Barren in the Promised Land: Childless Americans and the Pursuit of Happiness

by Elaine Tyler May

Book Overview

Chronicling astonishing shifts in public attitudes toward reproduction, from the association of barrenness with sin in colonial times, to the creation of laws for compulsory sterilization in the early twentieth century, from the baby craze of the 1950s, to the rise in voluntary childlessness in the 1990s, to the increasing reliance on startling reproductive technologies today, Elaine Tyler May reveals the intersection between public life and the most private part of our lives--sexuality, procreation, and family.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674061829
• ISBN13: 9780674061828
• Release Date: April 1997
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

good ideas

Tyler May's book does a good job tracing the history of childlessness in the US from colonial times to the present. I wish she had dedicated more of the book to those who are childfree by choice. Much of the second part of the book dealt with those who experienced infertility problems, rather than voluntary childfree status. Further, I wish she had examined more how society dictates that people have children, especially how this relates to masculine and feminine gender identities. Overall, though, I found the book engaging and the personal stories of the infertile hair-raising.

An excellent, thoroughly-researched book!

Hooray for Elaine Tyler May! This is a very well researched cultural study of infertility. It will be particularly helpful to those who desire to be parents or to those who are parents after a long struggle with infertility. As an infertile woman in the United States, I was empowered by seeing so clearly how I fit into the history of the country. Perhaps a detailed academic study is not everyone's idea of fun reading, but I was enthralled. I could not put this book down and read it cover to cover, questioning constantly how my education could have had so many obvious, women-centered omissions. I count few books as life-changing but, for me, this is one of them.

An Excellent, Well Written Book

I would like to take exception with the posted review. I found the book to be fascinating. It is clearly written, and I have learned alot from it. I hope potential readers will give it a chance.