weekly). Pg. 38-9.
“The Euphemisms We Use Instead of ‘Nanny.‘” December 12, 2012. Kveller.
“Cheering for a Mate in Two: A Review of Brooklyn Castle.” December 11, 2012. The Huffington Post.
“Should My 8-Month-Old Already Be Competing?” November 15, 2012. Kveller.
“Rep.-elect Lauren Cheape’s path to victory.” November 14, 2012. The Hill.
“The Similarities Between Honey Boo Boo and Malala Yousafzai.” October 30, 2012. The Huffington Post.
“From reigning to campaigning: Beauty Queen political candidates.” October 3, 2012. The Hill.
“Battle of the Whack-Job Sports Parents.” October 2012. Boston Magazine. Page 22.
Book Review of Sportista, By Andrei S. Markovits and Emily K. Albertson. September 13, 2012. The Rumpus.
“Toddlers & Tiaras Justice.” August 31, 2012. Slate (Double X).
“From Coddled Kids to World-Class Gymnasts: Mihai Brestyan’s American Gymnastics Club has become a champion factory of sorts.” July 2012. Boston Magazine. Page 18.
“Here She Comes, Miss (Elected) America.” June 26, 2012. Slate (Double X).
“Tiger Teachers: The New Stage Moms Aren’t Moms.” June 4, 2012. The Huffington Post.
“Life Is an Audition: Recent Books About Young Adult Performers.” March 23, 2002. The Huffington Post.
“High heels beat flats: Why I left academia.” March 21, 2012. PAW (Princeton Alumni Weekly). Pages 23 and 62.
“Kelsey Beck: An Ivy League Beauty with Pageant Roots.” March 7, 2012. The Huffington Post/Stylelist.
“Doing the Math: Are pricey after-school centers worth the time and money?” January 22, 2012. The Boston Globe Magazine. Pg. 20-24. (Click HERE to see the PDF version of the print article)
“An Olympic-Sized Achievement: Scholar-Athlete Amanda Scott.” January 12, 2012. BlogHer.
“Youth pageants thrive, 15 years after JonBenét Ramsey’s death.” December 26, 2011. The Denver Post.
Book Review on Winning: Reflections on an American Obsession, by Francesco Duina. 2011. International Review of Modern Sociology. Vol. 37(2): 291-3.
“Developing the All-Around Child: Given the history of college admissions in this country, can you blame those who overparent?.” November 29, 2011. BostonMagazine.com.
“‘Aunt Flo’ and the Female Athlete.” November 19, 2011. BlogHer.
“In the Wake of the Sandusky Scandal, A Call for Youth Coaching Certifications.” November 14, 2011. The Huffington Post.
“Pas de Deux: A Review of Bunheads and Audition.” November 4, 2011. The Huffington Post.
“Whitey Bulger’s Beauty Pageant Connection.” October 9, 2011. The Huffington Post.
“Throw Like a Girl: Reviewing Softball Legend Jennie Finch’s New Book.” October 7, 2011. BlogHer.
“The ‘Grand’ Finale: Ending Season 4 of Toddlers & Tiaras.” September 25, 2011. The Huffington Post.
“Lions, Tigers, and Bear Moms– Oh, My!” Summer 2011. Contexts. Pages 70-1.
“Why Summer Camp Isn’t as Safe as You Think.” August 8, 2011. The Huffington Post.
“Glitz and Drama Down Under.” August 3, 2011. The Huffington Post.
“Age Cut-offs, Limits, and Manipulations in Sports.” August 2, 2011. BlogHer.
“The Odds Look Gorgeous: A Quantitative Analysis of the Miss Massachusetts Contest.” June 19, 2011. The Boston Globe Magazine. (Click HERE for an online slideshow version of the article; click HERE to see the cover headline and article description)
“The Evolution of American-Style Child Beauty Pageants.” May 10, 2011. The Huffington Post.
“Don’t Let My Stilettos Fool You. I Still Want to Win.” April 26, 2011. BlogHer.
“Athletic Barbies and Real Women in Sports.” April 11, 2011. BlogHer.
“Findings on Sport Moms and Sport Daughters.” April 8, 2011. BlogHer.
“Cinderella Ate My Man-Eating Tiger Daughter.” April 1, 2011. The Huffington Post.
“There She Goes… A Feminist, Trailblazing Beauty Queen.” March 15, 2011. The Huffington Post.
“Females Down for the Count.” February 22, 2011. The Huffington Post.
“American ‘Tiger Moms’ obsess in their own ways.” January 21, 2011. Opinion Column in USA Today.
