No One Talks About This Stuff
Twenty-Two Stories of Almost Parenthood
No One Talks About This Stuff is a ranging anthology of frank, humorous essays about facing infertility, pregnancy loss, and childlessness.
The twenty-two contributors felt “disenfranchised grief” over pregnancies that did not lead to children and circumstances that denied them parental identities. They faced health crises including miscarriages, endometriosis, and terminations for medical reasons. Stella Duffy, a lesbian novelist, endured infertility alongside her breast cancer treatment; Quinn Clark decided against parenthood because of CTPSD; and Gemma Stone pondered her parenthood options as a trans woman.
For some, medical interventions had mixed results; for others, alternative routes, including having stepchildren, pursuing surrogacy, or adopting, emerged; for others, acceptance was the mission. Cultural expectations of motherhood compounded the sorrow of women from African, Orthodox Jewish, and South Asian communities. Laura Barton’s “Small, Soft, Grey Pig” narrates her losses through keepsakes; Miranda Ward’s “Self-portrait, Pregnant” compiles poetic vignettes. “The Baby Loss Diaries” introduces Nana-Adwoa Mbeutcha’s perspective; later in the collection, her husband, Donald, contributes a piece as well.
With entries that are somber, angry, and wry, the forthright essay collection No One Talks About This Stuff addresses the feelings of shame and sadness that accompany atypical experiences with parenthood.
Reviewed by
Rebecca Foster
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
