Encyclopedia of Childbearing: Critical Perspectives - Hardcover

"Well-organized, open-minded, up-to-date, and wide-ranging are just a few adjectives that describe this fascintating book, and readers of all persuasions will spend many a pleasant and educational hour with it." - Midwifery Today "Outstanding Reference Book." - RASD/ "It is a rather eclectic alphabetical arrangment of individual articles by experts and practitioners in many fields. Many are fascinating, particularily articles on birth imagery in art and the history of various aspects of childbirth in the United States. . . . [T]his is an unusual work and could be useful for many arcane topics related to childbearing." - ARBA "A wide range of topics is covered in the 250 signed, alphabetically arranged entries that vary from one to three pages in length. . . . The Encyclopedia of Childbearing is an interesting compendium that will be of use to students as well as general readers." - Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin "This fine encyclopedia examines childbearing from nontechnical perspectives: social, political, psychological, artistic, etc. . . . Rothman, a respected sociologist and author of several important books on pregnancy and motherhood, rejoices in the diversity of material. . . . [T]he book is handsomely printed on permanent paper, with a few black and white photographs and drawings. Highly recommended." - Choice

Childbearing is more than pregnancy and labor. It is the having and not having of children. It is a profound event in the lives of families-and in the lives and bodies of women. The feminist movement and the development of feminist studies have helped to rehumanize the subject of childbearing by removing it from the remote environment of institutionalized medicine. The multi-disciplinary Encyclopedia of Childbearing is a major contribution to this new accessibility.