I think this is an important topic, but its presentation makes it difficult to approach except for those who are themselves without children. While this is a lifestyle and choice that must be celebrated and supported, I cannot see an audience for this book much beyond those who already live without children. Brave and thoughtful.

I found this an incredibly accessible gender history text, and one that seems very teachable at multiple levels. The author took an expansive approach to what has influenced the choice to have or not have children; I found this honest and interesting. The truth is that it leads to the book tackling a number of subjects beyond motherhood, and O'Donnell Heffington did a great job calibrating the extent to which she delved into those topics. Yes, it makes the chapters a little long, but it's worth it for the density of information conveyed. Great work here.

This book was not about what it says it’s about. I thought I was getting a history of women who chose not to have kids and loved great lives, or at the least a history of how society treats childless women. Instead it was a lament for poor childless ladies, how women without children can mother in other ways. No thanks.

What a disappointment.

The title and description led me to believe I would be reading a different book, or at least with varying perspectives that one can having regarding the conversation of having children.

It was strange to be told by an author that even if we choose to not have children, we owe it to society to play a part in mothering the children of others. Sure, we can discuss community commitment to the growth of youth, but it is unclear if this is what Peggy is aiming to say. I believe that the author was simply outside of her skillset in trying to write this book.

I wanted to learn more about my childless/child-free peers, and I thought this was a really thoughtful and well-balanced take. Not always super interesting, but this book does exactly what it set out to do.

I read this over Mother's Day, so it was particularly poignant for me as I reflected on the fluidity of my own womanhood and ideas concerning mothering. It's a profound read; readers should be prepared to question their notions of womanhood and mothering.

As a mother, I found this history of mothering, motherhood, and childlessness to be an amazing read, and on multiple levels. First, in terms of its content, O'Donnell Heffington lays out a compelling history, arguing for a revision in the way mothering is perceived, valued, and recognized. This is a history for anyone and everyone, regardless of their position on child-bearing, motherhood, or womanhood at large. Each chapter addresses a form of mothering or motherhood, expectations around these roles as they have changed through time, and historical factors which have influenced our collective image of Mother today. Throughout Without Children there are stories of mothers -- of diverse kinds -- embedded, evidence of O'Donnell Heffington's arguments and research. The result is an intimate narrative history, one which toggles seamlessly between micro-history, prosopography, and discussions of the larger contexts of religion, politics, and gender.

Second, Without Children impresses in terms of its prose and language; it flows at a comfortable, easy pace, delivering what is a deeply contentious issue in straightforward terms. O'Donnell Heffington clearly has an agenda; what writer and what non-fiction does not? -- but the book, to its credit, lacks superciliousness, pedantry, and jargon. Given the controversial topic and the heated debates among many women and mothers regarding having children or not, Without Children performs a miracle of balance.

At the root of the debate and ultimately at the root of this book, is the question and discussion of the constituency of womanhood as it is understood in most Euro-American Western societies. What makes a woman? (Some would have us believe it is motherhood.) What constitutes a mother then? (Some challenge the notion of birth and biology.) In a moment of gender fluidity and revolution of gender identity, Without Children asks us to suspend our ingrained understandings of gender to consider other definitions of motherhood and womanhood.

This was not for me but that is a reflection of my reading preferences more than the book. DNF for me, just because the focus was not in the area I hoped it would be

I have mixed feelings about this one. While I do feel it would be a good fit in our library, the author does seem to want the readers who are non-mothers to mother the world? No thanks.

The history was solid and enlightening. Somehow, though, I was expecting more personal/emotional content in addition to the history. I think I was hoping hear more direct narratives from women themselves about their specific lives without children. In other words, what was it *like* to be childless in, say, the 17th century or the 1920s, as opposed to the broader social, economic, and historical trends that have led to women being childless/childfree throughout the ages. If you're looking for an overview, Without Children won't disappoint. But if, like me, you're interested more in the personal nitty-gritty of individuals' experiences, this might not satisfy.

This book is great! I was fortunate to host Peggy O'Donnell Heffington for a reading at my bookstore which only further enhanced my admiration of her work. Without Children interested me personally as a childless-by-choice adult woman, yet it is both accessible and illuminating to women (& beyond) with different relationships to motherhood, whether they are mothers or desire to be, etc. I appreciate that the author focused less on the Child Free Movement type of non-motherhood and more on the way that non-motherhood has simply existed as a largely unnoticed norm for ages. I believe with this approach it sparks and facilitates less charged and more open conversations on the subject, which was great for an author event which included a reading, discussion, and audience Q&A :) I'm excited to have this one at my store and to recommend it to customers!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: April 18, 2023

A history teacher takes a deep look into the history of women deciding to be child free, as this is not a modern phenomenon, despite still seeming taboo. I was definitely the target audience for this one so it was nice to see lots of thoughts I’ve had on the page.

