|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Inspired by a letter written to Salon.com requesting more stories about people who chose not to have children, senior editor Leibovich brought together a broad spectrum of writers to create a refreshing, sometimes painful, collection of essays in which, to quote the subtitle, "28 Writers Tell the Truth About Skepticism, Infertility, Baby Lust, Childlessness, Ambivalence, and How They Made the Biggest Decision of Their Lives." Lionel Shriver celebrates her adults-only existence in "The Baby Stops Here"; Amy Richards goes through the seldom-discussed procedure of "selective reduction" in "Triple Threat"; and Kathryn Harrison cares for her dying grandmother as well as her newborn daughter in the beautiful "Cradle to Grave." Other standout essays include Neal Pollack's, defending his right to have only one child (his response to the often-voiced concern "Won't he be spoiled if he's the only one?" is "Not with our credit card debt"), and Rick Moody's, revealing his early-in-life assessment of children as "bloodthirsty dwarves." This bittersweet anthology is the perfect antidote to readers tired of the number of books lauding child-rearing and its many joys. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Book Description
To breed or not to breed? That is the question twenty-eight accomplished writers ponder in this collection of provocative, honest, soul-searching essays. Based on a popular series at Salon.com, Maybe Baby offers both frank and nuanced opinions from a wide range of viewpoints on parenting choices, both alternative and traditional.
Yes: "I've been granted access to a new plane of existence, one I could not have imagined, and would not now live without."—Peter Nichols
No: "I can sort of see that it might be nice to have children, but there are a thousand things I'd rather spend my time doing than raise them."—Michelle Goldberg
Maybe: "As we both slip into our mid-thirties, my own personal daddy dilemma has quietly taken on an urgency that I frankly didn't expect."—Larry Smith
From infertility to adoption, from ambivalence to baby lust, Maybe Baby brings together the full force of opinions about this national, but also intensely personal, debate.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
WHEN PEOPLE LEARN THAT I'M IN MY LATE TWENTIES, happily married, and am not planning to have children, they respond in one of two ways. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
WHEN PEOPLE LEARN THAT I'M IN MY LATE TWENTIES, happily married, and am not planning to have children, they respond in one of two ways. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.ca
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.8 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews)
70 of 74 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow - this book doesn't resort to easy answers and well-worn sentiment, April 11 2006
By Gen of North Coast Gardening - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Maybe Baby: 28 Writers Tell the Truth About Skepticism, Infertility, Baby Lust, Childlessness, Ambivalence, and How They Made the Biggest Decision of Their Lives (Hardcover)
I couldn't put this book down. I'm a literate 27-year-old with an exciting life, just starting to feel that baby lust that so many of us struggle with, yet not sure if the sacrifices, lifestyle changes and restructuring of priorities that happens with parenthood is going to be right for me. This book gave me some excellent food for thought.Every angle that I had wrestled with and many more were presented by real people who have struggled with the same questions I have. I couldn't believe the diversity of thought, the raw and painful honesty, and the naked love shown in each of these pieces. It helped me sort through my priorities and examine my personality, and gave me a much clearer idea of exactly what my personal pros and cons are.
So much of the writing about parenthood resorts to cliches and easy answers, and none of the writers in this book copped out and allowed themselves that comfort of falling back on the usual sentiments. The writers were honest enough to examine even the negative personality traits which played a part in helping them make their decisions, and were also honest about the positive and negative things they felt and experienced because of their decision.
I was surprised and impressed by this book. It was not a comfortable read and made me squirm inside many times, seeing my own selfishness or worries reflected back at me, but the book got to the heart of the many truths and considerations involved in making this hugely important decision.
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Still confused, Jun 23 2007
By Ciao Bella! - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Maybe Baby: 28 Writers Tell the Truth About Skepticism, Infertility, Baby Lust, Childlessness, Ambivalence, and How They Made the Biggest Decision of Their Lives (Hardcover)
This just wasn't the book for me. Maybe it was because it was filled with stories by writers that I couldn't easily relate to (one who decides to become sterilized at 30, one who is bipolar, one who is in jail, one who gets pregnant by a man in jail, etc etc.). I'm not judging these people, but I don't feel like they reflect the norm. I also feel like the authors didn't make a strong case for the category they fell into (yes, no or uncertain). So for me personally, it did not help solve my "maybe baby" dilemma.
49 of 54 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Good only if you want kids, July 26 2006
By kmh - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Maybe Baby: 28 Writers Tell the Truth About Skepticism, Infertility, Baby Lust, Childlessness, Ambivalence, and How They Made the Biggest Decision of Their Lives (Hardcover)
Most of the childfree/childless people in this book claim that they may change their minds or regret not having kids. Only one really stood out and said no I am never having kids (Elinor Burkett) The ones who were on the fence really seemed like they will all have kids one day. And there are no I regret having kids stories from the parents.The book reads very fast and is an interesting read. But I would not add it to a list for those trying to chose if they should have kids or not. It leans too much towards being a parent. If you want honest anwsers from both the childfree and moms/parents I recommend "do I want to be a mom?" you can find it here on amazon.
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Health, Mind & Body > Personal Health > Men's Health > Infertility
- Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > By Topic > Decision-Making
- Books > Literature & Fiction > Essays
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Humanities > Literature
- Books > Parenting & Families > Fertility
- Books > Parenting & Families > Parenting
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
