I KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU

A resonant collection that champions reproductive freedoms in the face of widespread opposition.

Editor Oria, whose previous collection, Indelible in the Hippocampus, gathered writings on the #MeToo movement, compiles another mixed-media powerhouse. Fiction, memoir, poetry, plays, and art elevate this collection into a technical triumph, finely pairing a range of forms with its contributors’ intersectional experiences. Effortlessly diverse, the book reminds readers that reproductive rights are more than a stance on abortion; many pieces explore the choice of childlessness, while others recount the horrors of nonconsensual sterilization. These brave stories are devastating to read and will inspire action (the book is produced in collaboration with the Brigid Alliance, a pro-choice fund that offers travel support for women in need). The fiction leans toward realism—e.g., the expecting lesbians in Kristen Arnett’s “The Babies” or the baby-crazy and terminally ill husband in Alison Espach’s “Let’s Just Be Normal and Have a Baby.” The nonfiction unfolds similarly but lands with a haunting, real-life gravity. Riva Lehrer’s “Curse of the Spider Woman,” which details her struggles with spina bifida and the nonconsensual sterilization she endured after a medical emergency, is one of the most affecting contributions. Beautiful, accessible poems are woven throughout, but the plays often feel trite by comparison, and a comic about White privilege is consumed by its own aggressive wokeness and lacks the heart that makes the other contributions so successful. Central to the collection is an exchange between Oria and her friend, where their discussion was overshadowed by the pandemic and the current toxic political climate. “As we continue our cultural conversation on reproductive health,” Oria writes in her introduction, “...my hope is that we fight the terrible symptom while keeping in mind the larger illness that produces it, a system in which certain bodies hold inherent power over other bodies.” Other contributors include Deb Olin Unferth, Tommy Orange, Tiphanie Yanique, and Kirstin Valdez Quade.

A clarion call for reproductive rights.