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Selfish, Shallow, and Self-absorbed by Meghan Daum
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Selfish, Shallow, and Self-absorbed

Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids

$17.84

Get for $14.99 with membership
Length 7 hours 40 minutes
Language English
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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.

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, a Golden Voice Lifetime Achievement Award winner, has recorded over 800 audiobooks spanning every genre. He is a four-time Audie Award winner; an AudioFile Best Voice, Booklist Editor's Choice List, and Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award winner; and the winner of over thirty Earphones Awards. His national and international audiobook coaching workshops are called "game changing" by attendees. AudioFile magazine named him one of the top fifty voices of the twentieth century.

Jo Anna Perrin is a New York-based actor, photographer, and writer. She has appeared in film, television, and on stage, in New York, Los Angeles, and regionally. Jo Anna has narrated numerous audiobooks for major publishers, small independent presses, and American and foreign university publishers. Her narrations have received critical praise from AudioFile magazine, Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. Jo Anna's voice-over experience includes commercial, documentary, and animation work. As a portrait and headshot photographer, her photos have appeared in magazines and newspapers, online, and in print, including in AudioFile magazine, the Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Publishers Weekly says, "Her delivery is always confident and clear. Listeners will never be bored."

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