Review: Choice
Choice: True Stories of Birth, Contraception, Infertility, Adoption, Single Parenthood, and Abortion – edited by Karen E. Bender and Nina de Gramont
published October 2007 – 343 pages
From the back cover -
“What if we could glance through the curtains to see our neighbors? What if we could not just see their actions, but hear their thoughts and know their histories?”
With these questions in mind, this moving collection of twenty-four personal essays – from both emerging talents and established authors – illuminates the complexity of women’s reproductive decisions.
In addressing a wide range of choices – from giving a child up for adoption to adopting a child, from having an abortion to bringing a pregnancy to full term, from using birth control or battling infertility to choosing not to have children at all – these brave women invite us into their lives, emotions, and physical struggles with searing honesty, grace, and humor.
Together, these collected voices offer a look at the real, human stories behind the reproductive rights debate, and allow us to truly understand the meaning of the word “choice” – regardless of which side of the debate we stand on.
My thoughts -
I found this to be a very, very good book, one that I truly think every woman should read. I honestly think every PERSON should read it, but I do not truthfully believe it is realistic for all men to pick up this book. The fight for choice, and the idea of having reproductive choices, does affect every single one of us, male or female. Like the description said, choice is not only about abortion (it’s not even MOSTLY about abortion) – it is about the right to use birth control, the right to become a single parent willfully, the right to adopt a child from another country, the right to put your own child up for adoption, the right to make the choice to raise a child in circumstances not the greatest, and even the right to remain childless for life. These choices are ones we take for granted in today’s world, but there are some people that would like for these choices to be made for us, by law. That reason alone is why Choice is an important book. I personally feel very strongly about this issue, and it’s one of the political dividers that I am extremely passionate about. Having said that, I do feel that this book is absolutely terrific – the writing is wonderful and the stories are incredibly interesting, no matter what your position – and I really encourage everyone to pick it up.
Oh! I want to read this! Have you read The Girls Who Went Away? It was an interesting account of girls in the 50s and 60s who got pregnant as teens and had to give up their babies.
Excellent review about what sounds like a very important book. I wrote a post on my blog along similar lines last week, and I’d like to edit it to link to this – hope you don’t mind!
Whenever I see this book I always think about reading it. Now I might have to actually get around to it!
This sounds like a very powerful book. It is such a personal journey for any woman and women should strive to be supportive and judgement free.
I feel very strongly about the issue of women having a choice of how they want to live their live: with or without children, having the option and the possibility/availability of using birth control measures, abortion etc. I would love to read this book! Another one for the wishlist!
You got me! I just put this on my TBR list, thanks! I’ll second “The Girls Who Went Away,” that book is like a punch to the gut. Very moving and sad, but it’s one of those ‘everyone should read it’ books.