Otherhood edited by Alie Benge, Lil O'Brien and Kathryn van Beek

Otherhood: Essays on being childless, childfree and child-adjacent edited by Alie Benge, Lil O'Brien and Kathryn van Beek

Interrogating: Am I mother, or am I other?

In Aotearoa the number of people who will never have children is growing — and they’re pushing back against the narrative that if they don’t, their lives will be somehow ‘less than’.

Otherhood’s essays are by writers who’ve felt on the outside looking in, who’ve lived unexpected lives and who’ve given the finger to social expectations. Some chose to be childfree, some didn’t get to choose and some — through bereavement or blended family dynamics — ask themselves: Am I a mother or am I other?

Thought-provoking, moving and often hilarious, Otherhood opens a more inclusive conversation about what makes a fulfilling life.

Softcover, 308 pages, published May 2024.