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Product Description
Review
“A combination of tart sisterly advice with shock-tactic social analysis.”
— Globe and Mail
“Maier seems to have that uncanny ability to put her finger exactly on what people are thinking, at the right time and in the right place. Right now, it’s motherhood.”
— The Telegraph
— Globe and Mail
“Maier seems to have that uncanny ability to put her finger exactly on what people are thinking, at the right time and in the right place. Right now, it’s motherhood.”
— The Telegraph
Product Description
The shocking treatise that was a bestselling international media sensation upon its 2007 publication in France now makes its eagerly anticipated English-language debut.
A mother of two herself, Maier makes her deadly serious, if at times laugh-out-loud-funny, argument with all the unbridled force of her famously wicked intellect. In forty to-the-point, impressively erudite chapters drawing on the realms of history, child psychology, politics, and the environment, Maier effortlessly skewers the idealized notion of parenthood as a natural and beautiful endeavour. Enough with this “baby-mania” that is plaguing modern society, says Maier, it’s nothing but brainwashing. Are you prepared to give up your free time, dinners with friends, spontaneous romantic getaways, and even the luxury of uninterrupted thought for the “vicious little dwarves” that will treat you like their servant, cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars, and end up resenting you?
Speaking to the still “child-free”, to fellow suffering parents, and to adamant procreationists alike, No Kids is a controversial, thought-provoking, and undeniably entertaining read.
Reasons to avoid having kids:
•You will lose touch with your friends
•Your sex life will be over
•Children cost a fortune
•Child-rearing is endless drudgery
•Vacations will be nightmares
•You’ll lose your identity and become just “mom” or “dad”
•Your children will become mindless drones of capitalism
•The planet’s already overcrowded
•Your children will inevitably disappoint you
A mother of two herself, Maier makes her deadly serious, if at times laugh-out-loud-funny, argument with all the unbridled force of her famously wicked intellect. In forty to-the-point, impressively erudite chapters drawing on the realms of history, child psychology, politics, and the environment, Maier effortlessly skewers the idealized notion of parenthood as a natural and beautiful endeavour. Enough with this “baby-mania” that is plaguing modern society, says Maier, it’s nothing but brainwashing. Are you prepared to give up your free time, dinners with friends, spontaneous romantic getaways, and even the luxury of uninterrupted thought for the “vicious little dwarves” that will treat you like their servant, cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars, and end up resenting you?
Speaking to the still “child-free”, to fellow suffering parents, and to adamant procreationists alike, No Kids is a controversial, thought-provoking, and undeniably entertaining read.
Reasons to avoid having kids:
•You will lose touch with your friends
•Your sex life will be over
•Children cost a fortune
•Child-rearing is endless drudgery
•Vacations will be nightmares
•You’ll lose your identity and become just “mom” or “dad”
•Your children will become mindless drones of capitalism
•The planet’s already overcrowded
•Your children will inevitably disappoint you
Inside This Book
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Most helpful customer reviews
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FINALLY!!!!,
By D. Crawford "book sponge" (Victoria, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: No Kids: 40 Good Reasons Not to Have Children (Paperback)
This is a starkly honest, politically-incorrect little gem with a light dose of humour. What a tremendous relief that someone has finally had the strength to speak what many of us have felt but couldn't put into words or thought there was something wrong with ourselves for feeling this way. I don't think she is saying she doesn't love her children; she is just calling the lifestyle of parenthood for what it is and not everything we've been conditioned to believe (also see Stumbling on Happiness for verification of this). I strongly urge anyone who is even slightly anxious about the prospect of bearing and raising children to read this. I wish it had been available a long time ago.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great, though over-laden with angst,
By Shadow (canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: No Kids: 40 Good Reasons Not to Have Children (Paperback)
First of all let's all can the religious stuff. It's meaningless to everyone who isn't religious, which guess what, is a lot of us, so that argument completely misses the mark.
Anyway... This book is pretty short, but there's no lack of total absolute grimness. It makes it seem as though even being around people who are parents is a living nightmare, sitting politely for hours while little brats tear around the house refusing to calm down while you go ignored and your nerves quickly wear away. I'm sure we've all been there, but I'd like to think this is the exception more than the rule. Hopefully. Here's what I've gathered are all the reasons for not having kids, put here more simply and bluntly without the heavy dose of philosophy, psycho-babble, and heavy angst that the book has. 1. No more freedom, ever. 2. They are very expensive. 3. They'll grow up to be losers. 4. They add to pollution. 5. They are conformists. 6. Your relationship and sex life suffers. 7. Kids are stupid and annoying. 8. Let go of all your dreams, you live for your kids now. 9. Because mothers have to put their kids above all else, their careers suffer. THIS is the (or one of the) reason for the glass ceiling. This one I found particularly interesting. 10. Kids are dangerous, and could send an innocent you to jail with just a phone call. 11. Your friends will disappear. (although I often find its the parents themselves, not the friends, who completely withdraw from social life) 12. Having kids is a goal put forth by some sort of government conspiracy to keep people busy so they serve the interest of the country and there's no time for you to think for yourself or step out of line. If you strip away all the incredibly depressing angst, I think this book makes a lot of sense, except for that last point. To me it just comes across as the rantings of a woman very bitter towards society more than a valid point. Still, if there was any doubt in your mind about whether you wanted kids or not, this book is pretty likely to help you make up your mind, at least for a while. (To add one more point, there's nothing selfish about declining to create a life that probably won't be all that pleasant anyway in a world quickly spiraling downhill. Before you call the child-free selfish, ask yourself if you would ever be willing to adopt.)
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"If I had perceived, I wouldn't have conceived",
By
This review is from: No Kids: 40 Good Reasons Not to Have Children (Paperback)
XXXXX
"This little book is intended to further discourage those potential parents everywhere who are beginning to wonder if having children is really worth the trouble. Of course, they can't share there doubts with anyone: raising the question is simply not done, because HAVING CHILDREN IS GOOD. However, there are a multitude of excellent reasons not to have children, at least forty of them--reasons that are far more rational than the ones we usually come up with for having kids." The above is found in the introduction of this intriguing book by Corinne Maier (and translated from the French by Patrick Watson). Maier is a psychoanalyst that has two children, one a pre-teen, the other a teenager. Within the pages of this book lie truths, truths a mother is never supposed to utter, let alone write down and publish in a book. The way this book is structured is that Maier gives a reason for not having kids and then briefly elaborates on her reason. She follows this format for all forty of her reasons. Personally, I admired and was impressed by Maier's honesty throughout the book. Her brief explanations for each reason she gives for not having children are not just her opinions but include, for example, insights from history, child psychology, and even politics. Other than English, this book has been translated into Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Brazilian, German, Swedish, Czech, Polish, and Korean. Finally, in many cases, much of the information given in this book is properly footnoted. However, in some cases I wondered where the author had acquired her non-opinionated information. I think in a book of this type that the author should have paid more attention to proper footnoting. In conclusion, I think this book will impress whether you are a parent or childfree. I leave you with this interesting comment by comedian Rita Rudner: "My husband and I are either going to buy a dog or have a child. We can't decide whether to ruin our rugs or ruin our lives." (first English translation published 2009; prologue; introduction; 40 good reasons not to have children; conclusion; main narrative 125 pages) XXXXX
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