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Otherhood: Modern Women Finding A New Kind Of Happiness (2014)

by Melanie Notkin(Favorite Author)

2.67 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1580055214 (ISBN13: 9781580055215)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Seal Press

review 1: I don't normally write reviews for books but I feel I had to say something about this book as I feel it has been marketed in a weird way. I am admittedly not the main demographic for the book: I am 24 and never want to have children by choice. I knew from reading the book's description that it'd be about women who DO want children but haven't been able to have them for whatever circumstance. I also knew it'd be about older single women (30's and 40's) which is why the book appealed to me. I do share one trait with these women: I'm single and sometimes it's hard to cope with that when everyone seems to be paired off. I went to a dinner party recently where EVERYONE had a significant other and I was the only single person there. It was a jarring experience for me as I'm only... more 24! But it's beginning......I'm starting to stick out like a sore thumb as the singleton.I also live alone and sometimes grapple with feeling lonely because of that. But I prefer living alone so I cope with the loneliness in my own way. Going Solo by Eric Klinenberg is a book I'd recommend for those who grapple with this issue. Anyways, this book is mostly about rich, white women in NYC who are in their late 30's or 40's. The way they talk about feminism is horrible and made me roll my eyes repeatedly. It was difficult to relate to these rich, white women who live glamourous lives because I am not rich or white or privileged in the ways they are.This book would have been MUCH better if they had expanded the stories to include women who are poor or middle class, women of colour, women who live in small towns (not just glitzy NYC) or smaller cities, women of all occupations, and I could go on. There are women of all sorts out there who are approaching menopause and have not had a chance to get married and have children. This book was too narrow in scope. There were only a few tidbits I liked, hence the two star rating instead of one star.
review 2: I knew about two pages in that this book was the complete opposite of what it had been marketed as. I thought it was going to be about women who are not mothers by choice and how society reacts to them. Instead, it was about women who don't have children but very much want them. Even though I felt it was misrepresented, I decided to keep reading anyway. Big mistake as this was one of the most self-serving, whiny pieces of drivel I have ever read. The quote on the cover states that this is for anyone interested in "what it's like to be a woman today". This book does not represent what women are today, and it actually made me feel embarrassed for my gender. The author and her friends (all super successful, beautiful, rich women as she constantly reminds us) are all whiny, insecure, and just straight up bitchy. The first chapter "Modern Women" sets the tone straight away; "fabulous" women hailing how independent they are while simultaneously complaining about dates who leave the dining decisions up to them and don't "court" them properly. As another reviewer previously mentioned, if the date made all the choices, they'd be bitching about that! Chapter after chapter we are hit over the head with how awesome the author thinks she is (or is trying to convince us she is), while reminding us that we have to take her personal feelings into account about every decision we make in our own lives. Lady, get over yourself. My intense dislike of the author aside, this reads like a compilation of articles, not a cohesive book. It never really goes anywhere, and the same sentiments and complaints are stated over and over again. A complete waste of my time for which I blame myself for muddling through the whole book. I honestly don't remember the last time I hated a book this much. less

Download links for: Otherhood: Modern Women Finding A New Kind of Happiness

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