What are Children For was a really interesting and nuanced read. I appreciated the insight, as I am childfree by choice. I would certainly hope this is considered when people are thinking of having children.

This is a thick read but so worth it. It is so dense with information and stories that I did find it a bit difficult to carry on with at some points, but it was super well written and explores motherhood from so many different angles. I really enjoyed it, though it did take me a long time to get through.

Overall, this was a quick read that didn’t break new ground for me but summarised some of the interesting issues around the decision to have or forgo having children. There were some great literary tie-ins.

I’m long past the decision of whether or not to parent. However it was a reasonably interesting exercise to read this discussion on making the decision to have kids these days, and to reflect on my own experience. Berg and Wiseman’s book is most relevant to the West, and speaks mostly of women, which puts me in their target audience.

This non-fiction exploration is a mix of essay and research summary, in four parts:

-The Externals: things like finances, personal freedoms, happiness, career and how that impacts the decision

-The Dialectic of Motherhood: A brief history of the evolving feminist view of motherhood

-Analysis Paralysis: A fascinating review of the literature of mothering.

-To Be Or…?: Should we even have kids (climate change, suffering…etc)?

These are bookended by personal reflections by Wiseman and Berg and these sections were the most compelling. Otherwise, this is a combination of an overview of key historical and contemporary ideas in the field mixed with author observations and can be slightly dry. I found the analysis of the current spate of literature by women on the issue of motherhood interesting. The authors provide an interest-piquing analysis of Elena Ferrante’s The Lost Daughter, which happens to be sitting unread on my shelf. After reading this, it won’t remain unread for long.

I also liked the review of the philosophy of whether having children is justified in this world of suffering. It’s a legitimate question, but ultimately one that may remain more of an intellectual exercise than truly forming the basis for most folks’ decision making around parenthood.

This will particularly appeal to those who are contemplating parenthood, or perhaps grandparenthood!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a gifted copy.

I really enjoyed this exploration on having children. As a woman with children, I was curious to read more about the anti-natalist movement that has seemingly increased in popularity. I found it super interesting to hear about many adults choosing not to have children due to unrealistically high expectations of how much money they should have, what assets they should possess prior to having children, and fears related to the climate and contributing to "the problem." Within the context of our present day, it is no wonder the birth rates are continuing to drop in almost every country in the world. I think much of the argument that people have against having children is rooted in our individualistic (versus collectivist) culture.

This book has a lot of references to feminist texts, often citing the works of Rachel Cusk and Sheila Heti. This provides the reader with additional materials to seek out to read more about direct experiences with motherhood and ambivalence. I don't necessarily think this book would be a directly helpful guide for those struggling with the decision to have children. While there is exploration of different arguments - including climate change, not finding a suitable partner, financial concerns, and self-interest - there is (perhaps obviously) no direct path to coming to a conclusion for yourself. I would also say that the authors perspectives on motherhood seem to skew slightly negative, which is obviously not everyone's experience who chooses to have children. Overall, I really enjoyed this. One critique I have is I didn't experience a different voice for each of the authors and felt a bit confused as to who was speaking in the conclusion of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the authors Anastasia Berg and Rachel Wiseman for an ARC on the interesting topic of having children!

I appreciate the book's premise and liked it overall, but it's not the guide it bills itself as. The summary describes 'WHAT ARE CHILDREN FOR?' as an "argument" with "guidance" on how to overcome parenthood ambivalence. However, it's more of a collection of various people's thoughts on having children throughout history. The authors definitely add to these perspectives, but as someone who is absolutely the target audience for this book, I didn't find much of what I would consider guidance or advice. Still, I did enjoy reading what various people, including many prominent feminist voices, thought about motherhood and the choice to bear children.

I had a problem with how this book unnecessarily spoils other books that are mentioned, though. If you plan to read 'WHAT ARE CHILDREN FOR?' and don't want spoilers for the fiction books DETRANSITION BABY by Torrey Peters and THE LOST DAUGHTER by Elena Ferrante, read with caution. I've already read the former, and I no longer feel I need to read the latter. There were other books mentioned with spoilers that I don't remember, but those were the main two.

Fiction spoilers aside, cultural criticism plays a big part in the makeup of this book, and the authors do a good job with this. 'WHAT ARE CHILDREN FOR?' is culturally conscious, historically and generally informative, and social justice-oriented, which makes it a solid book on the pros and cons of having children. I wish it were described more accurately because anyone who is researching what modern vs. previous decades women thought about having children would find it a helpful resource. It's meant to be a guidebook but never makes it there. It gets stuck in the intellectual weeds, but I like intellectual weeds, so I don't regret spending time in this book. (Rating: 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4)

*This review is based on a digital ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are 100% honest and my own.