Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Rönn boldly shares her story of a prenatal chromosomal abnormality finding that prompted her to undergo an abortion. She recounts the heart-wrenching emotions that accompanied that journey, touching on the political environment of this typically taboo topic, and advocates for women across the board to have access to abortions as part of their healthcare.
Prose: The prose is clear and immensely thoughtful, rendering Rönn's experiences in down-to-earth writing that empowers the book's focus to stay centered on her overlying theme of safeguarding abortion rights.
Originality: The content of Rönn's writing can be generalized to a wide audience, and the open, candid way she lets readers into her very intimate experience makes this book incredibly engaging.
Character/Execution: Rönn's personal story is just the start of this striking narrative; she takes into consideration contemporary events, political happenings, and other outside sources that round out the book's message.
Date Submitted: October 14, 2024
That sense of calling shines through as Rönn provides frank and intimate details about the abortion process in a way that is informative and deeply personal to her own experience, while providing up-to-date data about abortions in the U.S., her home country of Sweden and other countries. "It’s not only the stigma against abortions that makes it difficult—restrictive laws and financial constraints also play a significant role,” Rönn writes. Blending her own story with the history of birth control clinics and the laws that determine and limit women's rights, Rönn provides insight that will open the door to hard conversations about abortion.
Rönn shares raw feelings of “disenfranchised grief” and the process of "grief work,” while also exploring guilt and feeling judged for her choice in the aftermath. A healing journey, a moving act of disclosure, and an impactful call-to-action powered by a visceral sense of mission, Behind Bulletproof Glass challenges the status quo and urges women to tell their stories. Rönn makes the case that breaking “this vicious circle of stigma, shame, and silence” demands talking about abortion.
Takeaway: Resonant memoir and call-to-action about daring to talk frankly about abortion.
Comparable Titles: Bonnie Brady's And That Was That, Meera Shah's You're The Only One I've Told.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
