Unbearable
Five Women and the Perils of Pregnancy in America
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- USD 14.99
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- USD 14.99
Descripción editorial
From the award-winning New York magazine reporter and coauthor of the New York Times bestseller Notorious RBG, an ambitious and passionate exploration of what’s gone wrong with pregnancy in America, through the lens of history, politics, and the searing experiences of five women.
Journalist Irin Carmon was eight months pregnant when the Supreme Court allowed states to ban abortion, unleashing pain and suffering for those who didn’t want to be pregnant and, shockingly to some, those who did. What was clear to Carmon from her dozen years of reporting—and from what she felt in her bones—was how incomplete the American story of reproduction had been, and how much had been unexpressed, hidden, or taken for granted, and not just by conservative justices or in red states. Whether in cosmopolitan, liberal New York City or rural Alabama, the entire system is broken.
Unbearable tells a deeper story, going beyond the headlines and any one experience or choice, and grounded in history and journalism. It introduces us to five women navigating pregnancy care—from that first positive pregnancy test through joy, loss, and the unforeseen—in a country that is at best indifferent and at worst willfully cruel, and to brave, outnumbered people fighting to make it better. Written with deep empathy and analytical rigor, Unbearable is at once a moving story of interconnection, a harrowing exposé, and assertion of humanity. Above all, it is a powerful call for solidarity, regardless of our circumstances or our decisions.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This disquieting exposé from New York Magazine reporter Carmon (Notorious RBG) reveals the inadequacy of maternal healthcare in the U.S. Partially inspired by her own pregnancy during the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, the author highlights the "neglect, infantilization, and criminalization" endured by patients within the healthcare system via the experiences of four women who are either pregnant, postpartum, or trying to conceive, as well as an ob-gyn who seeks to open a birth center in post-Roe Alabama. Carmon follows each individual as they navigate the strained, impersonal, and at times punitive medical systems in New York and Alabama: one woman is jailed after giving birth for "chemical endangerment" of her fetus; another is "robbed of her options" for managing a miscarriage due to abortion restrictions; the two New York women, Maggie and Christine, are both subject to botched C-sections by the same surgeon, causing internal bleeding—only Maggie survives. Carmon poignantly reports on the grief and subsequent activism of Christine's fiancé, whose concerns were dismissed by the hospital before her death. Emphasizing these stories of neglect by hospital staff, as well as indifference from politicians, Carmon presents a vision of a healthcare system where "no matter who you are, or what privileges you enjoy, nothing can guarantee your personal safety or security." It's a passionate and potent wake up call.
