What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe School for Good Mothers
Jessamine Chan · Book · 2022
If you loved The School for Good Mothers, start with I Am Mother (2019) — a film on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The School for Good Mothers across media.
You were drawn to The School for Good Mothers by the terrifying intersection of state surveillance and the impossible expectations placed upon modern mothers.
Films on the same thread
Children of Men
Alfonso Cuarón · Film · 2006
Shares a thread with The School for Good Mothers: Dystopian Fiction.
Like The School for Good Mothers, this film explores a society where the survival of the human race is inextricably linked to the regulation and desperate protection of children.
The Second Mother
Film · 2015
Explores: Class conflict, Mother-daughter relationships, Social inequality.
This film mirrors the intense domestic scrutiny and class-based judgment found in The School for Good Mothers, focusing on the painful sacrifices and persistent guilt inherent in mother-daughter relationships.
I Am Mother
Film · 2019
Explores: Nature vs Nurture, Parenting, Survival.
Fans of The School for Good Mothers will recognize the chilling reliance on artificial intelligence to define parental roles and the deep psychological tension of raising a child under surveillance.
The Assessment
Fleur Fortuné · Film · 2025
Shares a thread with The School for Good Mothers: Dystopian Fiction.
This film shares the dystopian premise of The School for Good Mothers, centering on a government-mandated assessment process that weaponizes parenthood to control human existence and societal fitness.
Series on the same thread
Maid
Molly Smith Metzler · Series · 2021
Explores: Single Motherhood, Breaking the Cycle of Abuse, Resilience.
This series captures the same harrowing struggle against systemic injustice that defines The School for Good Mothers, emphasizing the precarious nature of motherhood when facing institutional poverty and instability.
The Good Fight
Michelle King · Series · 2017
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Redemption, Power Dynamics.
Much like the legal battles in The School for Good Mothers, this show navigates the moral ambiguity of power structures and the way institutions dismantle individual reputations and lives.
The Handmaid's Tale
Bruce Miller · Series · 2017
Shares a thread with The School for Good Mothers: Dystopian Fiction.
Those haunted by the totalitarian overreach in The School for Good Mothers will find a similar exploration of state-controlled reproductive rights and the complete loss of bodily autonomy.
All Her Fault
Megan Gallagher · Series · 2025
Explores: Missing Child, Parental Fears, Suburban Secrets.
This series echoes the central parental anxiety of The School for Good Mothers, focusing on the terrifying consequences that arise when a single mistake triggers a nightmare of suspicion.
Podcasts on the same thread
Nice White Parents
Serial Productions & The New York Times · Podcast · 2022
Explores: systemic inequality, educational reform, privilege and power.
This podcast investigates the systemic power dynamics within institutions just as The School for Good Mothers critiques the societal forces that dictate which parents are considered worthy or good.
The Birth Keepers | The Guardian Investigates
Podcast
Explores: online radicalization, influencer culture, maternal health.
Similar to the way The School for Good Mothers examines the fragility of maternal identity, this investigation explores how misinformation and external pressures radicalize and endanger pregnant women today.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The School for Good Mothers a standalone novel?
Yes, The School for Good Mothers is a standalone novel published in 2022 by Jessamine Chan. The narrative focuses on the experience of Frida Liu within a government-run reform program and does not currently have any published sequels or prequels in the catalog.
What is the primary conflict in The School for Good Mothers?
In The School for Good Mothers, the protagonist Frida Liu loses custody of her daughter, Harriet, after leaving her home alone for two hours. She is subsequently sent to a government-run reform program where she must be retrained using robot doll children equipped with artificial intelligence.
Where is The School for Good Mothers set?
The School for Good Mothers is set in a near-future version of America. The protagonist, Frida Liu, is a 39-year-old Chinese-American single mother who resides in Philadelphia before her entry into the state-mandated reform program for parents deemed to be bad mothers.
How old is the daughter in The School for Good Mothers?
In The School for Good Mothers, the daughter of the protagonist Frida Liu is named Harriet. At the beginning of the novel, when Frida loses custody of her child following a single lapse in judgment, Harriet is 18 months old.