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The Motherhood Mandate
She dreamed of adventure. Now she’s detained by the authorities. Her crime? She’s pregnant.
Rylee Williams is looking forward to a fun-filled gap year before she heads East for college. An extended trip to Europe. Volunteering for her congregation’s Home Mission. Maybe even mentoring for her old high school’s robotics team.
Pregnancy was the last thing that she expected. Detained under the Unborn Child Protection Act and forced into the Wisconsin Individual Family Education program with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Rylee struggles to navigate in a world that has reduced her to a walking womb.
Can this strong-willed mother-to-be reclaim her life . . . and her future?
Set in 2028, this chilling companion to The Fatherhood Mandate, M. E. Wright offers frightening insight into current cultural and political trajectories. The Motherhood Mandate digs deeply into the endgame of authoritarian governments and their silver-tongued rhetoric. Explore the repercussions of our current-day culture war. Get your copy now!
Rylee Williams is looking forward to a fun-filled gap year before she heads East for college. An extended trip to Europe. Volunteering for her congregation’s Home Mission. Maybe even mentoring for her old high school’s robotics team.
Pregnancy was the last thing that she expected. Detained under the Unborn Child Protection Act and forced into the Wisconsin Individual Family Education program with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Rylee struggles to navigate in a world that has reduced her to a walking womb.
Can this strong-willed mother-to-be reclaim her life . . . and her future?
Set in 2028, this chilling companion to The Fatherhood Mandate, M. E. Wright offers frightening insight into current cultural and political trajectories. The Motherhood Mandate digs deeply into the endgame of authoritarian governments and their silver-tongued rhetoric. Explore the repercussions of our current-day culture war. Get your copy now!
234 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 18, 2024
3 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 25, 2024
This was really great! A very worrying, possible representation of a completely government controlled dystopian world! Where women have not choice! But neither do men! A well written, interesting story with quite high levels of angst, which is certainly understandable considering the circumstances of the characters. A fast paced gripping tale! I will definitely look for more by this writer!
July 2, 2024
Set in 2028 you get to learn Rylee's story on how she's going through the new modern day struggles of a pregnant woman.
Could you imagine being arrested for being pregnant? Rylee couldn't, but did and it's extremely insightful to what may very well happen if the world keeps going the way it is.
M.E. Wright has done her research and given us a story that can be well connected with and very compelling. She shows that as women we can be resilient, strong, and even powerful. It's a must read!
Could you imagine being arrested for being pregnant? Rylee couldn't, but did and it's extremely insightful to what may very well happen if the world keeps going the way it is.
M.E. Wright has done her research and given us a story that can be well connected with and very compelling. She shows that as women we can be resilient, strong, and even powerful. It's a must read!
July 20, 2024
I cannot recommend enough to listen to this audiobook in conjunction with The Fatherhood Mandate. This is Riley's side of the story and just as excellent as Sam's. Elena Moore's narration is pure perfection and the two audiobooks work seamlessly together. I cannot recommend these enough!;
A book for our tumultuous times, speculative fiction that ponders an authoritarian, dystopic future. Would things be different if men had to share the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy in a state where voluntarily ending a pregnancy is illegal? Would it be different if they were not allowed to travel out of state, go to a bar, have their interactions watched, their electronic devices? Being forced by law to go through hours of a tens machine birthing simulation and hours of parenting/ relationship classes?
Zack and Rily broke up. Riley was chaos, a self-absorbed, materialistic rich kid, a spoilt daughter of a deeply religious mother. Zack was about to start college on a tennis scholarship at his dream school, it was just a matter of all the pieces falling into place
Despite breaking up, Zack and Riley hooked up again when he came home in the summer, Riley told Zack throughout she was on the pill, but could no longer take it because she couldn't get pregnant. She didn't like condoms. She was always in the mood and wild in bed. This was Zacks kryptonite that he could not resist and did not insist on using protection
The book opens with Riley desperately trying to get back together with Zack, after breaking up with him again, but this time, Zack is done, he won't get back together, he is starting a new life in fall at college, but her words resonate with him, "things have changed"
Until one day, when out with friends, Zacks mother calls him, demanding he comes home immediately, furious, catatonic. Zack's mother Wendy attends the same church as Riley's mom and is hyer-focussed on reputation and face, so any strange visitors have the curtains twitching. Zack gets home to see an official in the house, with a manilla envelope. Riley is incarcerated, because she is 7 weeks pregnant and his life and all of his plans are about to crumble to dust
The book is so well written, it explores both sides of the debate, the impact on families, the communities and the individual freedoms and rights and social interactions. No matter which side of the debate you are on, this book is applicable to both, to take a breath and see the different scenarios, ramificiations and impacts.
