Synopses & Reviews
From the author of the "hysterically funny and unsettlingly fascinating" (Jenny Lawson) New York Times bestseller Unmentionable, a hilarious illustrated guide to the secrets of Victorian child-rearing.
Feminist historian Therese Oneill is back, to educate you on what to expect when you're expecting...a Victorian baby! In Ungovernable, Oneill conducts an unforgettable tour through the backwards, pseudoscientific, downright bizarre parenting fashions of the Victorians, advising us on:
• How to be sure you're not too ugly, sickly, or stupid to breed
• What positions and room decor will help you conceive a son
• How much beer, wine, cyanide and heroin to consume while pregnant
• How to select the best peasant teat for your child
• Which foods won't turn your children into sexual deviants
• And so much more
Endlessly surprising, wickedly funny, and filled with juicy historical tidbits and images, Ungovernable provides much-needed perspective on — and comic relief from — the age-old struggle to bring up baby.
Review
"One part sauciness, one part frankness, and one part sweet relief that readers live in the present, Oneill's book provides readers with a liberal dose of medical and women's history that's well worth taking." Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Therese Oneill is the New York Times bestselling author of Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage and Manners.