Amy Benfer is a freelance writer in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Amy Benfer's Salon stories

Friday, Nov 6, 2009 03:07 EST

Who needs family court when you've got Rambo?

The Atlantic investigates parents who resolve custody disputes by kidnapping their own children
Tuesday, Nov 3, 2009 12:04 EST

Nancy Pelosi: Hero, villain, ice-cream lover

The speaker of the House wears many masks, according to a new profile. And Glenn Beck wants to beat up at least one
Thursday, Oct 29, 2009 13:30 EDT

Michelle Obama, single mom

NYT mag shows how the first marriage stays strong: Hard work, yes, but huge sacrifice, from one spouse especially
Tuesday, Oct 27, 2009 14:28 EDT

Barbie loves rock 'n' roll

Blondie! Joan Jett! Cyndi Lauper! Are these toys for little kids -- or toys for grown-ups?
Thursday, Oct 22, 2009 17:20 EDT

My bad mother is your good mother

In parenting culture, there is no "normal"
Tuesday, Oct 20, 2009 14:21 EDT

How did the Gosselins become bigger than Brangelina?

Vanity Fair explains why a once-obscure couple with eight kids became the perfect celebrities for our recession age
Thursday, Oct 15, 2009 07:16 EDT

Did someone slip DoubleX's advice columnist a mickey?

DoubleX's Lucinda Rosenfeld gives some stupendously bad counsel, and readers push back, with advice for her removal
Tuesday, Oct 13, 2009 10:14 EDT

Come to school, collect $100!

Should kids be paid for academic performance?
Thursday, Oct 8, 2009 15:09 EDT

The Nobel Prize for literature went to who?

Meet Herta Mueller, the best German writer you've never heard of ... until now
Tuesday, Oct 6, 2009 13:07 EDT

Care for a Lysol douche?

Why mid-century women used oven cleaner for their most intimate, ah, oven
Thursday, Oct 1, 2009 11:02 EDT

Elizabeth Edwards: Divorce, finally?

The Enquirer says she's had enough. It's about time
Thursday, Sep 24, 2009 12:14 EDT

We're here! We're queer! We're 13!

A new generation of kids is coming out as early as middle school. And that's a good thing
Wednesday, Sep 23, 2009 05:23 EDT

"Mad Men" minus the racist, sexist parts

From Oprah to Banana Republic, pop culture is nostalgic for a dark time. Screw history, bring on the pencil skirts!
Thursday, Sep 17, 2009 13:18 EDT

Racism? Misogyny? Take your pick

Was a college girl gang-raped? Or were five innocent men nearly railroaded into standing trial?
Tuesday, Sep 15, 2009 11:16 EDT

Warning: Baby lust can be fatal!

Two articles show women who will kill or die for a baby
Friday, Sep 11, 2009 05:01 EDT

The color-blind myth

A new book says that parents who refuse to talk to kids about racism might be unwittingly reinforcing it
Wednesday, Sep 9, 2009 03:17 EDT

A woman's work ... sometimes sucks, too

A new poll finds that most females hate their jobs. But wait, isn't that true of both sexes?
Thursday, Sep 3, 2009 14:04 EDT

Levi Johnston: Stud

While born-again virgin Bristol Palin shills for abstinence, her ex courts fame and Playgirl. Double standard much?
Wednesday, Sep 2, 2009 03:19 EDT

Is it ever OK to tar your kid in print?

The sordid back story of Julia Myerson's new memoir, "The Lost Child," should give every parenting writer pause
Monday, Aug 31, 2009 11:32 EDT

The smokin' ladies of "Mad Men"

Marijuana, marital discord and motherhood on last night's episode of our favorite television drama
Friday, Aug 28, 2009 02:28 EDT

Screwed by science

The elusive birth control pill for men may be as much about gender as research
Tuesday, Aug 25, 2009 10:26 EDT

"Suri Cruise, style icon"

Need a crinoline skirt to match that burp rag? An odious trend piece explains celebrity toddlers' fashion
Monday, Aug 24, 2009 11:25 EDT

Peggy Olson gets off

What happened to everyone's favorite prim junior copywriter on last night's "Mad Men"?
Tuesday, Aug 18, 2009 06:19 EDT

Jenny Sanford strikes back

Is the governor's wife really a "role model for wronged spouses"?
Thursday, Aug 13, 2009 11:14 EDT

The devil wears Old Navy

Can chick lit survive the recession?

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