Choosing You: Deciding to Have a Baby on My Own [Paperback]

Alexandra Soiseth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 2008

All her adult life, Alexandra Soiseth has wanted a husband, children, dogs and cats—a busy, loving, home. But at thirty-nine, with no husband on the horizon, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

She googles for sperm.

Choosing You is Alexandra's memoir. With humor and heart, she shares the often gut-wrenching reality she faces in having a baby on her own—a mother and father who disapprove, friends who think she's crazy, a society that thinks she's selfish. But it is her struggle with weight and self image, possible infertility, and the terror of bringing a child into this world without a father that almost stops her from getting what she wants most—a family.

Alexandra's story shows us all that with a little guts, a lot of love, and the internet, almost anything is possible.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press (April 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580052223
• ISBN-13: 978-1580052221
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #515,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A memoir with almost no practical info..., October 12, 2010

By 

Constant Reader (Gloucester MA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Choosing You: Deciding to Have a Baby on My Own (Paperback)

It's not the author's fault, certainly, but Amazon very much groups this book in with other books that contain practical information on going about becoming a single Mom. There is almost no info of any practical kind in Choosing You, however; she basically picks her first option and has no problems with it. ("I Googled for sperm" is, in fact, pretty much all the info you get.) Instead, it's a memoir of the "confessional" type, where, after decades of therapy, she shares first-hand her issues with her weight, her issues with her mom, her issues with sex, her issues with boyfriends... but, instead of her paying her therapist to listen, you're paying her to read about it. A lot of people seem to have adored this, but I got it for a friend who's trying to understand some of the practical challenges and options ahead of her, and there's nothing here for that. Just know what you're getting and you won't be as disappointed as we were.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kuddos for entertaining...., October 16, 2009

By 

A. E. Perez (P'ville, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Choosing You: Deciding to Have a Baby on My Own (Paperback)

As a first time expectant single mother I purchased this book b/c it's one of the few resources for single mothers to be. Ms. Soiseth is a very good and entertaining writer, and this book mixes humor, sensitivity with basic information for women seeking information on the topics at hand. However, a word of caution is in order....as the content goes, as wonderful as it was that the author was able to get pregnant in such an easy way with a few dollars and in the midst of depression, the crude reality of women going through similar processes, from personal experience, is that getting pregnant is a VERY costly procedure [financially, emotionally and psychologically] and comes with responsibilities that are NOT to be taken lightly as it is often presented in the narrative of this book. Other than that, very nice reading!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, candid book - highly recommended!, June 22, 2008

By 

SFLily "SFLily" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Choosing You: Deciding to Have a Baby on My Own (Paperback)

I sat down several hours ago to start reading this book and could not put it down. As a single woman considering becoming a mother, I found Ms. Soiseth's book heartwarming, funny and marvelously honest. Many of the books on this subject that I have read seem to gloss over the "scary bits" - the doubt, the challenges, etc. Her story was a complete picture of the experience, in all its wonderful, scary, and ultimately joyful glory!