The Baby Chase by Leslie Morgan Steiner

The Baby Chase by Leslie Morgan Steiner

From the New York Times bestselling author of Crazy Love comes a riveting new narrative about surrogate pregnancy from both sides of the equation--the parents and the gestational carrier.

Once considered a desperate, even morally suspect option, surrogacy is now sweeping headlines, transforming the lives of celebrity mothers and fathers like Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman and Elton John, and changing the face of motherhood and the American family. But how much do we really know about it? And is it really as easy and accessible - emotionally, financially, legally and physically - as magazines make it out to be? We often hear about successful outcomes, but little about the journey - about the precious hope that starts it all, the ups and downs of finding a surrogate, the heartache and obstacles, the risks and expenses at every step, or the unbelievable joy when years of determination pay off. In The Baby Chase, acclaimed writer Leslie Morgan Steiner weaves three stories together -- of a nurse, a firefighter, and the Indian gestational carriers and doctors who helped them -- to provide one intensely personal look at what makes surrogacy so controversial, fascinating, and in some cases, the only ray of hope for today's infertile parents-to-be.

Rhonda Wile and her husband Gerry struggled for years with infertility. With perseverance that shocked everyone around them, they tried every procedure and option available - unsuccessfully - until they finally decided to hire a surrogate. While surrogacy was being touted as a miracle for hopeful parents, for Rhonda and Gerry, it seemed an impossible and unaffordable dream. Until they came across the beaming smile of a beautiful Indian woman on the internet... and, within a few short months, embarked on a journey that would take them deep into the emerging world of Indian carriers, international medical tourism, and the global surrogacy community.

Moving, page-turning, and meticulously researched, this complex human story is paired with an examination of the issues--religious, legal, medical and emotional--that shapes surrogacy as a solution both imperfect and life-changing.

Leslie Morgan is the bestselling author of Crazy Love and The Naked Truth, as well as a former Washington Post writer. Her TED talk, From the Ivy League to a Gun at My Head, has been seen over 5 million times and translated into more than thirty languages. Anderson Cooper 360, NPR, the Today show, MSNBC, and Fox News have all featured her. She graduated from Harvard University with a BA in English and an MBA from The Wharton School of Management.