Rating: 
Summary: Breaking the Gentleman's Agreement
Review: In spite of what I had heard before reading the book, Elinor Burkett does not fill the book with prejudices against parents and children. Far from it, she writes a factual look at the "Gentleman's Agreement" in society concerning familys and obligations. Pithy and clear in her writing, it's a fair look at the written and unwritten entitlements that parents recieve under the guise of "For the Children." It may make you mad; it will make you think. It rocks the boat of societal conceptions, and is helping to redefine who and what constitutes a "family" and an "important obligation". Enlightening, comforting, and thought provoking, it might be a slow read through policys, but the reason this book has been a top best seller for many months is plain to see.
Rating:
Summary: Bring on the revolution!
Review: I agree with many positive reviewers here that Elinor Burkett's exhaustive research and facts are self-sustaining, and some of her bitter references and sarcasm do not best serve her argument. That said, Elinor Burkett's book is the Ninety-Five Theses of the childfree movement -- whatever its faults, the book is a pioneering work of great validity, a thorough and galvanizing standard for childfree activists.
"The Baby Boon" successfully exposes the maudlin sentimentality of the child-centric lobby for the greedy (and often poorly-calculated) grab of public resources it truly is. While I'm fortunate to experience none of the employment discrimination Burkett's work details, I have a strong opinion that child life in American culture is highly overrated, and this opinion is bolstered by continual and exhausting efforts by weak parents and politicians to curb my civil and private property rights in the name of "protecting the children." I also agree 100% with Burkett's distinctions between what places and entertainments are appropriate for children and what are not. Not everything is for children, they are not welcome everywhere, and there's nothing wrong with that -- that's just the way it is.
In many cultures, a rite of passage must be administered before a child can enter the world of an adult, wear adult clothing or adornments, or enjoy a voice in the politics of the social group. In our culture, this rite of passage has vanished; the lines have been blurred or erased altogether, children have been granted the status of demigods, with chaos and shrill hysteria about their value and safety taking the place of a genuine evolutionary path.
Burkett has done an excellent job of distilling the frustration and powerlessness felt by myself and other childfrees into a readable digest. It's a good start.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent read.
Review: Although not everyone will agree with Burkett's conclusions, few would question her exceptional articulation and research quality. Her book covers the manner in which the current "family friendly" workplace and government policies are to the detriment of the childless AND poor parents. Burkett brilliantly illustrates that most of the government and workplace programs that were established in recent years under the guise of helping poor families with children are mostly being used by wealthy families. For example, taxpayer-funded school vouchers for 3,000 dollars that parents can use to put their children in private schools that charge 10,000 a year WON'T be used by poor parents, since they still won't be able to afford the additional 7,000 dollars the voucher does not cover. Burkett also has case studies of wealthy parents who pay much lower taxes than poorer childfree people, even though the wealthy parents still have more money after their childrearing costs are subtracted! Readers who agree with the contents of this book should share it with co-workers, libraries, and human resource supervisors. It's a message that deserves at least a fair hearing.
Rating:
Summary: It'll make you think- no matter which 'side' you are on
Review: Elinor Burkett has hit a major nerve with The Baby Boon, and you can hear the screams around the country. Screams of anger from the childless/childfree people who are continuously taken advantage of and taken to the cleaners monetarily, and screams of horror from parents, who see this is a wakeup call to a sleeping giant (people without kids are the most rapidly growing demographic in the USA) who just might take some of their cozy entitlements away. I've been screamed at, too- while in the military, for daring to take time off at Christmas, even though I had no children. "How dare you!" screamed the spouse of one of my subordinates. "Rank has its priveleges," I calmly replied, and took my holiday. Many childless people do not have this advantage. They may be junior in the company, or it is simply assumed that people with kids are somehow more important than people without them. The anger this book provokes has been simmering for a very long time. It should inspire people to take action in favor of fairness in both workplace policies and taxation. Burkett's sometimes waspish narration drives home a point- there is a caste system in this country, and it is unfair to BOTH sides. "Family friendliness" costs lots of money. Shouldn't ALL workers be cared for equally? Shouldn't the single 40-something with the aging parent get equal consideration and 'family leave', too? Kids are a big responsibility- but so is life. Those of us who have chosen to take a different path should not be punished for our responsible choice. Nor should parents be coddled. It's time for everyone to wake up, and remember they are adults. Burkett's timely book is a big, loud alarm clock.
Rating:
Summary: Why is Having Children the Default?
Review: Elinor Burkett tells it like it is. Having children is less a choice than it is the default in the USA. Despite over 100,000 children in foster care in the USA alone, plus literally millions of orphans worldwide (over 8 million in sub-Saharan Africa alone), Americans selfishly pop out kids left and right, then expect their childfree co-workers to pick up the slack for them. Self-involved people who think their DNA is superior to the rest of the world's DNA breed more babies while the children already here are hungry and homeless. If people really loved children, they would adopt or foster the ones already here.
Rating:
Summary: Good start, but needs to go further
Review: I bought this book from Amazon earlier this year and found myself staying up late one night to finish it. As some have mentioned, it does have some rough spots - the editing could be better and there is some choppiness to the writing. However, I do feel the author managed to get her ideas across. She makes several excellent points about the inequalities in the way employers (as well as government agencies and others) treat parents and non-parents. My only criticism is that I feel she didn't go far enough. She spends a lot of time discussing perks that are given to middle and upper class parents, and I agree with her completely on that subject. However, she spends a lot of time defending bonuses to poor parents, ignoring the fact that many poor people without children suffer as a result.
Rating:
Summary: Ignore the ignorant reviewers
Review: This book speaks of the plight of a growing minority which often get the increasingly short end of the stick in our pro-natalist society. Burkett, through a mix of info-dumps and case studies speaks of the inequalities in american taxation policy and american working practices between the parents and the childfree and childless. Is it reaally fair that people pay less tax purely because they don't have kids? Is it really fair that people get paid more for the same job simply because they have kids? burkett argues convincingly that it isn't.. Parenting is a lifestyle choice and it can be coherently argued that lifestyles should not be subsidised, especially at the cost of incfrreased tax burdens to those not of that lifestyle. While parents groups get lots of airtime begging for more handouts, Burkett addresses the downside of this. Namely that 25% of the population pay more taxes, work longer hours and get paid less money. Burkett predicts that the childless and childfree will son mobilise, realising how harshly and unfairly they are treated. The publicity generated by this book confirms that this is the case. Many of the reviewers who give 1 star seem not to have actually read the book. Accusing it of aggression and sex gags. This is not true. If anything Burkett's tone is melancholy, saddened by what goes on in this world.
Rating:
Summary: Finally!
Review: Kudos to Ms. Burkett for giving voice to the most discriminated group out there - the childfree. She points out so many cases of workplace and government sanctioned instances of unfair treatment of those who choose not to have children, and of the tacit endorsement of 'families' (which of course only means families that include children.) So many people choose not to see these inequities - as the ones benefiting from them, they see no problems. They expect the government assistance, the freebies, the preferential treatment given to the childed. It is they who will find this book most shocking. The truth can be that way sometimes.
Rating:
Summary: It Made You Think, Didn't It?
Review: The Baby Boon by Elinor Burkett is not a perfect book, but judging from the reactions people have had to it, the book has served its purpose well. The issue of an increasingly pronatalist government in the US needed to be addressed. My wife and I are childfree by choice and we both have had to deal with the problems encountered by the childfree folks mentioned in the book. The book can be over the top at times, sarcastic to the point where the tone overshadows the message, but the message is important and the book needs to be read and the debate needs to be continued. One way to handle the book would be for the reader to read the opening essay and Part 3, and then go back and wade into Parts 1 and 2. This puts the emphasis on the message first and the sarcasm second. Keep in mind that we live in an age where sex is done primarily for fun and not for procreation. Keep in mind that we live in an age where there are a wide range of birth control choices. Children should be well thought out choices as often as possible! By the way, school starts in 3 days. This year I will teach about 360 of America's young teens about earth science. Most of those young people will be well thought out, well loved choices. But some of them won't be, putting them at a distinct disadvantage. I work hard for all of my students - they deserve that. However, I wish some of my student's parents had made a different choice. Not everybody should be a parent. We need a government that encourages well thought out choices, not procreation.
Rating: 
Summary: a rant against parenthood
Review: Elinor Burkett's diatribe against "breeders" alternates by turns between almost amusing rants against parental entitlement attitudes, intriguing analysis of federal policy, and restrained but passionate appeal for accommodation. The topic of "discrimination" against the childless or "childfree" makes for strange bedfellows. While reading _Boon_, I found myself more in agreement with Betty Friedan than with Ann Coulter (just this once), despite my usual reactionary political proclivities (as a starboard-airfoil conspirator in good standing). The book's strengths include engaging prose and logical organization. However, the author attempts to defend what resembles a flat earth theory. Nice try for rallying supporters, but unconvincing to the heathens. On policy matters, Burkett focuses considerable attention on the regulatory and implied privileges for working mothers, interspersed with class-warfare clichés about political neglect of poverty. Child-care credits and family leave policies leave me indifferent, but liberal complaints about government interference (when contrary to "progressive" mantras) can be entertaining. When commenting on demographics, she exhibits typical New England animus against the middle-class by excoriating "white" parents that seek advantages for their progeny. Out nearer the left coast, most families with three or more children that we have known (including our own) are interracial. Not a persuasive tack. These observations, however, are details. The theme of _Boon_ centers around the pediaphobic demand of "respect" from breeders, now that "spawn" avoidance (by means that include abortion--the capital punishment for the unwanted unborn) has become fashionable. (See the "No Kidding" chapter.) Sorry--ain't gonna happen. Especially not with this spiteful crowd of favorable reviewers complaining about "overpopulation" and whining over alleged perks. (Those claiming to be serious about overpopulation are welcome to make an appointment with Dr. Kevorkian after chalking up my "unhelpful" votes.) Respect is earned, not bestowed. Stamp collecting and other hobbies don't typically involve legal obligations when interests change. Raising children involves rather more commitment. (Just ask Susan Smith.) The product of most careers don't risk conscription or dispatch into harm's way by some dilettante (elected by the childless) with delusions of grandeur (or scandal distraction). Retirees receive income transferred from other people's employed children through the mandatory cross-generational Ponzi scheme known as Social(ist) Security--a parental subsidy to careerists. The notion that prickly harridans and militant buggers engaged in consumerist hubris deserve the same homage and regard as married mothers and fathers struggling against our culture of _Kinderfeindlichkeit_ would be laughable were hedonic irresponsibility not currently the norm in society. Public and commercial policies may well shift to balance broader interests, but don't hold your breath that contemporary parents will genuflect before the deliberately childless.
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