A book review of The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception and Munchausen by Proxy by Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber
Stars: *****
St. Martin’s Press (2025)
Child Abuse
272 pages
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Summary: No bond is more sacred than that between a mother and child. And no one is more sympathetic than a mother whose child faces a life-threatening illness. But what if the mother is the cause of the illness? What if the sympathy is the point?
Munchausen by proxy (MBP) has fascinated and horrified both professionals and the general public since this disturbing form of child abuse was first identified. But even as the public has been captivated by these tales of abuse and deception, there remains widespread misinformation and confusion about MBP. Are these mothers unfeeling psychopaths, or sick women who need help? And more important, how can we protect the children whose lives are at stake?
The Mother Next Door offers a groundbreaking look at MBP from an unlikely duo: a Seattle novelist whose own family was torn apart by it, and the Texas detective who has worked on more medical child abuse cases than anyone in the nation. Readers ride along on three high-stakes MPB investigations; through riveting reporting and shocking stories from the family members, friends, and doctors caught in the blast zone of these unthinkable acts, a twisted portrait of motherhood and deceit is revealed.
With help from some of the top MBP experts in the world, Dunlop and Weber uncover the complex maze of psychological, systemic, and cultural issues that compound MBP and offer solutions for how we might find our way out.
The Mother Next Door
Munchausen By Proxy is a horrible form of medical child abuse that isn’t as well known about as it should be. It’s crazy how these parents get away with such shocking stories. It’s not just slowly poisoning or pretending their children are sick although they absolutely do that. They even manage to convince doctors to do unnecessary surgeries on their young children, even brain surgery! It’s crazy.
The book is written by Andrea Dunlop whose family has been broken apart by MBP allegations on her own sister. It’s also cowritten by Mike Weber who worked as a cop to help get to the bottom of the allegations and work to keep children safe.
While the topic is horrible, the book is written well. They know their topic and they do research when they don’t. They share it all and I read the whole book in 2 days. I would have read it in 1 if I could have stayed awake all night.
I think it’s important for others to read this, especially those in health care so they can be aware of warning signs.
Buy The Mother Next Door at amazon.com