Boundless: An Abortion Doctor Becomes a Mother - Paperback

by Christine Henneberg (Author)

WINNER, 2022 Publisher's Weekly BookLife Prize in Nonfiction

"Engaging, thoughtful, and tragically timely"

-Kirkus Reviews

"A brave and profoundly beautiful book"

-Verlyn Klinkenborg

In Boundless, respected writer and physician Christine Henneberg takes on the most polarizing and provocative issue of our time: What does it mean to choose-or choose not-to have a child, and what does it mean when that choice isn't yours to make? As a young physician in training, Henneberg imagines deliberately shaping her life by her choices. But when she finds herself pregnant and performing late-term abortions, she is forced to reckon with the hardest questions: What is the source of her agency and the root of her ambition? What does it mean to make a "good" choice when so little is under her control? And how can she maintain her boundaries in a world of boundless love-the world of motherhood? Her answers, bravely and beautifully articulated, lie at the heart of this provocative, tender, deeply empathic memoir.

With a courageous, unflinching voice and a singular perspective from the abortion frontlines, Boundless raises radical and essential questions about boundaries, bodies, and the meaning of choice.

From the judges of the 2022 BookLife Prize in Nonfiction: "Boundless is a marvel of a book, at once deeply personal and very relevant to our current cultural moment. Henneberg's prose and pacing are remarkably sharp and yet also so lovely, that, as a reader, I found myself carried along by the words and then knocked over by Henneberg's unflinching look at the healthcare system, abortion rights, motherhood-and herself."

"Boundless is a deeply personal book about commitment-to one's career, to love and family, and to one's self. Dr. Henneberg traverses the difficult road toward becoming a doctor while balancing her marriage and family. It is an eye-opening read of someone who has found purpose in her work in abortion care." -Diana Greene Foster, author of The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, A Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having-or Being Denied-an Abortion

"Boundless is a stark, honest account of an imperfect medical system and a physician who strives to hold it, and herself, to higher standards, with the goal of providing humane, compassionate abortion care. Dr. Henneberg's personal and professional exploration of the decision of whether and when to become a parent within these politically charged times is an engaging and thought-provoking read." -Julie F. Kay, co-author of Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Women's Reproductive Freedoms