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yikesbmg's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, so so so glad I borrowed this book from the library. I heard Laura J. Briggs on “Who Makes Sense,” a really great lefty podcast a few months ago. I usually half listen to the episodes but super intrigued by hers because of her argument that reproductive politics encompassing more than just abortion and access to contraception. I get and appreciate the valuable work that the reproductive rights movement does but the work never seems to encompass enough for me while Briggs work has shown me why.
This book makes the argument that since the 1970s, the United States has systematically divested from reproductive politics, meaning everything it takes to reproduce another generation. That means health care and reproductive health, yes, but also stare support for care givers of children, the elderly, and people with disabilities; a strong, well-funded social safety network that eliminates food and housing insecurity; great schools. It includes robust labor protections based on the idea that work does not trump all and employers must support caregiving responsibilities of workers.
Briggs talks about everything from the housing crisis and how subprime mortgages hurt black and Latinx mothers the hardest, about how immigration has globalized the crisis started by American reproductive politics, and how assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) and in vitro fertilization are all structural symptoms of a society that forces middle- and high-income women to put off childbearing because businesses and governments do not invest in caregiving and another aspects of reproductive politics. The argument Briggs makes about the disparity in rates of infant mortality between Black and white women is fascinating and really striking: contrary to popular belief, black women are actually better off having kids in their late teens because stress (due to racism, described as “weathering” in Black women) hurts their health (and infant’s health) over time. Briggs also makes a really interesting argument about gay marriage, but I don’t want to give everything away.
This is one book I want to buy, read again, and highlight/underline/takes notes on. I learned so much from just 200-something pages. I would recommend to anyone who has felt a little detached from the reproductive rights movement and to folks who are interested in incisive and insightful structural analyses of our times. The book delves with a lot of topics so you’re bound to find something you’re interested in, and to learn about things from a perspective you haven’t yet considered. 10/10
This book makes the argument that since the 1970s, the United States has systematically divested from reproductive politics, meaning everything it takes to reproduce another generation. That means health care and reproductive health, yes, but also stare support for care givers of children, the elderly, and people with disabilities; a strong, well-funded social safety network that eliminates food and housing insecurity; great schools. It includes robust labor protections based on the idea that work does not trump all and employers must support caregiving responsibilities of workers.
Briggs talks about everything from the housing crisis and how subprime mortgages hurt black and Latinx mothers the hardest, about how immigration has globalized the crisis started by American reproductive politics, and how assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) and in vitro fertilization are all structural symptoms of a society that forces middle- and high-income women to put off childbearing because businesses and governments do not invest in caregiving and another aspects of reproductive politics. The argument Briggs makes about the disparity in rates of infant mortality between Black and white women is fascinating and really striking: contrary to popular belief, black women are actually better off having kids in their late teens because stress (due to racism, described as “weathering” in Black women) hurts their health (and infant’s health) over time. Briggs also makes a really interesting argument about gay marriage, but I don’t want to give everything away.
This is one book I want to buy, read again, and highlight/underline/takes notes on. I learned so much from just 200-something pages. I would recommend to anyone who has felt a little detached from the reproductive rights movement and to folks who are interested in incisive and insightful structural analyses of our times. The book delves with a lot of topics so you’re bound to find something you’re interested in, and to learn about things from a perspective you haven’t yet considered. 10/10
ellenrobison's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.0
For the most part, this book stuck within the realm of what is clearly reproductive politics. I was hoping Briggs would expand beyond that and push my thinking in new directions. That said, I appreciated the depth with which she explored the topics in the earlier chapters. It was disappointing that 2/3 of the topics referenced in the subtitle (“From Welfare Reform to Foreclosure to Trump”) were squished into the final 20 pages of the Epilogue.
I struggled with the author’s run-on sentences and poor organization. It felt like a rambling lecture from my undergraduate years.
I struggled with the author’s run-on sentences and poor organization. It felt like a rambling lecture from my undergraduate years.
myplaincheerios's review
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
very dense read but something that is important! everything is rooted in racism and the lack of support by the government and big business.
joymelodywoods's review
challenging
informative
medium-paced
5.0
This is such an important book that needs to be in constant conversation when we talk about reproductive Justice.
It’s very informative and but not too academic
It’s very informative and but not too academic
aimiller's review
4.0
This book does a really solid job of narrating how the issues surrounding reproductive politics (from child care cost problems to gay marriage to welfare) are not the fault of feminists, but racist neoliberal policies aimed at destroying the social safety net. It's very methodical in breaking that down, and drawing it all together under the umbrella of reproduction. I wouldn't say it was the most groundbreaking work I've read? I guess I found the title a little misleading; for me, everything she touched was fairly obviously in the realm of the reproductive and I was interested in stretching that and seeing how it works.
That being said, this is very accessible and could definitely be useful for undergrads; it's mostly well-thought out (there's a bit at the beginning about trans studies that seems slippery at best, but it's easy to ignore for the most part) and she takes care to address racial disparities particularly among Black women and Latina women. (She also includes Native women but it feels kind of more as an add-on in many cases.)
That being said, this is very accessible and could definitely be useful for undergrads; it's mostly well-thought out (there's a bit at the beginning about trans studies that seems slippery at best, but it's easy to ignore for the most part) and she takes care to address racial disparities particularly among Black women and Latina women. (She also includes Native women but it feels kind of more as an add-on in many cases.)
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