Enough of Us: Why We Should Think Twice Before Making Children

by Cheryl Levinson, Ellis Levinson

Couples without children continue to be viewed as strange, and too often they're only just tolerated. But Cheryl and Ellis Levinson, a married couple who have lived childfree for twenty-eight years, don't just defend those who refrain from having children-they celebrate them.

They also argue that society doesn't treat childfree couples fairly and that many couples with children are putting the world at risk. Overpopulation poses real dangers, including an increased threat of climate change, accelerated animal and plant extinctions, and the wholesale destruction of rainforests and other habitats.

The Levinsons explore the increasingly common choice to remain childfree and challenge the ethics of those who choose to procreate. They consider a host of issues, including

liabilities facing children;

motivations to have children;

financial implications;

lack of parental preparation;

nature versus nurture; and

world sustainability.

Despite the dangers of overpopulation, many people continue to have children without thinking through the consequences. It's time to take a larger view and consider whether or not there are Enough of Us.

274 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 2011

About the author

Cheryl Smith Levinson is a licensed marriage and family therapist. She practiced psychotherapy for twenty-five years, working with families dealing with severe emotional issues. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from UCLA and a master’s degree in social science from Azusa Pacific College.

Ellis Levinson is The Consumer Guy®. He has been an award-winning television investigative and consumer reporter, consumer advocate, comedian, actor, and former school teacher in the New York City public high school system. He writes a blog at Consumerguy.com and holds two degrees in political science, a BA from New York University, and an MA from New School University.

The authors have been married and childfree for twenty-eight years, and they both blog at www.Enoughof.Us.

Reviews

[Erik Sapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I very much support what the Levinsons tried to do by writing this book. It clearly lays out many issues - financial, social, religious, and political - why adults should think twice about having children. As someone who is childfree, I appreciate the serious look at an option too many people overlook.

About halfway though, however, I found myself getting bogged down in statistics, surveys, news articles, and the like. I almost feel like they authors found all this great information and could not bear to leave any of it out. Sadly, because there is so much, the book becomes information overload. I found myself skipping pages at a time in an attempt to get to a new topic.

Finally, I fear the Levinsons are "preaching at the choir." The people who need to read this book are adults who are considering having children, but have not yet reproduced. However, the most likely readers are other childfree adults. I am not sure how to market this book to prospective parents, but that is what needs to be done if the authors want to succeed in convincing adults to"think twice before making children."

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very well, no extremely well researched and thought out. It examines the complex and important topic of whether or not to have children in depth from an environmental/global perspective, as well as a personal one. I liked the fact that the authors use personal experience, coupled with scientific and sociological data. Not always upbeat, but well done. An important read for those thinking about whether or not to have kids. The message - think first before you decide.