So When Are You Having Kids?, a nonfiction guide by Jordan Davidson, tackles what might be familiar topics with a fresh, clear-eyed wisdom. The result is vital candor for those considering or expecting children. It's a book with an expanded audience, including as it does those with perspectives and identities typically excluded or marginalized from the dialogue of parenting.
So When Are You Having Kids? begins with the essential questions parenting advice often skips--the first two parts pose the questions "Do You Want Kids?" and "Should You Have Kids?"--and then discusses fertility methods in detail ("How to Have Kids") before concluding with a section ("You Don't Want Kids") that recognizes the value of a life without children. Davidson, a health journalist and reproductive health advocate, validates potential parents at many stages of their journeys. She also places people who elect to forgo children squarely within the bounds of acceptable discourse on the subject, which grants the necessary dignity and respect to all adults making their lives' most important choices.
Davidson fills the book with facts, synthesized scientific findings, laundry lists of necessary supplies (and their price tags), and statistics and testimonies from people across the U.S. of many races, genders, sexualities, jobs, income levels, ages and geographies. So When Are You Having Kids? is a one-two punch of informative guidance and empathetic human storytelling. --Walker Minot, freelance writer and editor