Based on the view that increasing numbers of mothers who do not fit a narrow traditional image are often maligned, misunderstood, or ignored, this book presents the stories of a diverse group of mothers whose life circumstances place them outside the mainstream. Chapters explore the lives of mothers of exceptional children and biracial children; mothers who seek closeness and connection with their adolescent children; mothers with HIV/AIDS; immigrant, homeless, single, lesbian, adoptive, and adolescent mothers; African American mothers living in poverty; and mothers in prison. Three "conversations" placed among the chapters explore similarities across groups of mothers. The chapters are: (1) "Sidelined No More: Promoting Mothers of Adolescents as a Resource for Their Growth and Development" (Kathy Weingarten); (2) "'Exceptional' Mothering in a 'Normal' World" (Miriam Greenspan); (3) "Homeless: Mothering at Rock Bottom" (Rebecca Koch, Mary T. Lewis, and Wendy Quinones); (4) "Immigrant Mothers: What Makes Them High Risk?" (Marilyn G. Fraktman); (5) "Yes, I Am a Swan: Reflections on Families Headed by Lesbians and Gay Men" (Laura Benkov); (6) "Safeguarding Wordless Voice in a World of Words" (Bonnie Y. Ohye); (7) "He Needs His Father: The Clinical Discourse and Politics of Single Mothering" (Phoebe Kazdin Schnitzer); (8) "Let Me Suffer So My Kids Won't: African American Mothers Living with HIV/AIDS" (Karen Fraser Wyche); (9) "'Real' Mothers: Adoptive Mothers Resisting Marginalization and Re-Creating Motherhood" (Betsy Smith, Janet L. Surrey, and Mary Watkins); (10)"Against All Odds: Resistance and Resilience in African American Welfare Mothers" (Elizabeth Sparks); (11) "Teen Mothers: Countering the Myths of Dysfunction and Developmental Disruption" (Patricia Flanagan); and (12) "Incarcerated Mothers: Crimes and Punishments" (Cynthia Garcia Coll, Janet L. Surrey, Phyllis Buccio-Notaro, and Barbara Molla). (Each chapter contains references.) (KB)