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mol_iver's review against another edition
4.0
finished this weeks ago and forgot to review it whoops !!
this book was a fascinating look at the global struggle for reproduction rights, covering a wide variety of topics across several continents and regions. some parts lagged--too much about the history of US bureaucratic agencies combatting population growth for me. but then other parts were super interesting and informative--the chapter on female genital mutilation in africa was incredibly well done!!
this book does have a very liberal perspective, particularly on the importance of outside (western) intervention to reproductive struggles in "the global south". it did tackle this subject, and all others, with nuance, so overall i still thought it a strong text and a worthwhile read. i learned a lot!
this book was a fascinating look at the global struggle for reproduction rights, covering a wide variety of topics across several continents and regions. some parts lagged--too much about the history of US bureaucratic agencies combatting population growth for me. but then other parts were super interesting and informative--the chapter on female genital mutilation in africa was incredibly well done!!
this book does have a very liberal perspective, particularly on the importance of outside (western) intervention to reproductive struggles in "the global south". it did tackle this subject, and all others, with nuance, so overall i still thought it a strong text and a worthwhile read. i learned a lot!
sujuv's review against another edition
4.0
An extraordinarily illuminating book. It opened my eyes to the impact of the US's reproductive rights policies throughout the world - both negative and positive. The stories were often shocking and sometimes hard to read, but always worthwhile. Fascinating.
evelikesbooks's review
3.0
Good information, but found the book a bit dry and hard to keep motivated to read.
gigihotch's review against another edition
3.0
This book covers reproductive rights throughout the world and covers very, very complicated issues related to it: the problems of population growth/decline, how women and their sexuality are viewed in different societies, education, and women as financial burdens (in India, girls are not as desirable because their parents must pay increasingly expensive dowries to the groom's family when their daughters marry). It was interesting to see how all of these different issues affected ideas about reproduction. I thought the first half of the book moved along pretty well, but the rest of it seemed disorganized and was harder for me to get through.
rakishabpl's review against another edition
3.0
If you're a pro-choice feminist or just pro-reporoductive rights, this book will anger you beyond belief before you get to page 20. I'm trying to decide if I should keep reading. (Ed. note. I skimmed through the rest of the book and became even more outraged yet inspired. I think those women who are pro-life will also find the book upsetting because of the way patriarchal based governments and religions manipulate the ideas of women's fertility for their own ambitions.)
ryankaybee's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Incest, Child death, Classism, Sexism, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, and Medical trauma
martha_w's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent book that covers the history of the international reproductive rights movement. Goldberg covers such topics as abortion, female genital mutilation, birth control, population control, family planning, family-friendly policy, and more. She did extensive research, including interviews of the key players. She looks at the important role that women's rights play in improving the lives of women and men in developing countries. She also describes how the United States has been a been a driving force on both sides of the debate.
The book is a fantastic overview of the issues as well as a call to further action. It is hard to deny Goldberg's thesis that the more power women have over their own lives, the better off everyone (women and men) will be. As she says, "there is no force for good on the planet as powerful as the liberation of women."
The book is a fantastic overview of the issues as well as a call to further action. It is hard to deny Goldberg's thesis that the more power women have over their own lives, the better off everyone (women and men) will be. As she says, "there is no force for good on the planet as powerful as the liberation of women."
sp0ka's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic book with great facts, especially near the end. I had no idea that the population crisis was so largely...non-existent in some ways. And it's great to have factual basis for the idea that the conservatives arguments are largely flawed re: patriarchy being the only way to maintain birth rates.
A must read if you care about women at all.
A must read if you care about women at all.