Auntie: Reflections on a Life Without Kids

by Tali Nay

In perhaps her most honest memoir yet, Tali reflects on the realities—both positive and negative—of being a childless woman in a society full of families. How, for instance, does it affect a woman’s identity when she remains forever in the child role and never graduates to become the parent? Incorporating her own thoughts and experiences as well as those of other women, she takes on a topic that can be sensitive for both women who never intended to have children and those who always assumed they would. Her enlightening take on a life most people will not experience is perfect for those who are curious about a child-free life, want to avoid offending or excluding those without children, or just enjoy Tali’s honest and reflective prose on topics so relevant to our lives.

246 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2024

About the author

Tali Nay always wanted to be a fiction writer and was thus surprised when "real life" is what came out when she actually sat down to write something substantial. Tali studied writing in college, and then—entirely by accident—found herself working in business. She went on to earn an MBA, although recently left Corporate America in order to pursue her dream of becoming a gemologist. After a stint in New York CIty earning her diploma at the Gemological Institute of America, Tali now works in the gemology industry and lives in San Diego, California.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a joy to once again hear Tali Nay's voice as she shared stories, life experiences, and her perspective in her latest addition to the literary world, Aunties: Reflections on a Life Without Kids. It was illuminating to read about life as a childless woman, and the types of comments and questions this often brings. As a mother of one child, I was often asked over the years, "Why didn't you have more kids?", and if someone didn't ask, I could often feel the question hanging in the air. While not the same as being childless, I related to being judged based upon the number of children I had.

Ultimately, seeing life through someone else's lens makes us better human beings, and the beautiful way Tali shared this aspect of her life was entertaining and moving. Read it, and share it with your daughters and friends.

[Tom Southworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw, open, honest, uplifting.

Well, she’s done it again. Despite me being a) not a woman, b) from a different generation, c) born on opposite coasts, and d) raised with a different religion, Tali has managed to capture and put to paper the feelings of this childless man. I have found so many parallels in Tali’s retelling of her life’s journeys starting with her first book that the last sentence in this one really spoke to me - “I wrote it for you.”

So for all of you, this book is for you. It’s for you to have a better and deeper understanding of how it feels to have grown up in a large family, to be expected to have and to want to have children, to be surrounded by siblings with multiple children at birthday parties and Christmas, only to have those hopes and dreams of having children of your own never come true, at least not in the strict biological sense.

This book is for us.

[Amber Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books I’ve read in a long time. I laughed and cried and all the feelings in between. What a beautiful gift to the world.

[Kalaya Schenewerk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went from being a childless aunt to a mother. I felt this book. Thank you tackling a subject that doesn’t get enough acknowledgment and for giving a voice to all the amazing fun Aunts out there.

[Jasmyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It's such an honest, upfront book about the realities of life without kids. The pros, the cons, the highs, the lows. I've read all of this author's books and this one is my absolute favorite. It's one I'd definitely read again because it's applicable to anyone, whether you've had children or not. She manages to paint the full picture of what life without children is like and the book is neither depressing nor overly sentimental. It made me laugh out loud and tear up - a truly wonderful book.

[Susan Schindelar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for everyone! Whether you are childless or not. Tali Nay brings forward the perspective of being childless to help those with children avoid the pitfalls and traps we've all fallen into with our childless friends and colleagues while sharing with childless folk validation of their feelings and life path (whether chosen or not).

I love all of Tali's books, but this one is Tali's best yet. She shares her own compelling personal story while sharing insights from her survey of both moms and childless women to show the diversity yet similarity of the human experience. Can she get into heaven if she doesn't produce a child? How can she overcome medical and relationship issues and make her life meaningful? Well-written and a fun quick read, this would make for a great book club discussion. I smiled often and even wanted to cry at parts. I guarantee you will find pieces that you resonate with and parts that are brand new to you.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book by a woman without children, the mommy worship is really odd…DNF