Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on The Decision Not To Have Kids in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Jun 29, 2015 Ashley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: women-s-studies, fun

This was a wonderful book that entered my life at precisely the right moment. It seems that nearly everyone (EVERYONE) in my life is due to pop out a kid sometime between late August and the end of the year. I've counted no fewer than seven (7!) baby gifts that I need to purchase. While I'm thrilled for my friends, some of whom have wanted this for a long time, it has forced me to confront that... well... I don't. The writers featured here felt like my people. They were all thoughtful, reflectiv ...more

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May 10, 2015 Melle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: short-pieces, nonfiction, copyright-2015, read-in-2015, children, essays, funny, parenthood, emotional, psychology

It's weirdly fitting that I finished this book about nonparenthood on Mother's Day. Just as people have children under many different circumstances, this book thoughtfully, humanely, kindly, and (at times) sassily notes the many different circumstances that lead people to choose childlessness. It's not a better or worse choice, just a different one, and one that often is mistaken for reasons "selfish, shallow, and self-absorbed." Quite the opposite, the contributors to this book have opted to no ...more

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Dec 17, 2015 eb rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, female-author, writing, essays, audio-book, feminism

I will begin by voicing genuine disappointment in the production of this audiobook: both narrators were terrible: Jo Anna Perrin sounded like a game show host--especially horrendous was the passage in which she attempted to perform a child's voice; and Johnny Heller's odd slurry speech and flat delivery didn't differentiate authorial voices at all, even though one essay was patently tongue-in-cheek, and another rooted in logic.

Audio aside, I found a lot to mull over in this set of essays. Some ...more

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Apr 01, 2015 Renata rated it really liked it

Shelves: grownup, nonfiction, essays

As with any anthology, I liked some more than others, but overall it's a good collection that I'd definitely recommend to anyone who doesn't want kids, or is on the fence about having kids. There's an interesting variety of perspectives and attitudes.

(If you already have kids there's probably not much here for you.) ...more

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Nov 22, 2015 Abby Johnson marked it as did-not-finish

Shelves: nonfiction, grownup_books

Honestly, I couldn't even handle this book, just because of where I am personally right now. I read about half of it. ...more

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Apr 14, 2015 Jennie rated it it was ok

Shelves: readharder, general-non-fiction, read2016

Book Riot Read Harder 2016 Challenge #3: Read a Collection of Essays

Uneven, and somewhat repetitive, which I suppose is unsurprising in an edited volume about one topic. The Shriver essay takes the whole book's star rating down with its casually white supremacist presentation of declining white/Euro birth rates (mentioned in other essays as well - an apparently common but cringe-worthy part of some people's decision-making in this arena.) ...more

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