Photo: Bloomsbury Books
The down side? Excessive surveillance, lack of privacy and the fact that these women are there to have children that will not be theirs.
This is the premise of Joanne Ramos' book, “The Farm”.
Golden Oaks is a luxurious complex, where several women are hired to be surrogates for couples who can’t have their own children. They are provided with a luxurious room, nutritionally complete meals, trainers, massages and lots of money. Everything is prepared so that the babies are born as healthy as possible, and in the best possible conditions.
Unlike other books that let us know the side of people who resort to surrogates, in “The Farm” we learn the history and the motivations of those who accept to carry someone else’s child. It’s not a whim or the aspiration of having great money, it’s the necessity of changing their lives and creating a better future for their own children, the search for a better future, for them and their families.
Photo: @biblioteka.katowice.filia25 (via Instagram)
Although it is a controversial and ethically questionable topic, the conditions to which these women have access are favorable and designed for a calm and peaceful pregnancy. Which made us think about all the women who submit to being surrogate, but don’t have these conditions. How regulated are these processes? Who takes care of these pregnant women and the babies they are carrying? And how do they do it? How many women are really volunteering and how many are forced to do so?
Above all, “The Farm” is a book that makes us think about and question our reality. It is, therefore, one of our suggestions for the Josefinas’ Book Club in November.
Photo: @whatciarareads (via Instagram)
Did you know that the author of “The Farm”, Joanne Ramos, is part of the board of a non-profit organization, The Moth, that seeks to provide space and tools for people to develop the art of personal storytelling? Another reason to follow her work!
Joins us in this reading and share your opinion using #JosefinasBookClub on Instagram.
