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Pride And Joy: The Lives And Passions Of Women Without Children Kindle Edition

by Terri Casey (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 11 ratings
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Pride and Joy: The Lives and Passions of Women Without Children is a collection of interviews with 25 women who have chosen not to have children. In lively stories and vivid voices, these diverse narrators talk proudly of their contributions to their communities, causes, and families, and they speak joyfully of intimate relationships with husbands and partners, of family and friends, work, volunteer and leisure activities, solitude, and connections with children. Their stories dispel the social myth that women must have children to be happy, and they debunk the stereotypes of childless women.

For the 20 percent of U.S. women who are currently childless by choice or by chance, Pride and Joy offers validation and community. For the millions of women deciding whether to have children, it provides inspiration. For parents, siblings, and friends of women who have chosen or may choose not to have children, it offers insight.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    226 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Atria Books/Beyond Words
  5. Publication date
    August 2, 2011
  6. File size
    1809 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The diverse, real-life stories in Pride and Joy offer a valuable sense of community for women who feel they stand alone in their families and in society because they have made the choice to remain childless."

-- Gloria Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America

"This is an important, fascinating, and brave book. Women have been told how they must have children to be happy. Now here comes a book that shows how happy women can be without children. All of the women profiled are innovators, thinkers, risktakers who have listened hard to hear their own voice through the cultural din and not followed convention for convention's sake. Each tells us that there are many ways to make the journey of life worthwhile."

-- Pepper Schwartz, author of Love Between Equals: How Peer Marriage Really Works

About the Author

Terri Casey is an award-winning writer who has worked as a newspaper reporter and editor and as a marketing writer for Microsoft Corporation. Her free-lance articles have appeared in metropolitan daily newspapers and regional magazines. She lives in Seattle.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004T4KXIC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atria Books/Beyond Words (August 2, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 2, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1809 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 226 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 11 ratings

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Terri Casey

Terri Casey

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Customer reviews

3.6 out of 5 stars
3.6 out of 5
11 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Janis Cortese
4.0 out of 5 stars great new look at why women don't have kids
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 1999
It was awesome to read this book for a reason that took a while to bubble up from my brain.
I'm SICK AND TIRED of hearing from people who don't want kids purely because they are environmentally conscious or are concerned about overpopulation. I'm both of those things, but to be honest, that's not why I don't want kids. I don't want kids because I just don't want kids.
It was great to read many of these portraits and hear people say the same thing. We've moved beyond the purely political reasons for not wanting kids and have started to acknowledge that childfree people don't need to JUSTIFY not wanting them or explain it. Like many of the people in the book, we just don't want them. It was refreshing to read a book about not wanting kids that didn't focus on hectoring from Earth First and overpopulation.
Many childfree people, myself included, don't obsess about politics when we think about not having kids. We just don't want them. We don't hate them -- but we just don't want them.
110 people found this helpful
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figuring it out
3.0 out of 5 stars Outdated but ok for a quick read
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2008
Verified Purchase
This book is 10 years old and much has changed socially and culturally.
The collection of stories represents a wide cross section of women around the world and not just American women-which is great, as it represents women more accurately.
There are aspects of the stories which appear stereotypical, but stereotypes exist for a reason-they are a generalized notion of a basic truth.
Buy a used copy, good for a quick read.
4 people found this helpful
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Lori A. Jacobs
2.0 out of 5 stars I'm not saving the world. I just don't want kids.
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2001
While I enjoyed reading some of the stories of these women who have chosen to live a childfree life, I came away from the book feeling a little worse about my decision not to have children. I sort of felt that if I don't have two Master's degrees, a Ph.d., if I'm not volunteering for every charity (especially children's charities)under the sun, if I haven't traveled the globe, and in short, made some effort at saving the world, then I've wasted my life, and I should be having children. Obviously women do need to justify not having children. It seems like these women feel the need to justify their choice by telling what wonderful things they've done for humanity. It seems as though they feel the need to convince the public that they have done their "duty" by contributing in other ways.
Yeah, I have one Master's degree, I like to travel, and I do a little volunteering, but mainly I simply want the freedom to come and go as I please. I want to be able to go out for a nice, relaxing dinner on a Friday night after a long week of work -- dinner, a beer, and some light adult conversation -- a luxury enjoyed only on precious rare occasions by those with children.
I'm not saving the world, I just want to be able to enjoy it on my own terms without the responsibility of raising a child.
292 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars I continue to refer this book to questioning women
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2011
I read this book when it first was published. Although I had already made my decision not to have children, I felt quite affirmed by these interviews. I decided to write a review now because I still find myself suggesting this book to younger women who are questioning the decision about having children. In talking to childless women I am continually surprised at the consistency of the themes brought forth by this book, and how many women have felt alone in their justification for their decisions.
One person found this helpful
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James L. Park
4.0 out of 5 stars 25 WOMEN TELL HOW THEY FOUND MEANING WITHOUT MOTHERHOOD
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2010
Terri Casey
Pride and Joy:
The Lives and Passions of Women Without Children
(Hillsboro, OR: BeyondWords Publishing, 1998) 201 pages
(ISBN: 1-885223-82-X; paperback)
(LC call number: HQ535.C29 1998)

25 women tell their life-stories
--one chapter for each woman--
of how they made their lives meaningful
without becoming mothers.
All of these women are different, but most are married.
Readers who are thinking about going thru their lives
without becoming parents will find here
some specific reasons for remaining child-free.
These women lived well without motherhood.

More such explorations will be found on the Internet:
"Books Exploring the Decision to Have Children".
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znofyl@execpc.com
4.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring book for childfree women
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 1998
I've read a number of books on the childfree lifestyle and this is one of the better (and more recent) offerings. Drawing upon interviews with 25 childfree women of various age groups and backgrounds, the author presents their lives, their hopes, their dreams for the future. For those of us who have made the less than traditional choice of not having our own children, these stories help us remember that our lives can be just as vital and energetic (in some cases moreso) than our childed counterparts. I found this a very worthwhile book. My only critism would be that every individual in this book is highly educated and almost superachieving in many cases, thus not covering the full range of the childfree individuals. Other than that, it is immeasurably helpful.
15 people found this helpful
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Squashies_girl
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2009
This book was very inspiring and uplifting. I recommend it to anyone that is thinking of being childfree.  Pride And Joy: The Lives And Passions Of Women Without Children
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Sheila Hoffman
5.0 out of 5 stars Useful tool for those trying to decide if they want kids.
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 1998
I suppose I'm biased because I'm one of the women interviewed in the book and have met about half of the women. But I think the book is very well written as well as aesthetically pleasing. It's the only book I know of about this subject that focuses on the postive. Everyone chosen for the book made a conscious choice not to have kids and doesn't regret it. Each has a facinating and fulfilling life. Surprisingly, many of the women in the book have chosen not to have their own kids but for some, kids still play an important part. This book contains interviews of a widely diverse array of women. It includes why they've made this choice and what they do with their energies instead. I've given copies to my 15 year old niece and to several women friends. A great gift this holiday season. MSN Underwire has an article by the author about this book.
9 people found this helpful
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