Running a kingdom is a lot like running a household. Or so says Suzanne Evans, who shares the story of her crazy yet brilliant year-long experiment: to “rule” one disobedient family using Machiavelli’s masterwork The Prince.

A mother of four, Suzanne Evans is fed up with tantrums, misbehavior, and general household chaos. Desperate to get the upper hand, she turns to Machiavelli’s famous sixteenth-century political treatise, The Prince, and wonders: Can Machiavelli’s rules on warfare and statecraft be suc­cessfully applied to parenting?

Using The Prince as a guide, Evans embarks on an unlikely experiment in “power parenting” and quickly learns that Machiavellian maxims can go a long way when running a kingdom—and a household.

• Study the actions of illustrious men: How to lead by example.

• It is dangerous to be overly generous: A good ruler sets limits.

• It is better to be feared than loved: Sometimes a leader has to be a meanie to ensure the security and obedience of the people.

Heralded as a “funny, creative, new parenting guide” (Parade.com), Machiavelli for Moms offers one woman’s unorthodox approach to modern motherhood—and stands as a manifesto for other moms willing to act on Machiavelli’s sometimes shocking but ever practical advice.