Hannahs Children, Catherine Pakaluk
Hannahs Children, Catherine Pakaluk
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Hannah's Children
The Stories of Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth

Author: Catherine Pakaluk

Narrator: Jaimee Draper

Unabridged: 10 hr 7 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Oasis Audio

Published: 03/19/2024


Synopsis

A portrait of America's most interesting yet overlooked women.

In the midst of a historic "birth dearth," why do some 5 percent of American women choose to defy the demographic norm by bearing five or more children? Hannah’s Children is a compelling portrait of these overlooked but fascinating mothers who, like the biblical Hannah, see their children as their purpose, their contribution, and their greatest blessing.

The social scientist Catherine Pakaluk, herself the mother of eight, traveled across the United States and interviewed fifty-five college-educated women who were raising five or more children. Through open-ended questions, she sought to understand who these women are, why and when they chose to have a large family, and what this choice means for them, their families, and the nation.

Hannah’s Children is more than interesting stories of extraordinary women. It presents information that is urgently relevant for the future of American prosperity. Many countries have experimented with aggressively pro-natalist public policies, and all of them have failed. Pakaluk finds that the quantitative methods to which the social sciences limit themselves overlook important questions of meaning and identity in their inquiries into fertility rates. Her book is a pathbreaking foray into questions of purpose, religion, transcendence, healing, and growth—questions that ought to inform economic inquiry in the future.

About The Author

Catherine Pakaluk received her doctorate in economics from Harvard University and is an associate professor of social research and economic thought in the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She lives in Hyattsville, Maryland, with her husband and their eight children.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Cindy on November 10, 2024

I was reluctant to read this. My child bearing years are over. Sometimes it even feels like those years were a little demoralizing. Why would I need this book? Been there, done that. I am so happy I read it!! If you are an older mom with a large family, I highly recommend this book. It will bring ba......more

Goodreads review by Haley on August 10, 2024

Going into this book, I expected some good demographic data and sociological insight (and it delivered). What I wasn't expecting was to be so dang encouraged. In fact, listening to these vastly varied interviews with seasoned mothers was incredibly healing, restorative, and bolstering for me. The thi......more

Goodreads review by Kelly on June 15, 2024

I was so excited to read this book! As a practicing Catholic and new young Mom, this book was right up my alley. I thought the start of the book (in which the author described neo-Malthusian ideas) was brilliant. However, the rest of the book is mostly interviews with mothers-of-many copied almost v......more

Goodreads review by Karla on January 11, 2025

It’s hard to explain in words the way this book has impacted me. God has used it to help me see in a greater light the blessing that children are. Yes, as Christians we believe that they are a blessing from God but subconsciously we could be holding reservations or believe LIES from the toxic and fe......more

Goodreads review by Natalie on March 14, 2025

I enjoyed this and am thankful to have read it, though it’s challenging to put my thoughts on the topic into words. I have a lot in common with the women interviewed and shared many of their experiences and opinions as a fellow mother of many. There were many beautiful, encouraging sentiments and ev......more