Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by besha
Red Clocks by Leni Zumas
5.0
It is, by coincidence, Mothers Day as I’m finishing this, and a friend shared a tribute to those less feted on this day: mothers who have lost children and children who have lost mothers, children and mothers with strained relationships, those yearning to be mothers and those choosing not to be.
This book touches on most of these, and more: mothers who would rather not be, those who fulfill the role of mothers, those who mother (midwife?) knowledge and art into existence, and those who help others to choose whether they become mothers.
It does this with a light touch on the near-future dystopia. The states have ratified a Personhood Amendment, and a new federal bill bans IVF and adoption for single mothers. Canada turns pregnant girls away at the border. Abortion-seekers and abortion providers receive harsh prison sentences. It’s clear where the author stands, but this is not a a political story in that sense; the politics are a pretext for the stories she wants to tell.
This reading is also coincidentally timed in my life: I’m in a new job and a new city where most of my coworkers and friends have children, and I’ve just turned 35; it’s given me cause to contemplate how different my story could be if I’d made different choices. My own red clock is still not ticking, but this book gave me more stories to consider and try on and care about, and I am grateful.
This book touches on most of these, and more: mothers who would rather not be, those who fulfill the role of mothers, those who mother (midwife?) knowledge and art into existence, and those who help others to choose whether they become mothers.
It does this with a light touch on the near-future dystopia. The states have ratified a Personhood Amendment, and a new federal bill bans IVF and adoption for single mothers. Canada turns pregnant girls away at the border. Abortion-seekers and abortion providers receive harsh prison sentences. It’s clear where the author stands, but this is not a a political story in that sense; the politics are a pretext for the stories she wants to tell.
This reading is also coincidentally timed in my life: I’m in a new job and a new city where most of my coworkers and friends have children, and I’ve just turned 35; it’s given me cause to contemplate how different my story could be if I’d made different choices. My own red clock is still not ticking, but this book gave me more stories to consider and try on and care about, and I am grateful.