“Superman’s Race: Documentaries and Problems in the American Educational System.” November 1, 2010. The Huffington Post.
“Capitalized Communism in US Sports? From Women’s Gymnastics to IMG Academies.” October 26, 2010. The Bleacher Report.
Also appeared on The Huffington Post on November 10, 2010.
“Winning and Losing.” September 19, 2010. The Boston Globe Magazine. Page 4.
“Competitive Kids.” Fall 2010. Education Next. Page 6.
Also appeared as: “When Schools Shun Competition, Middle Class Parents Seek It Out After School.” June 25, 2010. Education Next blog.
“Racing Safely to the Finish Line? Kids, Competition, and Injuries.” September 8, 2010. The Huffington Post.
“The Achilles’ Heel: Sports Injuries and Team Doctors.” September 3, 2010. The Bleacher Report.
“Testing Toddlers.” September 2, 2010. Everyday Sociology.
“Golden Tickets: Inequality and Children’s Consumption.” July 2010. Review of Allison Pugh’s Longing and Belonging. H-Net.
“Reality TV kids need the law on their side.” June 25, 2010. Opinion Column in USA Today.
“Balloon Boy Plus Ei8ht?: Children and Reality Television.” Spring 2010. Contexts.
“Trophies, Triumphs, and Tears: Children’s Experiences with Competitive Activities.” 2010. Sociological Studies of Children and Youth. Heather Beth Johnson (ed.). Pg. 319-349. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing.
“Raising Middle Class Children in the Competitive Culture of the United States: Parenting and Competitive Children’s Activities.” March 19, 2010. Child Research Net.
“Outside Class: A Historical Analysis of American Children’s Competitive Activities.” 2010. Childhood in American Society. Karen Sternheimer (ed.). Pg. 342-354. Boston: Pearson Allyn & Bacon.
“Kids and Ethnography.” December 4, 2009. Social Science Research News.
“‘Which One is Yours?”: Children and Ethnography. 2009. Qualitative Sociology. 32(3): 311-331. (This paper received the 2008 Best Student Paper Award from the ASA Section on Children and Youth.)
“Sociology and Tiaras.” November 6, 2009. Everyday Sociology.
“Pageant Princesses and Math Whizzes: Understanding Children’s Activities as a Form of Children’s Work.” 2009. Childhood. 16(2): 195-212.
“Playing to Win (and for college admissions!)—In First Grade.” December 9, 2008. Eduwonkette.
“Extramarital Sex.” and “Fathers’ Rights Movements.” 2008. Encyclopedia of Social Problems.Vincent N. Parrillo (ed.). Pg. 347-8 and 364-5. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
“Adopt Me, Madonna!” Contexts. Fall 2007 (6.4). Page 6.
“Floral Politics.” Contexts. Fall 2007 (6.4). Page 8.
“Prescription for Feeling Healthy: Work and Study Like a Man.” Fall 2007. Contexts. Page 9.
Here She Is… And There She Goes?. Summer 2007. Contexts.
Reprinted as “The Cultural Relevance of Beauty Pageants is Waning.” In At Issue: Beauty Pageants. 2010 [appeared in 2009]. Noel Merino (ed.). Pg. 10-18. Chicago, Il: Greenhaven Press (Gale).
Long excerpt reprinted in Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials (Seventh Edition). 2010. Diana Kendall. Pg. 316-7. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.“No Respect for Archie and Friends.” Contexts. Summer 2007 (6.3). Page 7.
“Not-so-mean Girls.” Contexts. Spring 2007 (6.2). Contexts. Page 9.
“Mobility at the Museum?” Contexts. Spring 2007 (6.2). Contexts. Page 9.
“Will Bike for Food (and thrills).” Contexts. Winter 2007 (6.1). Contexts. Page 8.
“Working Women’s Culture.” Contexts. Winter 2007 (6.1). Contexts. Page 11.
“More School After School.” Contexts. Winter 2007 (6.1). Contexts. Page 11.
“Grow Up!” Contexts. Fall 2006 (5.4). Contexts. Page 9.
“Gossip is good… Pass it on!” Contexts. Fall 2006 (5.4) Contexts. Page 11-2.
“Sweet Sixteen Drop Outs.” Contexts. Fall 2006 (5.4) Contexts. Page 12.
“The Not-So-Evil Stepmom?” Contexts. Summer 2006 (5.3). Contexts. Page 5.
“Highlights for Muslims.” Contexts. Spring 2006 (5.2). Contexts. Page 8.
“Childhood Contradictions.” December 2005. Review of Gary Cross’ The Cute and the Cool. H-Net.