25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"More" is Needed, April 28, 2008
This review is from: More: Population, Nature, and What Women Want (Hardcover)
It seems inevitable that the world food crisis, combined with climate change and rising energy prices, will spur a renewed and contentious debate over the issue of population. Before that debate is renewed in its full intensity, everyone should read this book.
What the author gives us, and what is so desperately need at this critical juncture in the debate over population, is historical perspective. His book, in fact, takes up back to our ancestral roots to give us a better understanding of such things as human reproduction, the centuries' old debate over population, and efforts by governments to "control" population by encouraging human procreation or restricting it.
Many people today believe that birth control is a thoroughly modern invention, but as Engelman observes in his book, women throughout history have sought to control their fertility, as well as enhance it. In response to shrinking resources or deteriorating conditions, women have often sought--though not always successfully--to space or limit their pregnancies.
Engelman takes what he calls a "Zen' approach to population. He argues that the best way to "control" population is to give up control, by giving women the power to decide for themselves when to bear a child.
He notes that many women in the world still lack access to modern contraceptive methods and that, if given that access, fertility rates will likely decline further. Giving girls the education they need and the equality they deserve, he argues, would also result in lower fertility rates.
At the same time, he voices the conviction that concerns about an eventual population implosion are overblown. As the planet gets less crowded, he believes that women will want more children, enough at least to keep fertility rates at or near the "replacement rate" needed to stabilize population.
Engelman makes clear, however, that world population may already be, or may soon be, unsustainable. He stops well short of making a Malthusian prediction about impending famine, but he says, "...it's getting hard to be confident that fishers and farmers will easily feed the 9.2 billion people projected to be alive in 2050."
In the last chapter, he notes that people in developing countries dream of acquiring the necessities that we take for granted. "But what happens," he asks, "when the dreams of people everywhere become unsustainable--not because of the nature of the dreams, but because the numbers of the dreamers?"
If you concerned about global population or just interested in learning more about the topic and the debate that swirls around it, this is an entertaining, informative and compelling book. I highly recommend it.
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Trusting women and respecting history, May 7, 2008
This review is from: More: Population, Nature, and What Women Want (Hardcover)
Finally, a book about population and family planning that those of us who work on population issues can distribute proudly to those who aren't in the field!
Engelman outlines the history of women managing their fertility through the ages, from our humble beginnings as homo erectus through modern day. Throughout human history some women have prevented conception with herbs and pessaries. And some women have always backed up these methods with abortion and infanticide.
His point is that women's desire to have small families is not new and that modern contraception should be available to any woman who wants it, in order to avoid the crude methods that our ancestors were stuck with.
Engelman writes about women with great respect and humorously describes why men and women so often differ on their ideas about ideal childbearing (both timing and total number). In fact, humor is an integral part of this book. Engelman was a journalist in a past life and his catchy, accessible writing style shines through on every page.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about demography, women's reproductive rights, and/or anthropology. This book should interest just about anyone and is not the dry, academic sort of textbook that you might expect of this topic. I'm even going to propose it as a selection for my monthly book club!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An important book for today's world, June 16, 2009
This review is from: More: Population, Nature, and What Women Want (Hardcover)
Probably the most important book I have read this year. His solution to overpopulation is rather simple and only really involves giving women their basic human rights. The solution basically boils down to simply giving women power over their own bodies, and the right to choose what is best for themselves. What the author shows the reader is that when women are allowed to control their own reproduction then they make choices that are not only best for themselves, but also what is best for their families and in the end for their communities as well. This makes the author's position very easy to defend because even if you don't believe the world suffers from overpopulation it doesn't matter because the author is saying that women should decide what is right for themselves. If you don't agree with his basic premise it is still very hard to try and assail his solution.
The author does an excellent job detailing the history of sex as well. The author puts forward a lot of ideas that at the very least will make the reader think. His discussion on the history of birth control was fascinating. I did not realize that so much had come before modern methods. What this history shows in the end is the importance of giving women (and men) options.
Whether you agree with the author or not, his book is a very interesting and entertaining read. While a lot of it is heavy lifting, the author adds some comical asides every now and then to lighten the load. I think this is a very important read. The history is fascinating and the author's own experience adds a tremendous amount of perspective to this very important topic. You need to read this book.
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