What do you think?
Rate this book
Inconceivable: The Impossibility of Family in an Age of Uncertainty
For generations, creating a family was an ordinary part of human life. But today, there’s a marked gap between how many children people want to have, and how many they actually will. As birth rates plummet around the world, this book answers the urgent How did such a fundamental human experience drift so far out of reach?
Spurred by the unexpected obstacles she encountered in her own quest to become a parent, journalist and cultural critic Anna Louie Sussman explores what is keeping us from having the families we desire. She asks, in this era of extraordinary opportunity for women, soaring income inequality, and incalculable environmental change, who gets to have children, and why?
Through intimate portraits of individuals and couples who find their parenthood project stymied by barriers their own parents could never have imagined, Sussman shows how decades of policy choices that elevated profits over people and individualism over community has left young people increasingly unable to envision a future in which they and their would-be children might thrive.
In this wide-ranging and deeply reported analysis, Sussman introduces us to an American nurse whose student loans keep him and his wife from trying for the family they’ve always wanted, and a Polish lawyer barred from receiving IVF as a single woman. She shows how young South Koreans’ disgust with a hypercompetitive education system and job market have helped bring the country’s fertility rate to the lowest in the world, and why even the stellar family policies of the Nordic states are not enough to combat the sense that the future grows more uncertain and inhospitable to children with every passing day. The stories she shares illustrate the profoundly human cost of what happens when those who dream of having a child are unable to experience that love.
A singular and timely investigation into how everything from partnership to education to the very process of creating a baby has been altered by a capitalist system run amok, Untitled is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the universal challenges (and triumphs) of building families in our uncertain age.
Spurred by the unexpected obstacles she encountered in her own quest to become a parent, journalist and cultural critic Anna Louie Sussman explores what is keeping us from having the families we desire. She asks, in this era of extraordinary opportunity for women, soaring income inequality, and incalculable environmental change, who gets to have children, and why?
Through intimate portraits of individuals and couples who find their parenthood project stymied by barriers their own parents could never have imagined, Sussman shows how decades of policy choices that elevated profits over people and individualism over community has left young people increasingly unable to envision a future in which they and their would-be children might thrive.
In this wide-ranging and deeply reported analysis, Sussman introduces us to an American nurse whose student loans keep him and his wife from trying for the family they’ve always wanted, and a Polish lawyer barred from receiving IVF as a single woman. She shows how young South Koreans’ disgust with a hypercompetitive education system and job market have helped bring the country’s fertility rate to the lowest in the world, and why even the stellar family policies of the Nordic states are not enough to combat the sense that the future grows more uncertain and inhospitable to children with every passing day. The stories she shares illustrate the profoundly human cost of what happens when those who dream of having a child are unable to experience that love.
A singular and timely investigation into how everything from partnership to education to the very process of creating a baby has been altered by a capitalist system run amok, Untitled is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the universal challenges (and triumphs) of building families in our uncertain age.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 8, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 22, 2026
Disappointingly, Sussman never grapples with the fact that the main reason people are having fewer children today is because they want to. The stories about people struggling to have children are good, but stories of people who don't want children, or only want one, barely register ("impossibility" is in the title - but, spoiler alert, she has a baby). Today's completing nonfiction writers often seem to want to explain more than they can, which is a shame.
September 9, 2026
A personal and deeply researched bool about just why and how it’s become so hard - inconceivable, really - to want and to have children.
Given Sussman’s focus on individual stories, including her own, her most poignant and deeply felt observation is one that cannot be reduced to any policy prescription. “The world in which we live is not designed for love,” she writes. It is this sentence alone that conveys the weight of what every individual, parent or not, is up against.
Between the algorithms and the pornography, the private equity firms racing to take sex out of human reproduction, the chemicals in our food, the inability to afford housing or health insurance, the desecration and warming of the planet, the persistent global inequality between the sexes—there are real barriers that not even the most profound form of love—the bond between parent and child—alone is enough to overcome. And as Norway, with its famously generous parental leave and universal health care, demonstrates, even government support cannot insulate people from the uncertainty of the world in which they are deciding to have children.
“It takes people—and resources,” as one of Sussman’s interviewees puts it, to conceive and raise a child. Real people, who form the communities that support the enormous task of raising children. Real resources, which provide the housing, feeding, clothing, and stability of those children. Real love, between parents and their children, between people choosing to bring a child into the world and between those parents and the community around them. It would also take real and mutual respect between citizens and their government, for decisions made on individuals’ behalf to actually serve what they want and need.
More here: https://interruptrr.substack.com/p/bo...
Given Sussman’s focus on individual stories, including her own, her most poignant and deeply felt observation is one that cannot be reduced to any policy prescription. “The world in which we live is not designed for love,” she writes. It is this sentence alone that conveys the weight of what every individual, parent or not, is up against.
Between the algorithms and the pornography, the private equity firms racing to take sex out of human reproduction, the chemicals in our food, the inability to afford housing or health insurance, the desecration and warming of the planet, the persistent global inequality between the sexes—there are real barriers that not even the most profound form of love—the bond between parent and child—alone is enough to overcome. And as Norway, with its famously generous parental leave and universal health care, demonstrates, even government support cannot insulate people from the uncertainty of the world in which they are deciding to have children.
“It takes people—and resources,” as one of Sussman’s interviewees puts it, to conceive and raise a child. Real people, who form the communities that support the enormous task of raising children. Real resources, which provide the housing, feeding, clothing, and stability of those children. Real love, between parents and their children, between people choosing to bring a child into the world and between those parents and the community around them. It would also take real and mutual respect between citizens and their government, for decisions made on individuals’ behalf to actually serve what they want and need.
More here: https://interruptrr.substack.com/p/bo...
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Adding children to a family has, for centuries, been a natural step in the life cycle, as expected and anticipated as the sun rising in the east. For those wishing to conceive or adopt in today's day and age, however, the obstacles to parenthood loom ever greater, and birth rates around the world are plummeting as a result. Spurred by her own struggles to conceive, author Anna Louie Sussman explores what's keeping people from having the families they desire in an age of extraordinary opportunity for women, soaring income inequality, and incalculable environmental change.
Through microcosmic investigations into couples barriers to their parenthood projects, Sussman shows how decades of policy choices that elevated profits over people and individualism over community has left young people increasingly unable to envision a future in which they and their would-be children might thrive. With thorough research and attention to detail, Sussman illustrates the deeply human cost paid by parents and would-be parents whose dreams are crushed by a capitalist system that's commodified everything from romance, to education, to the process of procreation itself. An ode to the challenges (and, sometimes, triumphs) of building a family in an uncertain age, "Inconceivable" is a must-read for those seeking to understand the barriers to parenthood in a world bent on profits over all.
I am admittedly childfree, but am fascinated by the demands of parenthood in an increasingly unjust world, and this was a really poignant and sorrowful read - peppered by resistance and hope - that definitely made me empathetic for anyone looking to have kids (whether through conception or adoption). I think the author expertly weaved her own struggles to add to her family with the stories of her interviewees and research from a bird's eye view, and I love that she focused on worldwide trends in addition to a thorough view of parenthood in the United States. While stalwartly hopeful, the book definitely highlights a lot of obvious and many hidden barriers to parenthood which I was learning about for the first time, and which will definitely make you even more upset at the way things are now. I feel like I have examined parenthood from a lot of different angles as someone who is not interested in having kids, and I can say I learned quite a bit from this book, which is aways a goal when picking up something new.
I think overall the author's message to readers is that, a la Jeff Goldblum/Ian Malcom, "life, uh, finds a way", though the lengths one goes to in achieving their goal may have a high cost or look somewhat different than one expected. Ultimately, changes in how we as a local, federal, and global society approach parenthood and human value will have to change significantly, lest we continue on our current path of delayed or completely deferred parenthood. In the meantime, Sussman offers hope and a look at the different paths parenthood can take, and the changes that you can start advocating for in your communities and on a larger scale to make parenthood a more feasible reality for generations to come. A great non-fiction pick (especially with election season coming) that hits a lot of intersectional and human notes that I think readers will really resonate with!
Through microcosmic investigations into couples barriers to their parenthood projects, Sussman shows how decades of policy choices that elevated profits over people and individualism over community has left young people increasingly unable to envision a future in which they and their would-be children might thrive. With thorough research and attention to detail, Sussman illustrates the deeply human cost paid by parents and would-be parents whose dreams are crushed by a capitalist system that's commodified everything from romance, to education, to the process of procreation itself. An ode to the challenges (and, sometimes, triumphs) of building a family in an uncertain age, "Inconceivable" is a must-read for those seeking to understand the barriers to parenthood in a world bent on profits over all.
I am admittedly childfree, but am fascinated by the demands of parenthood in an increasingly unjust world, and this was a really poignant and sorrowful read - peppered by resistance and hope - that definitely made me empathetic for anyone looking to have kids (whether through conception or adoption). I think the author expertly weaved her own struggles to add to her family with the stories of her interviewees and research from a bird's eye view, and I love that she focused on worldwide trends in addition to a thorough view of parenthood in the United States. While stalwartly hopeful, the book definitely highlights a lot of obvious and many hidden barriers to parenthood which I was learning about for the first time, and which will definitely make you even more upset at the way things are now. I feel like I have examined parenthood from a lot of different angles as someone who is not interested in having kids, and I can say I learned quite a bit from this book, which is aways a goal when picking up something new.
I think overall the author's message to readers is that, a la Jeff Goldblum/Ian Malcom, "life, uh, finds a way", though the lengths one goes to in achieving their goal may have a high cost or look somewhat different than one expected. Ultimately, changes in how we as a local, federal, and global society approach parenthood and human value will have to change significantly, lest we continue on our current path of delayed or completely deferred parenthood. In the meantime, Sussman offers hope and a look at the different paths parenthood can take, and the changes that you can start advocating for in your communities and on a larger scale to make parenthood a more feasible reality for generations to come. A great non-fiction pick (especially with election season coming) that hits a lot of intersectional and human notes that I think readers will really resonate with!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was an insightful read about the complex obstacles involved in starting a family in today’s unpredictable world.
Inconceivable is well-written and engaging. I loved how the author shared her parenting journey alongside others' deeply moving accounts. I also appreciate the balanced approach of interviewing both sexes across the world, as it ensured a fair examination of the topic.
I thought the findings were fascinating and wide-ranging. Those that wanted a family someday had problems with dating apps, student debt, time consumption due to work/life management, parenting expectations, and income concerns. Other individuals focused their future worries on fertility concerns, childfree movements, and environmental reasons. It was also interesting to learn that this is a global issue and not just America’s problem.
Overall, this book is a well-rounded read that closely examines the obstacles that are in the way of starting a family. I highly recommend it for anyone curious about the topic or wanting to understand why birth rates are dropping.
Thank you NetGalley and Day Street Books for the ARC(advanced reader copy) in return for an honest review.
Inconceivable is well-written and engaging. I loved how the author shared her parenting journey alongside others' deeply moving accounts. I also appreciate the balanced approach of interviewing both sexes across the world, as it ensured a fair examination of the topic.
I thought the findings were fascinating and wide-ranging. Those that wanted a family someday had problems with dating apps, student debt, time consumption due to work/life management, parenting expectations, and income concerns. Other individuals focused their future worries on fertility concerns, childfree movements, and environmental reasons. It was also interesting to learn that this is a global issue and not just America’s problem.
Overall, this book is a well-rounded read that closely examines the obstacles that are in the way of starting a family. I highly recommend it for anyone curious about the topic or wanting to understand why birth rates are dropping.
Thank you NetGalley and Day Street Books for the ARC(advanced reader copy) in return for an honest review.
September 11, 2026
Inconceivable is an inclusive, long-needed discussion of the contemporary struggles behind wanting and starting a family. Or, as in my case, even choosing to be childfree. I appreciated the global perspective of the interviews and research, highlighting changes over time, gender and racial differences. Maybe class could have been delved into more, but that's me being picky. The Unwilling and Unable chapter really resonated with my own childfree choices based around the morality of bringing a child into the current state of the world, and it was nice to see that reflected. Mostly, I appreciated Inconceivable for highlighting the multitude of reasons and circumstances behind being childfree/childless and the struggles those couples who wish to start a family face in today's world.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 25, 2026
This book covers so many different concepts while still sticking to the field of reproduction and fertility. Why are birth-rates declining in many countries? Difficulty in finding a partner in the modern age, raising costs in having children, debt-ridden millennials, professional priorities and the expense of fertility treatments are all factors that are explored. Honestly, I found this book jarring and depressing to have it all laid out like that. This is an important book, though, that examines how society has to change in order for the human race to repopulate and succeed. I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
September 11, 2026
An excellent exploration of why birth rates are dropping and all the political, economic, and environmental forces working against parenthood today. I want to put this right in the hands of anyone who says not having kids is "selfish".
September 15, 2026
Beautifully reported and written. Essential reading for anyone interested in demography and the future of families.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews