We Are Family: what really matters for parents and children

‘Fresh and exquisite narratives of intimacy; this is, at heart, a book about love.’ — Andrew Solomon, author of Far from the Tree ‘Golombok refutes fear and prejudice with evidence and facts. Bravo!’ — Peter Tatchell Our understanding of what makes a family has undergone a revolution in the last few decades, from same-sex parenthood to surrogacy, donor conception, and IVF. But what has the impact been on children? In We Are Family, Professor Susan Golombok visits lesbian mothers, gay fathers, single parents, donor conception parents, co-parents, trans parents, surrogates, and donors, and, more importantly, their children, to find out if they are as well-adjusted, happy, and emotionally stable as children from traditional nuclear families. And she discovers that the answer is yes — and sometimes even more so. Susan’s work at the Centre for Family Research at Cambridge proves that any family set-up can provide a loving, secure home for a child — although, the children from these families will often face prejudiced attitudes from others. Since the 1970s, when she was first drawn to this area of research after reading about lesbian mothers whose children were being removed from their care, Susan has worked tirelessly to challenge outdated attitudes and prevent families being split up for no good reason. This book tells the stories of those families — their struggles and their triumphs — while celebrating love and family in all its wonderful variations.