Product Description

Every year, millions of women have their lives turned inside out by the experience of pregnancy. A contemporary woman finds herself caught in an absurd paradox: while in the grip of one of the most primal, lonely, sensual and, in some ways, psychologically debilitating and physically dangerous experience, she is overwhelmed by invasive, trivialising and infantilising cultural messages about what is happening to her - and who really owns the experience. Wolf takes a critical look at the powerful vested interests in the pregnancy business and at the social message coming at women: an amalgam of sentimentality, psychologically dangerous half-truths and conflicting ideologies. She discusses with devastating honesty her own two pregnancies and those of other women, from the physical and emotional effects of having your body taken over, through the elation and the fear, to the choice of delivery method (where mother-friendly childbirth is often in conflict with hospital-friendly practice) and the effects of post-partum depression. "Despite thirty years of fierce feminist writing about the myths of motherhood, "Misconceptions" reminds us that pregnancy and birth are still swaddled in layers of illusion, that our society remains criminally hypocritical toward mothers and babies and that the transformation from woman to mother remains one of the most complex odysseys we ever take. Naomi Wolf goes much deeper here than she ever has before. She strips bare the mind of the pregnant woman and new mother with dazzling courage. She dares to explore the paradox of being a good mother while remaining an independent human being." - Erica Jong.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #136523 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

The Observer
‘Wolf’s polemic is as clear and sure as ever’

The Guardian
‘Wolf’s many bold demands…give us pause and present challenges: society should restructure itself to accommodate babies’

Erica Jong
'...She strips bare the mind of the pregnant woman and new mother with dazzling courage’

Customer Reviews

Refreshing
I loved this book. Such a refreshing change to the other books on pregnancy that either create slapstick out of pregnancy, portraying all mothers-to-be as neurotic hormone-fuelled headcases or else, harp on about the wonders of pregnancy where every niggling 'symptom' can be cured by taking a bath or 'putting your feet up'.

This book is an intelligent and intellectual probing of the changing identity of the pregnant woman and society's reaction to her and is not afraid to broach all the glossed-over taboos such as the real pain of childbirth, the meaning of medical interventions and the alternative points of view that can be adopted when planning a birth.

The use of quotes from other women helps keep the pace and holds interest and Wolf's prose, on occasion, is quite, quite beautiful.

A whinge about pregnancy & childbirth from the perspective of the priviledged/spoilt
To me this book read like a long whinge about pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood, from someone who's life beforehand had pehaps been just a little too easy and comfortable, who didn't enjoy the hard work and weight gain (in her case) associated with childbirth. The author came across as melodramatic and spoilt, she appeared to be actively searching her experiences for any slight insult or difficulty to include in this long complaint of a book.

It was quite clear that having written the book entirely from an American perspective, her publishers suggested that she tack on a few token bits about maternity rights and childbirth in the UK and a couple of interviews with (educated, successful, middle class) British women so the book could be marketed over here.

There are genuine gripes, like over medicalised births in the US & many other western countries. Undoubtedly the transition to motherhood is a difficult one for many, however many of the concerns listed in this book could only be the preserve of wealthy and priviledged minority.