I Know What’s Best For You:
Stories On Reproductive Freedom

Edited by Shelly Oria—author and editor of Indelible in the Hippocampus—this explosive, intersectional collection of essays, fiction, poems, plays, and more, explores the universality of human reproductive experiences, as well as their distinct individuality.

An enlisted sailor must choose between her military career and keeping an unexpected pregnancy. A mother of three decides to become a surrogate, but is unprepared for everything that happens next. A trans man’s pregnancy forces them to approach their key relationships in a new way. A woman’s choice to live a child-free life is put to the test when her husband’s dying wish is for them to become parents. Forced sterilization camps line the borders of America in a dystopian future that may not be far off.

In their own unique and unforgettable way, each storyteller examines our crisis of access to care in ways that are at turns haunting, heartbreaking, and outright funny.

Featuring, in Order of Appearance:
Desiree Cooper, Alison Espach, Kim Gek Lin Short, Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, Kate Tarker, R.O. Kwon, Onnesha Roychoudhuri, Ama Codjoe, Riva Lehrer, Georgina Escobar, Carrie Bornstein, Tommy Orange, Yael R. Shinar, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Hannah Lillith Assadi, Khadijah Queen, Kristen Arnett, Sally Wen Mao, Mary Jo Bang, Erin Williams with Kate Novotny, Deb Olin Unferth, Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Cade Leebron, Tiphanie Yanique, Deborah Landau, Sarah Gerard, Kirstin Valdez Quade, and Shelly Oria

I Know What’s Best for You is a collaboration with the Brigid Alliance, a nationwide service that arranges and funds confidential and personal travel support to those seeking abortion care.

Praise for I Know What’s Best For You

“A resonant collection that champions reproductive freedoms in the face of widespread opposition. […] A clarion call for reproductive rights.”
—Kirkus

“Immersive…. Captivating.”
—Publishers Weekly

“In the urgency of our current moment, it is easy to feel despair; this multi-genre, creative, striking collection reminds us that reproductive freedom belongs to all people.”
—Dana Spiotta, author of Wayward

“An urgent, vital collection.”
—Peter Ho Davies, author of A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself

“A thrillingly personal and political response to the emergency we’re in.”
—Leni Zumas, author of Red Clocks

“Oria has gathered together an essential group of writers, and this book is full of wonders.”
—Nick Flynn, author of Stay

“Born into the structures of patriarchy, we often find it difficult to see through the prison bars, to imagine horizons, breaths of air, the scope of unobstructed sky. Oria’s anthology is full of chisels and chainsaws, reminders that innumerable hands are working to free us all.”
—Jolie Holland

Excerpts

Read the foreword to I Know What’s Best For You on The Rumpus

And other excerpts from the book:

Kim Gek Lin Short in BOMB Magazine
Cade Leebron in BOMB Magazine
Tommy Orange in LIt Hub
Sarah Gerard in McSweeney’s
Shelly Oria in McSweeney’s

And check out I Know What’s Best For You All Over the World, the book’s international supplement, which features sixteen writers and artists from around the globe responding to aspects of reproductive freedom in their locale. When you buy the book, you’ll receive this supplement as an ebook for free.

For more on I Know What’s Best For You check out the Press section

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in June 2022, McSweeney’s donated 25% of book proceeds from I Know What’s Best For You to The Brigid Alliance. Shelly and many of the book’s contributors recorded videos in support of the campaign. Watch to find out more.

The I Know What’s Best For You Tour

You can also view the events here.