Unbearable

Five Women and the Perils of Pregnancy in America

By: Irin Carmon

Narrated by: Irin Carmon

“A gripping page-turner: revelatory, horrifying, infuriating, sometimes inspirational, always informative….Required reading.” —The Boston Globe

From the award-winning New York magazine reporter and coauthor of the New York Times bestseller Notorious RBG, an ambitious and passionate exploration of what’s gone wrong with pregnancy in America, through the lens of history, politics, and the searing experiences of five women.

Journalist Irin Carmon was eight months pregnant when the Supreme Court allowed states to ban abortion, unleashing pain and suffering for those who didn’t want to be pregnant and, shockingly to some, those who did. What was clear to Carmon from her dozen years of reporting—and from what she felt in her bones—was how incomplete the American story of reproduction had been, and how much had been unexpressed, hidden, or taken for granted, and not just by conservative justices or in red states. Whether in cosmopolitan, liberal New York City or rural Alabama, the entire system is broken.

Unbearable tells a deeper story, going beyond the headlines and any one experience or choice, and grounded in history and journalism. It introduces us to five women navigating pregnancy care—from that first positive pregnancy test through joy, loss, and the unforeseen—in a country that is at best indifferent and at worst willfully cruel, and to brave, outnumbered people fighting to make it better. Written with deep empathy and analytical rigor, Unbearable is at once a moving story of interconnection, a harrowing exposé, and assertion of humanity. Above all, it is a powerful call for solidarity, regardless of our circumstances or our decisions.

Thought provoking & Harrowing

Phenomenal research by the author. This work was clearly a labor of love and it shows!

COMPELLING!

This book takes you into the lives of American women and their struggles with pregnancy and reproductive care. There is also a historical component that is gut-wrenching. What a great book and a fine work of journalism!

Well Researched and insightful

Organization of chapters sometimes made it hard to keep individuals in different storylines distinct in my mind. Bought the book because I heard the author speak on Strict Scrutiny podcast.

Needs to be read

Powerful book that every American woman should read. Knowledge is powerful. Read it before it’s banned.

Moving

The real stories and the consequences of laws, systems and bias both intended and “clueless” were described in ways that pierce your heart, mind and spirit.