As a child-free woman myself, I can't tell you how many times I've been asked why I don't have children. I've often wished I could reply with an answer as rude as their question but as much as I'd like to say 'why do you HAVE children?" I usually just murmur something and try to change the subject. I'm usually met with either some form of 'you hate children?' or 'what a pity that I don't'. Neither scenario is true.

This book is well-researched and non-biased. The author presents the facts without trying to convince the reader that one way or the other is preferable. It's a matter of choice. Some women choose not to have children; for some the choice is made for them by someone else or nature. There are women who want children but for one reason or another can't have them and I would hope they would adopt to fulfill their desire but I would never tell them that. It's their choice and non of my business.

It was fascinating to read how to have children or not has been a topic throughout history. The way this book is written makes the topic easy to understand and thought-provoking.

This book is a close and deep look at why some women have not borne children through history. The book doesn’t cover the entire world, it is focused on the United States, although occasionally other areas are mentioned.

Coverage includes ways that women have prevented having children, such as contraceptives and abortion. Here the history is as up to date as possible, with the ever-changing landscape. As the author states, getting rid of a pregnancy began around the time of children being born, it is nothing new. The legality of it being merely religion and politics.

While there is a strong lean on why not to have children, there is coverage on women who want to conceive but cannot. And how through the years this has changed in providing more options available to women.

There are a few short biographies of women who have championed not having children, which has always been a bit shocking.

This isn’t the type of book one would read if trying to decide if they should or not have children, unless history helps. This is a book about what has happened in the past and covers the many reasons women are childfree.

Without Children The Long History of Not Being a Mother by Peggy ODonnell Heffington

256 Pages
Publisher: Basic Books, Seal Press
Release Date: April 18, 2023

Nonfiction, History, Health, Mind, Body, Women, Women’s Studies, Gender Studies

The author makes the point that there is no term for women without children. You are either a mother or not a mother. She discusses how in the past, communities and/or relatives would take in children and raise them as their own. This happened with my family. A cousin lived with different family members while her mother wandered.

The author provides historical references of prominent women who raised others’ children. She discusses why women are deciding to wait to have children or not have them at all. The book is very insightful. She writes in a conversational style which is easy to read. I highly recommend this book to everyone interested in women’s studies or the country’s birthrate.

Loved this read about those who choose to be childfree and such a thorough examination of the history of others who have done the same. Very much appreciated this read!

A phenomenal read! Women who don't want children are made to feel that they are an anomaly, but Peggy O'Donnell Heffington explains that throughout history women have chosen to remain childless and it is a must read for women who have chosen to remain child free and encounter so much grief because of it.

Absolutely refreshing to read a book about the history of people with uteruses choosing not to have kids and the various reasons for those choices. As someone who is childfree by choice, I love exploring the topic and finding more reasons to feel really secure in that choice.

Heffington's exploration of both the historical and the present day movement of being childfree/less was really fascinating. I loved the social commentary provided and it was really interesting to see that some of the concerns of women of the past are the same, or similar to, those of women today. It was such an interesting read and we will definitely be purchasing it for the library. I already have patrons in mind that I'll be recommending this one to.

Without Children is an interesting read for anyone interested in the conversation on whether or not to have kids. Peggy O'Donnell Heffington pulls on this interesting history in a way that is fascinating as well as nonjudgmental of the women she focuses on.
Thank you to Netgalley and Seal Press for the e-ARC.

From the title and description, this was not the book I thought I would be reading. Instead of a book about people who were living without children and their experiences and opinions on the matter I read a much more indepth and broad book than I’d anticipated – one which went through the sociology and history of women not having children. It was also at what age, and under what circumstances women got married, got pregnant – as well as when women stopped having babies throughout history. The book went into the biological reality that humans are pretty unique among mammals – that women usually live decades beyond their child bearing years, and biological philosophy of how that might help as a survival strategy.

The issues of contraception and abortion were brought up, as well as their historical supporters and detractors, and how various groups changed their opinion on these matters - even in recent decades.

The sociology of being without children, by choice, someone else's choice, or by fate is brought up. Along with that the ugliness of eugenics - both positive eugenics and negative eugenics - notions which I'd only briefly considered. And, given situations where to "have it all" at least appears to be one choice, reality makes it not a choice at all. It makes one question the whole notion of the compulsory need to have a child to be "fully adult" in much of society's eyes - and the consequences of that pervading, pronatalist viewpoint.