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ashleystraniero's review
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
4.0
An important anthology surrounding women’s reproductive freedom in the US. Published just a month before Roe v Wade was overturned, it would be interesting to compare a second volume of stories as the reversal has drastically impacted (and sadly limited) women’s reproductive freedoms in the US.
alyssabookrecs's review
5.0
Nothing short of 5 stars for this fantastic anthology. A must-read in post-Roe America.
meghasalm2's review
4.0
This is a unique anthology of short stories, poems, comics, nonfiction, photography, and more discussing women’s health issues and reproductive freedom. Definitely a relevant, if not urgent read. It was dense and some stories definitely resonated more than others, but that’s to be expected! The upside to having such a wide array of stories approaching the same topic is that there’s something here for everyone. Some of my favorites were Women Like Me, The Fig Queen, and Scarlett Letter. Also, it’s in collaboration with the Brigid Alliance, a nationwide service that arranges and funds confidential and personal travel support to those seeking abortion care, so a portion of proceeds goes to the Brigid Alliance :-)
servemethesky's review
4.0
Such an intense read, but a very well done anthology! You’d think it would get repetitive or boring to read reproductive justice stories for 455 pages, but there’s so much variety in genre, form, style, and life experiences that it truly doesn’t. It’s certainly heavy though, so I’d recommend taking breaks or interspersing it with something lighter. I really appreciated the way this anthology mixes fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction—it helps with pacing and makes it much more engaging as a text.
Some of my favorites were:
-Let’s Just Be Normal and Have a Baby by Alison Espach (fiction) — husband who never wanted kids and is dying of cancer suddenly starts demanding they have a baby
-Maheov by Tommy Orange (fiction) — features a native character talking about how his mom was sterilized and somehow, he was born, a miracle
-Not Anyone’s Hero by Khadijah Queen (creative nonfic) — about a woman in the military who got pregnant and kept the baby, and how she was treated for doing so
-The Babies by Kristen Arnett (fiction) — love Arnett’s work. This was about a queer couple getting pregnant and losing the baby (there’s a heart-stabbing twisty moment in the final pages).
Some of my favorites were:
-Let’s Just Be Normal and Have a Baby by Alison Espach (fiction) — husband who never wanted kids and is dying of cancer suddenly starts demanding they have a baby
-Maheov by Tommy Orange (fiction) — features a native character talking about how his mom was sterilized and somehow, he was born, a miracle
-Not Anyone’s Hero by Khadijah Queen (creative nonfic) — about a woman in the military who got pregnant and kept the baby, and how she was treated for doing so
-The Babies by Kristen Arnett (fiction) — love Arnett’s work. This was about a queer couple getting pregnant and losing the baby (there’s a heart-stabbing twisty moment in the final pages).
mollymocket's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
incredible. everyone should read this