A Termination

Poet Moore (Our Revolution) meditates on the emotional consequences of her 1969 abortion in this exquisite memoir. After she became pregnant at 23—either by her older lover or a photographer she “unwillingly had sex with”—Moore was embarrassed to tell her parents, her lover, or most of her friends. She ultimately decided to terminate the pregnancy, obtaining a letter of approval from a psychiatrist after convincing him she’d “go crazy if I had a baby.” Following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Moore was moved to revisit the experience and put “a mirror to the past.” In fragmentary, lyrical chapters, she examines the feelings of liberation and fear her choice stirred in her, and imagines how her life may have unfolded if had she chosen differently. Piercing imagery (“Run fast, little girl, outrun rabbits and doctors, outwit them thoroughly”) and ruthless concision characterize Moore’s prose, resulting in an artful battle cry against backsliding into the secrecy of previous generations. Marked by Moore’s stunning balance of compassion and rage, this is a triumph. Agent: Rebecca Nagel, Wylie Agency. (Aug.)