Selfish, Shallow, and Self-absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids

· Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Johnny Heller and Jo Anna Perrin
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7 hr 40 min
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About this audiobook

One of the main topics of cultural conversation during the last decade was the supposed "fertility crisis," and whether modern women could figure out a way to have it all—a successful, demanding career and the required 2.3 children—before their biological clock stopped ticking. Now, however, conversation has turned to whether it's necessary to have it all (see Anne-Marie Slaughter) or, perhaps more controversial, whether children are really a requirement for a fulfilling life. The idea that some women and men prefer not to have children is often met with sharp criticism and incredulity by the public and mainstream media.


In this provocative and controversial collection of essays curated by writer Meghan Daum, sixteen acclaimed writers explain why they have chosen to eschew parenthood. Contributors include Lionel Shriver, Sigrid Nunez, Kate Christiensen, Elliott Holt, Geoff Dyer, and Tim Kreider, among others, who will give a unique perspective on the overwhelming cultural pressure of parenthood.


Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed makes a thoughtful and passionate case for why parenthood is not the only path in life, taking our parent-centric, kid-fixated, baby-bump-patrolling culture to task in the process. What emerges is a more nuanced, diverse view of what it means to live a full, satisfying life.
One of the main topics of cultural conversation during the last decade was the supposed "fertility crisis," and whether modern women could figure out a way to have it all—a successful, demanding career and the required 2.3 children—before their biological clock stopped ticking. Now, however, conv...

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About the author

Meghan Daum is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times and the author of The Unspeakable, My Misspent Youth, Life Would Be Perfect If I Lived in That House, and The Quality of Life Report. Her essays and reviews have appeared in the New Yorker, Harper's, the New York Times Book Review, Vogue, and other publications.

Johnny Heller has earned multiple Earphones Awards from AudioFile magazine, including one for Closing Time by Joe Queenan, and has earned two Audie Awards and many more nominations. Named one of the Top Fifty Narrators of the Twentieth Century by AudioFile, he has recorded over five hundred titles.

Jo Anna Perrin is an accomplished actor who has appeared in film and television, as well as on stage in New York, Los Angeles, and regionally. The narrator of numerous audiobooks, Jo Anna has garnered critical praise from AudioFile magazine, Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly.

Meghan Daum is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times and the author of The Unspeakable, My Misspent Youth, Life Would Be Perfect If I Lived in That House, and The Quality of Life Report. Her essays and reviews have appeared in the New Yorker, Harper's, the New York Times Book Review, Vogue, and o...

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