Sarah Benesch has once again written a path-breaking book. This timely volume challenges us to critically examine deep-seated assumptions embodied in the discourses that shape how we think and talk about womens reproductive destinies. Beneschs hybrid personal/scholarly voice reveals how academic writing can embrace an authors lived experience and advocate for change while making a truly original contribution to applied linguistics research. * Sue Starfield, UNSW Sydney, Australia * Benesch has produced a hugely powerful and captivating book that informs and challenges. Stunningly written, it draws on literature, popular culture, empirical data, and personal experience to explore 'notherhood' from multiple discursive perspectives. It is a ground-breaking work that will appeal to readers well beyond applied linguistics. An extraordinary contribution. * Gary Barkhuizen, University of Auckland, New Zealand * Blending academic rigor with personal memoir, Sarah Benesch embarks on a groundbreaking exploration of pronatalism. She shrewdly dissects the sociopolitical forces that collectively champion motherhood as a moral imperative and polarize women's identities into mother or nother through various forms of cultural policing. Pronatalism, reminiscent of Foucaults Discipline and Punish, offers an archaeological examination of how women's bodies continue to be battlegrounds for discursive and sociopolitical struggles. As ultra-conservative voices gain traction globally, the timing of this book is impeccable. * Sunny Man Chu Lau, Bishop's University, Quebec, Canada *
