| View Larger Image | Abortion & Life | Paperbackby Jennifer Baumgardner (Author)
| List Price: | $16.95 | | Price: | $11.53 | | You Save: | $5.42 (32%) | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Paperback | | Publisher: | Akashic Books | | Page Count: | 250 Pages | | Publication Date: | September 01, 2008 | | Sales Rank: | 524,345th |
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FEATURES | - ISBN13: 9781933354590
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
“In her role as author and activist, Jennifer Baumgardner has permanently changed the way people think about feminism . . . and will shape the next hundred years of politics and culture.”—The Commonwealth Club of California, hailing Baumgardner as one of Six Visionaries for the Twenty-First Century “If Jennifer Baumgardner ever needs another mom, I’ll be the first in line to adopt her. She’s smart, fearless, and a formidable force for change.”—Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed In Abortion & Life, author and activist Jennifer Baumgardner reveals how the most controversial and stigmatized Supreme Court decision of our time cuts across eras, classes, and race. Stunning portraits by photographer Tara Todras-Whitehill of folk singer Ani DiFranco, authors Barbara Ehrenreich and Gloria Steinem, and others accompany their elucidating accounts of their own abortion experiences. In this bold new work, Baumgardner explores some of the thorniest issues around terminating a pregnancy, including the ones that the pro-choice establishment has been the least sensitive or effective in confronting. Jennifer Baumgardner is the producer/creator of the award-winning film I Had an Abortion. She is the co-author (with Amy Richards) of Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future and Grassroots: A Field Guide for Feminist Activism (both Farrar, Straus & Giroux). Her most recent book is Look Both Ways: Bisexual Politics (FSG, 2007). She writes regularly for women’s magazines like Glamour, Elle, and Allure, as well as more political outlets such as The Nation, Harper’s, and NPR’s All Things Considered. She lives in New York City. Praise for Abortion & Life: Publishers Weekly, Sept. 2008 Activist, filmmaker (of I Had an Abortion) and co-author (Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future) Baumgardner dedicates her work to spreading awareness about abortion. Graced with black and white photo portraits by Tara Todras-Whitehill of women wearing Baumgardner’s shirt, reading simply “I had an abortion,” the emphasis is on the testimony of these patients, revealing not only how common the procedure is (one in three women, according to the Guttmacher Institute) but how diverse those women and their situations are. Baumgardner begins with a brief history of abortion legislation in America, from pre-Roe v. Wade restrictions to clinic workers and doctors protested, threatened and murdered (as in the case of Buffalo doctor Barnett Slepian). Still, as Baumgardner says, it’s the record of “our lives [that] might provide the best road map to strengthening women’s reproductive freedoms.” Included is a comprehensive listing of abortion resources, and 10 percent of the book’s profits go to the New York Abortion Access Fund. "An effort at finding the middle ground on a contentious issue…Baumgardner's dedication to widening and civilizing the discussion is clear. She instructs, hopefully; this book belongs in the hands of a new generation of abortion-rights advocates, who can benefit from its history and might strive to answer its difficult questions."—Los Angeles Times |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 4 reviews)
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So good my husband read it by C. Knauber (Plano, TX)  5 Stars
November 18, 2009
This book really explains the journey that abortion has taken over the past years. It includes stories of real women from all ages, walks of life, and eras who have had abortions. It sites cases, life experiences, and the true meaning of freedom that the ability to decide for ourselves to terminate a pregnancy affords. Whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, it is an interesting read. I talked about it so much, my husband read it too. He was brought up to believe abortion was a terrible thing, but now his mind is opened up to what it really is, how it works, and why women seek this option. I highly recommend this book.
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A Different Approach by susan e. wiget (Portland, OR) 5 Stars
November 13, 2009
Personal accounts are accompanied by portraits taken by photographer Tara Todras-Whitehill, including pictures of women as famous as Ani DiFranco and Gloria Steinem, wearing the "I had an Abortion" t-shirt. This volume is not about yelling in the streets or holding picket signs; it is not about being confrontational and aggressive toward anti-choice "activists." It is about presenting the facts of what women went through and showing how necessary abortion is in an imperfect world. As long as we are yelling at each other and threatening each other, rather than listening and talking calmly, we can't reach an understanding. Abortion & Life has a buddha-like, gentle approach to the subject of abortion, not using the "us and them" mentality that is so common but rather showing why abortion is important, in hopes that abortion's enemies will make some attempt at tolerance.
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Powerful but also disturbing by J. Davis (San Diego, CA United States)  4 Stars
January 06, 2009
I've never had so much trouble deciding how many stars to give a book. Abortion and Life is a powerful and convincing polemic for the pro-choice position. Baumgardner writes with great passion and eloquence. Pro-lifers may rethink their position after reading the first few chapters. Having said this, the book made me uncomfortable. I can understand the argument that the decision to abort should remain with the woman bearing the child and that it is completely unacceptable that we go back to the back-alley abortion days before Roe v. Wade. But the women who wear the "I had an abortion" shirt (to me at least)are making a different claim, and a less obvious one. They are saying that there is nothing at all morally problematic about abortion. Their decision to abort does not seem to bother them in the least. One wearer of the shirt put it bluntly: I have no regrets. I found this casual attitude very troubling. A book well worth reading, thinking about, and discussing.
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Primer on US Abortion by J. Aragon 4 Stars
November 13, 2008
This is one of those books that stays with you as your read it, and then when you finish it. I read this book chapter by chapter over the course of several days. I did this in order to process it, but didn't realize that was the plan. I've read other works by the author and have witnessed how at times her point of view can come across as one colored by certain types of privilege (skin color, class, education, and regionalism) and this book is no different.
For young women born after Roe, this book will give a brief, interesting history of life pre and post Roe. And, the vignettes are at times powerful and painful.
There are a few things that bothered me. At times the author makes certain claims that I really don't think she could as someone who hasn't had an abortion; yet her words read as if she was speaking for all women. While I've suggested the book to some of my students, I hasten to give it five stars.
I actually wish that Amy Richards or someone else had written this book. I think that AR or another's personal touch wouldn't have been so self-righteous or at least read as such by this reader. Basically, this book is good to begin conversations and debates.
This book has a wide audience--general readers and it could be assigned in history, women's studies, sociology, psychology, and health classes.
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