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Overview
The U.S. has experienced a dramatic increase in births to unmarried women in recent decades—from 4% of births in 1950, with most of the babies then adopted, to more than 30% today. Melissa Ludtke's book is the only in-depth analysis of this radical change in family formation to compare and contrast the lives of these mothers of varying ages and economic circumstances.
Synopsis
"Ludtke brings the voices of women having children on their own into a public debate from which these voices have been conspicuously absent.
Interweaving their voices with her own savvy and intuitive commentary, she has written a vitally important book."—Carol Gilligan, author of
In a Different Voice
Publishers Weekly
Nearly one-third of U.S. children are now born to single mothers, according to Ludtke, a former correspondent for Time magazine, in this nonjudgmental, informative study. The 45-year-old single woman, here contrasts the stories of single teenage mothers with older career women who raise children without husbands. Limiting her interviews to several dozen women living near her home in the Cambridge, Mass., area, Ludtke does not offer a definitive analysis, but her skilled anecdotal research, buttressed by academic studies, gives a human face to a social phenomenon that deserves attention. Because teenage mothers often lack financial resources, their daily lives can differ significantly from those of older single mothers. But Ludtke notes similarities as well between the two groups, such as the feeling that motherhood will make their lives more meaningful and a concern that their offspring relate to positive male figures. Ludtke argues poignantly that adolescent pregnancy will be prevented only when adults develop "the patience and perseverance to stick with troubled youth across the span of their adolescence."
Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
Nearly one-third of U.S. children are now born to single mothers, according to Ludtke, a former correspondent for Time magazine, in this nonjudgmental, informative study. The 45-year-old single woman, here contrasts the stories of single teenage mothers with older career women who raise children without husbands. Limiting her interviews to several dozen women living near her home in the Cambridge, Mass., area, Ludtke does not offer a definitive analysis, but her skilled anecdotal research, buttressed by academic studies, gives a human face to a social phenomenon that deserves attention. Because teenage mothers often lack financial resources, their daily lives can differ significantly from those of older single mothers. But Ludtke notes similarities as well between the two groups, such as the feeling that motherhood will make their lives more meaningful and a concern that their offspring relate to positive male figures. Ludtke argues poignantly that adolescent pregnancy will be prevented only when adults develop "the patience and perseverance to stick with troubled youth across the span of their adolescence."Library Journal
More than one million babies are born to single mothers each year. Although some of those mothers are teenagers, a growing number are women in their thirties and forties who do not see a man in their future. Ludtke, a journalist considering single parenthood, interviewed mothers in both groups as well as psychologists, politicians, and social scientists to gain insight into this trend. Despite the vastly different circumstances of the two groups, she found many common concerns. Both face criticism from society, dealing with the absence of a father, and juggling the responsibilities of parenting with those of work and/or school. While Jane Mattes's Single Mothers by Choice (LJ 6/15/94) deals only with the practical aspects of parenting and Naomi Miller's Single Parents by Choice: A Growing Trend in Family Life (Plenum, 1992) offers social analysis of older mothers, Ludtke's work is unique in its comparison of younger and older mothers. The interesting interviews and extensive bibliography make this a fine addition to all collections. Highly recommended.Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L., Cal.Boston Globe
An illuminating tour of the profound social and moral changes that have occured over the past generation.Kirkus Reviews
Ludtke takes two seemingly unrelated trends—the high number of unmarried teens who become pregnant by mistake and the increase in the number of older, single women who become mothers by choice—and seamlessly weaves them together in a remarkable, impressively comprehensive tale of single motherhood. In part her journey into the consciousness of America's unmarried mothers was jolted by her own realization that she wanted to have a child even if it meant doing so sans partner. Her personal stake infuses the mini-stories of the teenagers and women she interviews with an empathy that makes their humanity real, their tales important. A journalist who has worked for Sports Illustrated and Time, Ludtke knows the value of solid statistics and research. She intersperses her conversations with a variety of facts and figures, as well as interviews with experts. But she offers more than mere statistics—we meet people who struggle with some of life's most important issues and some of society's most pervasive stereotypes and biases. Ludtke's able and intuitive interviewing and savvy juxtaposition of these two divergent groups, reveal a number of surprising similarities between them. For example, they desire to have children for wildly different reasons, yet for both groups, that desire stems from the wish to take control of their lives. Ludtke's effective melding of the facts with the feelings leaves the reader both better informed about the where's and whyfore's of unmarried mothering and more concerned about the policies that affect the future of these women and their young children.This moving study should be required reading for all those who believe that America's embarrassingly high teen pregnancy rate can by "fixed" by simply reducing welfare funding and that the Murphy BrownDan Quayle debate was settled in the ratings sweeps.