"This is a book about whole nations wounded by sex selection. Mara
Hvistendahl...describes a history we would be wise to learn from." --Xinran, author of Message from an Unknown Chinese Mother and Sky Burial
Kirkus Review, April 15, 2011
"A
hard-hitting, eye-opening study that not only paints a dire future of a
world without girls but traces the West’s role in propagating sex
selection…. Hvistendahl’s important, even-handed exposé considers all
sides of the argument and deserves careful attention and study."
Anne-Marie Slaughter, Bert G. Kerstetter University Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University
“Unnatural Selection
is an important book and a fascinating read. Mara Hvistendahl is a
delightful writer: witty, engaging, and acute. But the tale she tells is
deeply disturbing. Asia alone is missing 160 million women and girls, a
number equal to the entire female population of the United States.
According to Hvistendahl, the culprit is less deeply rooted cultural
gender bias than rising wealth, elite attitudes, and Western influence
and technology. Development, at least for the coming decades, will
produce not only fewer children overall, but also many fewer girls. The
result is a future for many parts of the world, from India to China,
Azerbaijan to Albania, where brides are much more likely to be bought,
women are much more likely to be trafficked, and men are much more
likely to be frustrated. For the present, women who are pro-choice must
confront the stark reality that the availability of ultrasound and ready
abortion are sharply reducing the number of women in the world.”
Stephen J. Dubner, author of Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics
"Yes,
it’s a rigorous exploration of the world’s ‘missing women,’ but it’s
more than that too: an extraordinarily vivid look at the implications of
the problem. Hvistendahl writes beautifully, with an eye for detail but
also the big picture. She has a fierce intelligence but, more
important, a fierce intellectual independence; she writes with a hard
edge but no venom – rather, a cool and hard passion."
Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide
"A
fascinating and thoroughly researched book on a most important subject.
The staggering population imbalances described by Hvistendahl should be
of concern to all."
Judy Norsigian, Executive Director, Our Bodies Ourselves
“A
critically important story of demographic surprises and skewed sex
ratios, trafficked wives and mail-order brides. Thanks to the
devaluation of females and misused technologies, sex selection has
reached staggering dimensions in recent decades. Hvistendahl’s call to
action is the most well-documented and compelling yet.”
The Wall Street Journal, June, 18, 2011
“Ms. Hvistendahl is a first-rate reporter and has filled Unnatural Selection with gripping details…. There is so much to recommend.”
Bloomberg, June 19, 2011
“Provocative,
wide-ranging…. A thoughtful, smartly researched overview of medical
developments, policymaking and cultural trends that combined to upset
the global sex ratio.”
The Daily Beast, Eleanor Clift, June 22, 2011
“[Hvistendahl]
approaches these sensitive subjects without an ideological ax to grind,
whether pro-life or pro-population control, documenting how sex
selection has taken hold thanks to technology, lower birth rates, and
deep-seated cultural biases that require a boy to carry on a family’s
lineage.”
New York Times, Ross Douthat, June 26, 2011
“Unnatural Selection reads
like a great historical detective story, and it’s written with the
sense of moral urgency that usually accompanies the revelation of some
kind of enormous crime.”
Marcy Darnovsky “Ms. Blog”, June 7, 2011
“An
important contribution, disturbing but gripping, and challenging to all
of us, perhaps especially to U.S. advocates of reproductive justice. It
provides both a deep understanding of the staggering dimensions and
consequences of sex selection, and an urgent prod to confront it.”
The Daily Brief, June 12, 2011
“Hvistendahl
has a keen sense of detail, and her book is filled with lively
encounters with the doctors, academics and bachelors who, she argues,
all play a part in the changing demographics worldwide. Her research
only gains in importance as these imbalanced generations, where men
outnumber women by as much."
Globe and Mail, July 1, 2011
“Brave, well researched and imminently controversial…. From the distant
vista of the West, where we don’t really consider what it would mean to
have an only son who can never find a mate, the unbalanced sex ratio in
Asia may seem like relatively small news. This remarkable book goes a
long way to bringing the pain and the urgency of the issue home. Mara
Hvistendahl is not just entering an important conversation, she’s
starting one.” the dogged self-destruction of a braggadocio crippled by
the conviction of his own superiority.”
Washington Post, July 3, 2011
“Massively well-documented…. [Hvistendahl] has written a disturbing, engrossing book.”
Evening Standard (UK), July 21, 2011
“A
well-researched account of how a preference for boys has made sex
selective abortion commonplace in Asia and parts of Eastern Europe…
Hvistendahl makes a persuasive case for the West being complicit in the
spread of sex-selective abortion.”
Economist, August 6, 2011
“Ms. Hvistendahl is convincing in telling the little-known story of
how Westerners helped create the conditions under which sex selection
began in Asia…. Hvistendahl’s distinctive contribution is twofold. She
provides a history of the modern practice of sex-selective abortion,
based on new and detailed research, and she helps readers think about
its possible consequences.”