Single Mothers by Choice

June 15, 1994
In this well-written and informative book, Mattes examines aspects of single motherhood. Her study functions as both a handbook for those who are single mothers by choice as well as a guide for women who are considering taking the plunge. Mattes's suggestions run the gamut from ideas about becoming pregnant or adopting to dealing with relatives, neighbors, and strangers, from parenting and answering the "daddy" questions to handling the legal aspects of parenthood. Appendixes include addresses of support groups, sample legal agreements, and a list of further readings. Although there are a number of books dealing with single parenthood, Mattes's guide deals with a special subset of that group: women who have chosen to parent alone. This very clearly written book is recommended for both public and academic libraries.-Kay Brodie, Chesapeake Coll., Wye Mills, Md.