The interplay between each individual character is so well thought out and I found myself gripped right to the end, waiting for the final outcome and the DNA test, which was not what I was expecting at all.
I cannot recommend this audiobook enough
Thank you to Storyorigin for this incredible ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own
A book for our tumultuous times, speculative fiction that ponders an authoritarian, dystopic future. Would things be different if men had to share the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy in a state where voluntarily ending a pregnancy is illegal? Would it be different if they were not allowed to travel out of state, go to a bar, have their interactions watched, their electronic devices? Being forced by law to go through hours of a tens machine birthing simulation and hours of parenting/ relationship classes?
Zack and Rily broke up. Riley was chaos, a self-absorbed, materialistic rich kid, a spoilt daughter of a deeply religious mother. Zack was about to start college on a tennis scholarship at his dream school, it was just a matter of all the pieces falling into place
Despite breaking up, Zack and Riley hooked up again when he came home in the summer, Riley told Zack throughout she was on the pill, but could no longer take it because she couldn't get pregnant. She didn't like condoms. She was always in the mood and wild in bed. This was Zacks kryptonite that he could not resist and did not insist on using protection
The book opens with Riley desperately trying to get back together with Zack, after breaking up with him again, but this time, Zack is done, he won't get back together, he is starting a new life in fall at college, but her words resonate with him, "things have changed"
Until one day, when out with friends, Zacks mother calls him, demanding he comes home immediately, furious, catatonic. Zack's mother Wendy attends the same church as Riley's mom and is hyer-focussed on reputation and face, so any strange visitors have the curtains twitching. Zack gets home to see an official in the house, with a manilla envelope. Riley is incarcerated, because she is 7 weeks pregnant and his life and all of his plans are about to crumble to dust
The book is so well written, it explores both sides of the debate, the impact on families, the communities and the individual freedoms and rights and social interactions. No matter which side of the debate you are on, this book is applicable to both, to take a breath and see the different scenarios, ramificiations and impacts.
The interplay between each individual character is so well thought out and I found myself gripped right to the end, waiting for the final outcome and the DNA test, which was not what I was expecting at all.
I cannot recommend this audiobook enough
Thank you to Storyorigin for this incredible ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own
July 8, 2024
"The Motherhood Mandate" by M.E. Wright is a haunting and provocative sequel that expands on the dystopian world introduced in "The Fatherhood Mandate." Set in a near-future Wisconsin, this novel offers a chilling perspective on reproductive rights through the eyes of Rylee Williams, a young woman whose life is upended by an unexpected pregnancy.
Wright's storytelling is both captivating and disquieting as she paints a vivid picture of a society where personal freedom has been sacrificed on the altar of fetal protection. The author's meticulous world-building creates an atmosphere of suffocating oppression that lingers throughout the narrative.
What truly sets this book apart is its unflinching exploration of the female experience under extreme pro-birth legislation. Through Rylee's journey, readers witness the dehumanizing effects of a system that views women primarily as vessels for childbearing. The mandatory Wisconsin Individual Family Education program serves as a stark metaphor for the loss of bodily autonomy and personal choice.
The novel skillfully balances Rylee's personal struggles with broader societal implications, offering a frightening glimpse into the potential consequences of current political trajectories. Wright raises thought-provoking questions about the nature of freedom, the reach of government control, and the true meaning of "pro-life" policies.
Rylee's complicated relationship with her on-and-off boyfriend adds depth to the story, highlighting the strain that forced parenthood places on personal connections. Their shared ordeal under this oppressive system is both poignant and infuriating.
While the book clearly advocates for reproductive rights, it avoids heavy-handed moralizing. Instead, Wright allows the situations and consequences to speak for themselves, inviting readers to form their own conclusions about the ethics of such extreme measures.
"The Motherhood Mandate" serves as both a cautionary tale and a call to action, challenging readers to confront uncomfortable truths about the potential future of reproductive rights. It's an essential read for anyone interested in women's issues, political dystopias, or speculative fiction that resonates with current events.
M.E. Wright has crafted a powerful and timely novel that will stay with readers long after the final page. As the conclusion to the Unborn Child Protection Act series, "The Motherhood Mandate" solidifies Wright's position as a compelling voice in contemporary dystopian literature.
