Rating: 
Summary: I love it
Review: An excellent book for women who are pretty adamant (as I am) about their decision to not have children or for women trying to understand why on earth would a woman NOT use the gift of life God granted her. Filled with touching personal interviews, Madelyn Cain helps us understand that YES you can be WHOLE and COMPLETE without children to define your femininity.I highly recommend it!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Coverage of the Topic
Review: As a financially independent, well-educated, and heterosexual young woman, I am often questioned about when I will mother. People who do not know me well (and should, therefore, not be asking the question) are shocked when I respond that I have no plans to become a mother. For that matter, I do not plan to marry either. I have been accused of being selfish. It has been suggested that I will change my mind when I find the right man. I do not believe that it is selfish to recognize one's limitations and to know one's heart. Further, for me, the right man will not be one who wants me to bear his children. I also do not hate children as others may believe. If all these naysayers of my choice would read Ms. Cain's book, perhaps they would come to realize the wisdom in my choice, the courage it took to make it, and the value it has in my life and the lives of others.
Rating:
Summary: Vindication At Last
Review: As a woman who finds herself under a constant barrage of questions by both friends and strangers as to why I don't have (and won't have) children, I believe that this book is fantastic. Madelyn Cain has written a book about women who are childfree that is both fair and accurate. Her interviews with over 100 women illustrate the wide ranging reasons behind why some women choose not to have children; "by choice, by chance or by happenstance." By including the personal stories of these women, I felt that she made the book less like a clinical study and more of an enjoyable and informative source for anyone curious about the childfree/childless. It was also interesting (and sometimes disturbing) to learn about the misconceptions many people have about women who are not mothers, and also their opinions on how this "revolution" of childlessness will affect the human race. What I believe I appreciated the most about this book is that Cain herself is a mother, and she choose to delve into this topic with an open mind and heart to discover all of the reasons that lead women to not have children. "The Childless Revolution" explores both womanhood and motherhood without concluding or insisting that the two are explicitly intertwined.
Rating:
Summary: the silent minority
Review: At last, a thoroughly researched and comprehensive study of women who have chosen --and in some cases, not freely chosen-- to be childless. As someone who finds herself "labeled" in this category, I have heretofore only approached this subject with another woman who is in the same position as I, and even then, with a sense of discomfort. But Ms. Cain freely, and with uncanny perception and compassion, discusses and analyses this "revolution", which has otherwise been either ignored or looked upon with askance. As the middle sister (who has not conceived), I am sandwiched between a mother of three and another sister who has chosen not only to remain childless, but unmarried as well. I have bemoaned with the latter my feeling of being anathema in a society who values only those who have children as being fulfilled and selfless. It is with great relief and gratitude that I read a book that honors us all --those with children and those without. For those who do not understand all the ramifications of women who do not conceive, and for those who are childless themselves, this is a cherished book of celebration for women of all ilks. Indeed, we all have something to offer --and no choice comes without regret or rewards. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Ms. Cain for honoring the myriad of things that women have to offer each other --and all the children of the world.
Rating:
Summary: There is more to being a woman than having children
Review: For so long, the stigma of being childless, whether by nature or from choice has plagued so many women. Now in the twenty-first century Madelyn Cain has shown us that no woman has to be a mother to live a complete and fulfilling life. The decision to parent is a personal one and Madelyn's book gives all of us permission to make that choice for ourselves and not under pressure from others. She demonstrates how to be comfortable with the decision not to parent and how to cope with the reality of not being able to conceive. Women are now leaders in all fields. Good parenting often isn't possible when a career takes first priority. Ms. Cain's compasionate and often amusing writing style compels the reader to understand that everyone women has different needs and is equally valuable in today's society whether a mother or not.
Rating: 
Summary: Not too impressed
Review: I am childfree and want to remain that way. I bought this book as a guide of sorts but I was not impressed. The majority of the book divides childless women into three groups: those who chose to be childfree (nuns, me, etc.), those who tried but just couldn't (infertile couples, etc.) and those who didn't decide but just fell into childlessness ('I finally met the right man and he doesn't want kids so there you have it').
I was looking more for an analysis of how our roles in society are being overlooked and how certain parts of society lean towards those with children. There was very little of this analysis and even then it just seemed like suggestions on what should be considered and that was all.
Next time I would like to see more of an analysis. If a great analysis could be compared to a college textbook, this book is a sixth grade easy reader that lightly covers the bases but doesn't go deep enough to understand it all.
I think this book would be most helpful to people who think those without kids are an interesting and incomprehensible group. For the childless ones, I would look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Not too impressed
Review: I am childfree and want to remain that way. I bought this book as a guide of sorts but I was not impressed. The majority of the book divides childless women into three groups: those who chose to be childfree (nuns, me, etc.), those who tried but just couldn't (infertile couples, etc.) and those who didn't decide but just fell into childlessness ('I finally met the right man and he doesn't want kids so there you have it').
I was looking more for an analysis of how our roles in society are being overlooked and how certain parts of society lean towards those with children. There was very little of this analysis and even then it just seemed like suggestions on what should be considered and that was all.
Next time I would like to see more of an analysis. If a great analysis could be compared to a college textbook, this book is a sixth grade easy reader that lightly covers the bases but doesn't go deep enough to understand it all.
I think this book would be most helpful to people who think those without kids are an interesting and incomprehensible group. For the childless ones, I would look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: An Over-Simplified Analysis
Review: I was looking for affirmation of my own decision to remain childless, but did not find it here. Madeyln Cain makes it clear at the beginning of the book that she did not understand why women chose to remain childless. Her analysis did not convince me, by the book's conclusion, that she understands the issues in any real depth. As someone who has chosen to remain "childfree", I do not dislike children, I do not want to save the planet and I did not have a traumatic childhood. It's much more complex than that . . . . I believe it has a lot to do with your own experiences as a child, your relationships with your family members and your values, beliefs, etc. I didn't particularly like being a kid; my mother was a frustrated, unhappy stay-at-home mother. I was a middle child. I don't like looking after other people (and I'm not good at it - I don't have the patience). I am continually challenging tradition. I dislike routine - and I've always been told that children need routine! Motherhood is a huge responsibility that I was not prepared to accept. At the age of 13, when I realized I had a choice, I made my decision. Although I am now reaching an age when I will no longer have that choice, I still think I made the right decision for me.
Rating:
Summary: An Over-Simplified Analysis
Review: I was looking for affirmation of my own decision to remain childless, but did not find it here. Madeyln Cain makes it clear at the beginning of the book that she did not understand why women chose to remain childless. Her analysis did not convince me, by the book's conclusion, that she understands the issues in any real depth. As someone who has chosen to remain "childfree", I do not dislike children, I do not want to save the planet and I did not have a traumatic childhood. It's much more complex than that . . . . I believe it has a lot to do with your own experiences as a child, your relationships with your family members and your values, beliefs, etc. I didn't particularly like being a kid; my mother was a frustrated, unhappy stay-at-home mother. I was a middle child. I don't like looking after other people (and I'm not good at it - I don't have the patience). I am continually challenging tradition. I dislike routine - and I've always been told that children need routine! Motherhood is a huge responsibility that I was not prepared to accept. At the age of 13, when I realized I had a choice, I made my decision. Although I am now reaching an age when I will no longer have that choice, I still think I made the right decision for me.
Rating:
Summary: in praise of childfree women
Review: I would like to give full praise to this book. I was beginning to think there were too many women who thought children were an entitlement and a commodity whereby they could earn more subsidies from the government for having kids (like welfare.) I am happy to see that there are some women that take the optional role of parenting seriously (to be, or not to be.) I would like to see another book like this written from a male perspective. Just as there are women that want to be childfree, there are a lot of men that also resonate with this choice.
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