This Particular Happiness

Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that more women in America have chosen the childless route since record-taking began in the 1970s; a May 2018 Washington Post article cited a new report by the National Center for Health Statistics that announced the American birthrate was 3.8 million in 2017—the lowest in three decades Numerous statistics and news articles cite an increase in women who choose not to be mothers is an international phenomenon; a UK Independent article from 2017 states, “For those born in 1946, just 9 per cent had no children whereas for women born in 1970, this figure has risen to 17 per cent” The number of women in their forties and with higher education degrees deciding to have children has risen in the last few years according to the U.S. Census Bureau; those educated, empowered women are ideal readers for This Particular Happiness , as Jackie shares multiple phases of her life, both before and after she makes the decision—and then second-guesses it Topics include navigating relationships when the partners want something different; the damage “pronatalist” language does to women who aren’t sure about being mothers; handling jealousy and control issues; identity expectations placed on women; cultural legacy and loyalty; finding meaning in life; causality; friendship; grief and death; self-development; and how the mother-daughter relationship changes when the daughter chooses not to procreate Nonfiction titles about women not having children tend to be rallying cries for other women (celebrating the childfree movement) or disappointed examinations of fertility issues; This Particular Happiness acknowledges the loss and difficulty of the choice while celebrating its effect on Jackie’s marriage and her relationship to herself and her body Author has a master’s in social work and a background in counseling that will inform and engage audiences, allowing the opportunity for deep exploration of related topics during events Author’s husband will appear in some conversational events, giving a broader, deeper sense of Jackie’s story and helping to engage couples in discussion Increased popularity of nonfiction titles about women making choices for themselves, and not because of societal expectation, include Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle; [i]Selfish, Shallow, Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids, edited by Megan Daum; Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own by Kate Bolick; and Love & Trouble: A Mid-Life Reckoning by Claire Dederer A sexual assault and its repercussions in Jackie’s life connect to the rise of the #metoo movement and will inspire others to tell their stories Scenes set in the 1960s and ‘70s will be of interest to young women who are deciding whether or not to have children now Farm life scenes and societal expectations will be resonant for small-town readers In addition to the pieces of Jackie’s adult identity that are explored, topics include romance, finding love, teenage girl coming-of-age stories, sex, and being a daughter Author has European friends and connections to leverage; the UK especially has a burgeoning childfree movement and a lot of cultural conversation around these topics There are many celebrity women who are childfree; we will endeavor to get the book into the hands of some of them; Cheryl Strayed is one possible conduit, as she has agreed to blurb the book