Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D., received her doctorate in biology from the University of Michigan and taught for several years at Columbia College, Chicago. Recently, she briefed U.N. delegates in Geneva on breast milk contamination. She is currently on the faculty at Cornell University.
"A cross between the quirkily thorough detail of Natalie Angier's science writing and the passionate environmental advocacy of Rachel Carson." —Publishers Weekly"A fascinating journey into...the often toxic terrain of pregnancy to the world of child nourishment and protection." —Newsday
According to many popular guidebooks, pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting are happy experiences that proceed smoothly to bliss and contentment. Wolf and Steingraber beg to differ. Both feminist writer Wolf (The Beauty Myth) and Steingraber (Living Downstream: A Scientist's Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment), an ecologist at Cornell University, feel that consumer guides do not offer women enough information about the reality of the birth process. They argue that childbirth preparation classes make medical intervention seem harmless, normal, and expected. This leads women to stop trusting themselves and their bodies, allowing physicians to take control. But while the two authors agree about some issues, their respective books look at their own pregnancies from different points of view. Wolf focuses on how the psychological and social aspects of pregnancy and impending motherhood changed her sense of self. Coming from a generation of women who identify themselves as independent, equal, and entitled to power, she felt a sense of loss despite having wanted a child. She also began to reexamine some of her basic beliefs about a woman's right to choose and the balance of power in relationships. Wolf concludes that society neither values nor supports parents despite its emphasis on family values. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
"A cross between the quirkily thorough detail of Natalie Angier's science writing and the passionate environmental advocacy of Rachel Carson." -Publishers Weekly"A fascinating journey into...the often toxic terrain of pregnancy to the world of child nourishment and protection." -Newsday
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