Wright's storytelling is both captivating and disquieting as she paints a vivid picture of a society where personal freedom has been sacrificed on the altar of fetal protection. The author's meticulous world-building creates an atmosphere of suffocating oppression that lingers throughout the narrative.
What truly sets this book apart is its unflinching exploration of the female experience under extreme pro-birth legislation. Through Rylee's journey, readers witness the dehumanizing effects of a system that views women primarily as vessels for childbearing. The mandatory Wisconsin Individual Family Education program serves as a stark metaphor for the loss of bodily autonomy and personal choice.
The novel skillfully balances Rylee's personal struggles with broader societal implications, offering a frightening glimpse into the potential consequences of current political trajectories. Wright raises thought-provoking questions about the nature of freedom, the reach of government control, and the true meaning of "pro-life" policies.
Rylee's complicated relationship with her on-and-off boyfriend adds depth to the story, highlighting the strain that forced parenthood places on personal connections. Their shared ordeal under this oppressive system is both poignant and infuriating.
While the book clearly advocates for reproductive rights, it avoids heavy-handed moralizing. Instead, Wright allows the situations and consequences to speak for themselves, inviting readers to form their own conclusions about the ethics of such extreme measures.
"The Motherhood Mandate" serves as both a cautionary tale and a call to action, challenging readers to confront uncomfortable truths about the potential future of reproductive rights. It's an essential read for anyone interested in women's issues, political dystopias, or speculative fiction that resonates with current events.
M.E. Wright has crafted a powerful and timely novel that will stay with readers long after the final page. As the conclusion to the Unborn Child Protection Act series, "The Motherhood Mandate" solidifies Wright's position as a compelling voice in contemporary dystopian literature.
August 23, 2024
after reading the thin blue line and the fatherhood mandate, I can definitely say, this one was my favourite, I had on my mind that Rylee was only a spoiled young woman, but I got to know her so much more in here, and it made sense the things she didn’t say to Sam and even the ones that Sam didn’t tell Rylee.
I got to listen to the audiobook, while the reading of Elena Moore was not bad, she failed in immersing me in the story the same way Tyler Boruff did, because she wasn't able to do everyone voices, but maybe that's my fault, I have been spoiled in the audiobooks that I listen.
This was a harsh story to read, but I enjoyed it a lot, and I really recommend this audiobook for everyone who likes gendered dystopias, or even reality based dystopias.
Thank you Storyorigin, for the free AAC and this is my honest opinion.
actually the story is 5 stories, but the audiobook is 4 stars for me, for what i have told before.
I got to listen to the audiobook, while the reading of Elena Moore was not bad, she failed in immersing me in the story the same way Tyler Boruff did, because she wasn't able to do everyone voices, but maybe that's my fault, I have been spoiled in the audiobooks that I listen.
This was a harsh story to read, but I enjoyed it a lot, and I really recommend this audiobook for everyone who likes gendered dystopias, or even reality based dystopias.
Thank you Storyorigin, for the free AAC and this is my honest opinion.
actually the story is 5 stories, but the audiobook is 4 stars for me, for what i have told before.
July 31, 2024
Excellent story, and narration. It made me want more, and I sought out additional stories from the author. The story is set in the near future, 2028. Based on current social norms, politics, and just human nature it is sad to say the story could be predictive. Imagine a world where neither men or women have a choice. Showing normal emotional response to a surprise pregnancy, could cause all of this! I received a free copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving my review.
July 6, 2024
M. E. Wright does a fantastic job in writing this and uses the overall idea in a interesting and suspenseful idea. The characters were everything that I was looking for especially after the Fatherhood Mandate. I was engaged with the writing and concept and glad I got to read this.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 27, 2024
Excellent. Having read the story from Sam POV it was good to see the other side. It was worth it but totally agree with the series order. Its effect was much more hard-hitting hearing Sam's story first. Our central character here is definitely still the rich spoilt kid. She goes through her own trauma's though, and is still left at the mercy of the law which means she cannot control her own body.
May 1, 2024
I read the Fatherhood Mandate, you’ve got to read the Motherhood Mandate to see everything from the other perspective. Not everything is what it may appear. I really enjoyed reading this side of the story after the fact.
May 18, 2024
Two sides to every story. The mother's side of The Fatherhood Mandate. Cannot wait to see what's next from M.E. Wright!
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January 23, 2025Interesting and surprising take from the distaff side
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews