It is surprising (sadly) that books like this are still 'necessary' nowadays. An analysis on motherhood, give birth, feed a baby... this book offers a necessary look on the shortcomings in our (well, basically white European, in this case centered in the region of Spain and in particular, Catalonia) structures, cultures and systems (not that Vivas doesn't talk sometimes of other women, babies and/or families of different backgrounds, but this is a work that seems centered on a very particular type of women, with a particular educational background and economic situation). The best is the analysis on how the medical, the politics and the corporations work 'together' to rig the system around giving birth, babies, feeding of babies... in a web in which many people end up taking part, in many cases unconsciously, reinforcing some ideas that do not help women and/or children. With physical and psychological consequences.
Of course, there are some shortcomings too. The book is too jumpy, which make it kind of a mess/repetitive, going from a topic to another to then go back to the first topic. It is also, sadly, as with every work of non-fiction, a slave of the system: it has to get published, get through some particular type of academia... And anyone who has gone through that system knows that the system is in favor of a particular type of 'revolutionary' voices, which deep down, conform to the system. If not, how come Vivas uses the WHO as a way to defend some of her ideas? Whatever you think of the WHO, it is part of those medical, political, money problems she comments throughout her book. Then, why trust them and not some of the doctors or medical workers whose work is criticized in the book? Also, there is little new here, as all that structural, etc. violence has been known for a while. There is some focus in some particular of violence, though, that is important to know and care for, because it has the 'science' and ' health' behind them as a justification. Also, so much talk about the babies and children, but sometimes it seems only the mother (in all its conceptions) is who matters.
Two more little criticisms are Vivas's love for 'patriarchal maternity', that must appear like twice per page, and cherry picking, using some random examples to justify an idea. Not that the idea is wrong, but you can find people with many different opinions, so, one woman saying something doesn't make it true for all women.
The best: necessary, it focuses on some types of violence that are sometimes overlooked; it can be a good stepping stone for some people who need this kind of books to 'liberate', 'open their eyes' and to help themselves
The worst: kind of one-sided (who can make a party for a child to celebrate that we are stopping breast-feeding?; and yes, she comments on the necessity to focus on all kinds of women, but she keeps focusing on these kind of privileged situations); repetitive
Alternatives: books around violence (structural, systemic, political, physical...), or books around women are many nowadays, like Cynthia Enloe's, Moon's "Sex Among Allies: Military Prostitution in U.S.-Korea Relations", Allison's "Nightwork", including fiction like Toni Morrison's "Beloved" (that Vivas talks about in one page); not so many around maternity, or not that I know of (not my field, I will look for more)
6.5/10
(Catalan translation from the Spanish original by the author)