How to Be Childless: A History and Philosophy of Life Without Children

by Rachel Chrastil

Overview

In How to Be Childless: A History and Philosophy of Life Without Children, Rachel Chrastil explores the long and fascinating history of childlessness, putting this often-overlooked legacy in conversation with the issues that childless women and men face in the twenty-first century. Eschewing two dominant narratives, that the childless are either barren and alone, or that they are carefree and selfish, How to Be Childless instead argues that the lives of childless individuals from the past can help all of us expand our range of possibilities for the good life. In uncovering the voices and experiences of childless women from the past five hundred years, Chrastil demonstrates that the pathways to childlessness, so often simplified as "choice" and "circumstance," are far more complex and interweaving. Balanced, deeply researched, and richly realized, How to be Childless will empower readers, parents and childless alike, to navigate their lives with purpose.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190918644
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/31/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Rachel Chrastil is a historian of modern Europe, an award-winning teacher, and a Fulbright Scholar. Her first two books, Organizing for War: France 1870-1914 and The Siege of Strasbourg, examine civilian dilemmas in the face of war. She is Professor of History at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Introduction: How to Talk about Childlessness Chapter 1: Delay Chapter 2: Whispers Chapter 3: Interlude: The Baby Boom Chapter 4: Shouts Chapter 5: Flourishing Chapter 6: Regret Chapter 7: Home and Hearth Chapter 8: A Better World Chapter 9: Old and Alone Chapter 10: Legacy Notes Index

Editorial Reviews

"This masterful book will engage, fascinate, and challenge readers whether they are childful or childless. To understand childlessness, Chrastil takes the reader through a deeper underlying analysis of human flourishing. She uses this concept as the instrument for assessing the choice to have children, examining essential questions, such as what does it mean to live a good life and to be a good citizen?"

— Michael D. Bess, Chancellor's Professor of History, Vanderbilt University

"How to Be Childless is wonderfully engaging and thoughtful. Chrastil takes on the most talked-about aspects of life without children, as well as the most profound issues, and offers something new and important each time. The book is an intellectual treat."

— Bella DePaulo, author of Singled Out: How Singles Are Stereotyped, Stigmatized, and Ignored, and Still Live Happily Ever After

From the Publisher