About this item
A candid assessment of the pros and cons of delayed motherhood. Biology does not bend to feminist ideals and science does not work miracles. That is the message of this eye-opening discussion of the consequences of delayed motherhood. Part personal account, part manifesto, Selvaratnam recounts her emotional journey through multiple miscarriages after the age of 37. Her doctor told her she still "had time," but Selvaratnam found little reliable and often conflicting information about a mature woman's biological ability (or inability) to conceive. Beyond her personal story, the author speaks to women in similar situations around the country, as well as fertility doctors, adoption counselors, reproductive health professionals, celebrities, feminists, journalists, and sociologists. Through in-depth reporting and her own experience, Selvaratnam urges more widespread education and open discussion about delayed motherhood in the hope that long-lasting solutions can take effect. The result is a book full of valuable information that will enable women to make smarter choices about their reproductive futures and to strike a more realistic balance between science, society and personal goals.
About the Author
Born in Sri Lanka and raised in Long Beach, CA, Tanya Selvaratnam is a writer and an Emmy-nominated and Webby-winning filmmaker based in New York City and Portland, Oregon. She is the author of ASSUME NOTHING: A Story of Intimate Violence (Harper) and THE BIG LIE: Motherhood, Feminism, and the Reality of the Biological Clock (Prometheus) . Her essays have been published in the New York Times, Vogue, CNN, NBC News, McSweeney's, Cosmo, ELLE, and Glamour among others. She is the Senior Advisor, Gender Justice Narratives for the Pop Culture Collaborative. She has also worked with the Ms. Foundation, NGO Forum on Women, Third Wave Fund, The DO School, and World Health Organization. As a producer, Tanya has collaborated with Glamour Women of the Year, Planned Parenthood, Aubin Pictures, For Freedoms, Joy To The Polls, The Meteor, and the Vision & Justice Project. With Laurie Anderson and Laura Michalchyshyn, she is a cofounder of The Federation - a coalition of artists and allies committed to keeping cultural borders open. Her projects have played on HBO, IFC, PBS, Starz, and the Sundance Channel; and have premiered at Sundance, Berlin, Tribeca, and SXSW. She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Harvard University. Tanya has been a fellow at Yaddo and Blue Mountain Center. For more information, please visit: tanyaturnsup.com.
