Essential reading. I learned so much about this topic that I didn’t know. Well-written and intelligent, but accessible. Also, engaging. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersections of misogyny, motherhood, and capitalism.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Fascinating subject. While I had obviously known the broad strokes of the breast milk market, egg donation/freezing, and surrogacy, I never thought about the intricate details. This book answered questions I never knew I had. Such as, what are the laws concerning these issues in different countries? How does breast milk donation differ globally? What happens to surrogates when war breaks out? Can parents or surrogates change their minds after the fact? What are the legal protections for surrogates? What happens if pregnancy complications renders the surrogate infertile? So many questions came to my mind (and were answered) while I was reading.

The author writes in such a way that you are never bored. The material isn’t presented in a dry way, and is often linked back to her own experiences with motherhood. This gives a comparison between personal and business. While the labor (no pun intended) are often the same, the motivations and emotions involved are very different. It’s nice to get this perspective, especially if you have not experienced it for yourself. The research was very thorough and I really appreciated the author going undercover as a potential client to uncover details that would otherwise be unknown. Very enlightening read.

Fantastic book that actually tries to think through the ethical dilemmas involved in commercializing aspects of the pregnant body and experience with supporting evidence. I admired that it doesn’t shy away from questions that should be asked but because of their nature can’t be definitively answered. It made me think as much as it informed me. Some haunting anecdotes that I’m still thinking about days later.