Childfree by Choice


Book Description

From Dr. Amy Blackstone, childfree woman, co-creator of the blog we're {not} having a baby, and nationally recognized expert on the childfree choice, comes a definitive investigation into the history and current growing movement of adults choosing to forgo parenthood: what it means for our society, economy, environment, perceived gender roles, and legacies, and how understanding and supporting all types of families can lead to positive outcomes for parents, non-parents, and children alike. As a childfree woman, Dr. Amy Blackstone is no stranger to a wide range of negative responses when she informs people she doesn't have--nor does she want--kids: confused looks, patronizing quips, thinly veiled pity, even outright scorn and condemnation. But she is not alone in opting out when it comes to children. More people than ever are choosing to forgo parenthood, and openly discussing a choice that's still often perceived as taboo. Yet this choice, and its effects personally and culturally, are still often misunderstood. Amy Blackstone, a professor of sociology, has been studying the childfree choice since 2008, a choice she and her husband had already confidently and happily made. Using her own and others' research as well as her personal experience, Blackstone delves into the childfree movement from its conception to today, exploring gender, race, sexual orientation, politics, environmentalism, and feminism, as she strips away the misconceptions surrounding non-parents and reveals the still radical notion that support of the childfree can lead to better lives and societies for all.




Childless by Marriage


Book Description

First you marry a man who does not want children. He cheats and you divorce him. Then you marry the love of your life and find out he does not want to have children with you either. The three he has are more than enough. Although you always wanted to be a mother, you decide he is worth the sacrifice, expecting to have a long happy life together. But that's not what happens. This is the story of how a woman becomes childless by marriage and how it affects every aspect of her life. This is the book of my heart, the one I had to write. Ever since I realized I was not going to have children, I have felt recurring grief and an emptiness in my heart. I am different from most women, but I have found that I am not alone. There are many of us childless women, and I think it's important to share our stories about what it's like when you don't have children in a world where most girls grow up to become mothers. I hope this book offers comfort to those who are childless and understanding to those who are not. If it makes you smile here and there, even better.




Living the Life Unexpected


Book Description

‘The book to recommend to patients when they face coming to terms with unavoidable childlessness.' – British Medical Journal In Living the Life Unexpected, Jody Day addresses the experience of involuntary childlessness and provides a powerful, practical guide to help those negotiating a future without children come to terms with their grief; a grief that is only just beginning to be recognized by society. This friendly, practical, humorous and honest guide from one of the world’s most respected names in childless support offers compassion and understanding and shows how it’s possible to move towards a creative, happy, meaningful and fulfilling future – even if it’s not the one you had planned. Millions of people are now living a life without children, almost double that of a generation ago and the numbers are rising still. Although some are childfree by choice, many others are childless due to infertility or circumstance and are struggling to come to terms with their uncertain future. Although most people think that those without children either 'couldn't' or 'didn't want’ to be parents, the truth is much more complex. Jody Day was forty-four when she realized that her quest to be a mother was at an end. She presumed that she was through the toughest part, but over the next couple of years she was hit by waves of grief, despair and isolation. Eventually she found her way and in 2011 created Gateway Women, the global friendship and support network for childless women which has now helped almost two million people worldwide. This edition, previously titled Rocking the Life Unexpected, has been extensively revised and updated, with significant additional content and case studies from forty involuntarily childless people (mostly women) from around the world.




Complete Without Kids


Book Description

Examines the rewards and challenges childfree adults face living in a world that celebrates traditional families, offering advice on how to cope with the pressure of friends and family to have children, taking advantage of leisure time, and financial considerations.




50 Things to Know About Being a High School English Teacher


Book Description

Are you thinking of becoming a high school English teacher? Are you curious about what skills you need to be an effective educator? Are you wondering about how to build and maintain important relationships with students and colleagues? If you answered yes to any of these questions then this book is for you... 50 Things to Know about Being a High School English Teacher, by Kelly Hawkins, offers an honest description of teaching English at the high school level. Most books on teaching only tell you about the positive aspects of the profession. Although there's nothing wrong with that, education is a complex world to navigate, and people should enter a teaching career armed with as much accurate information as possible. In these pages you'll discover one educator's experience over the last twenty-two years. This book will help you learn what it takes to successfully work with adolescents on a daily basis. By the time you finish this book, you will know how to prepare for the academic year, how to manage the various roles teachers play, how to cope with the challenges of teaching, and how to connect with your students and colleagues. So grab YOUR copy today. You'll be glad you did.




Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed


Book Description

Sixteen literary luminaries on the controversial subject of being childless by choice, in this critically acclaimed, bestselling anthology One of the most provocative and talked-about books of the year, Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed is the stunning collection exploring one of society’s most vexing taboos. One of the main topics of cultural conversation during the last decade was the supposed “fertility crisis,” and whether modern women could figure out a way to have it all—a successful career and the required 2.3 children—before their biological clocks stopped ticking. Now, however, the conversation has turned to whether it’s necessary to have it all (see Anne-Marie Slaughter) or, perhaps more controversial, whether children are really a requirement for a fulfilling life. In this exciting and controversial collection of essays, curated by writer Meghan Daum, thirteen acclaimed female writers explain why they have chosen to eschew motherhood. Contributors include Lionel Shriver, Sigrid Nunez, Kate Christensen, Elliott Holt, Geoff Dyer, and Tim Kreider, among others, who will give a unique perspective on the overwhelming cultural pressure of parenthood. This collection makes a smart and passionate case for why parenthood is not the only path to a happy, productive life, and takes our parent-centric, kid-fixated, baby-bump-patrolling culture to task in the process. In this book, that shadowy faction known as the childless-by-choice comes out into the light.




No Children by Choice


Book Description




Disconnected


Book Description

Lockdowns, Zoom meetings, and reduced physical contact have made us more dependent on the internet than ever before—and now we want to log off. Disconnected is a little book about reclaiming our humanity in our increasingly digitized, monetized world. Our focus on community and real connection has been sent off-course, and we're becoming more aware of how the algorithm manipulates us and how our data has made us a product to be sold. So, where do we go from here, and how can we get back on track? Disconnected examines these topics and offers tangible tips and advice for those of us who might feel a little lost and are looking to find our real-life selves again.




Threads


Book Description

Sunlight filtering through a stained-glass window and the gentle words of the priest's sermon in her ear, a young Judith Cosby realized that life wasn't just a random string of people and events. Instead, her eyes were opened to the existence of threads -- mysterious and deliberate connections that weave the unique and brilliant tapestry of an individual's life. As a daughter, wife, and mother, Judith recognizes all the wonderful moments that abound in her daily life. She faces the difficulties of illness and death, but with the awareness that every connection and interaction has a purpose. Her spirit pulses with resounding strength, fortitude, and a belief that challenges are placed before us not to crush, but to empower. THREADS is a masterful memoir of a journey of self-awareness inspired by a promise Judith made to her thirteen-year-old self. Full of a love of life and strong spiritual belief, she embraces all of life's lessons, each represented by a specific thread. Using humor and candor, her stories are filled with messages of faith, hope and love. THREADS shares the personal threads of one woman's life, in hopes that others will begin to see the glorious weave of their own life. Within this blank cloth of infinite possibilities may they realize the power they have to stitch the essence they want into existence.




I Can Barely Take Care of Myself


Book Description

A memoir from the stand-up comedian, writer, and actress that focuses on her oft-questioned (by others) decision to remain childless.