A funny, tough-minded case for being and having an only child, debunking the myths about only children and taking glory in the pleasures of singletons: "A swift and absorbing read...may change your mind and the national conversation" (Psychology Today).

Journalist Lauren Sandler is an only child and the mother of one. After investigating what only children are really like and whether stopping at one child is an answer to reconciling motherhood and modernity, she learned a lot about herself--and a lot about our culture's assumptions. In this heartfelt work, Sandler legitimizes a...