What We’re Reading: No One Tells You This
by Andrew Downing
You can have it all: a loving marriage, a successful career, a fulfilling life as a parent, and a healthy lifestyle, or at least that's what my generation was told. Now, as we're approaching mid-life, we're finding out that "having it all" isn't as feasible as they led us to believe. There are tons of books about living a balanced life, having a productive career, and raising happy kids, but No One Tells You This is not that kind of book.
Glynnis MacNicol chose a different life. She chose HER life and redefines what "having it all" means to fit who she is and what she wants. She reminds us it's okay to choose a life of adventure and freedom. It's okay to ignore societal pressures to start a family and pursue your dreams guilt-free.
MacNicol takes us on her personal journey, showing us you don't need a family to live a rewarding life. From turning 40 and learning to accept her true self to the hardships of taking care of her mother suffering from dementia, MacNicol gives readers an honest glimpse into her life and struggles. Along the way, she makes insightful observations about regularly encountering reminders of her unconventional life.
The story isn't extraordinary. What's extraordinary is that it had to be told in the first place. Before reading No One Tells You This, I knew women receive a lot of pressure to start families, but I never realized to what extent this was going on. MacNicol points out the seemingly never-ending signals society and the media use to subtly coerce women into "settling down."
I don't know where we go from here, but I did make one interesting observation. While writing my review on Goodreads.com, I noticed that out of the first 120 reviews, only three were written by men. I previously wrote about the need for more books on women leaders, but maybe that's not the answer. Perhaps the bigger problem is that these books need a more diverse readership. So yes, you should read this book, but as an ally for female empowerment, a more important suggestion is to recommend this book (and similar books) to men.