I'm reading Mieko Kawakami's Breast and Eggs. I also recently read a short story collection by Jeffery Eugenides, one of which, Baster, was a story of an empowered woman keen on getting pregnant through artificial insemination and raising a child on her own. Set in Tokyo and New York, respectively, these stories revolved around this common theme.
Naturally, I end up using it as an ingridient for the questions I formulate for the lessons.
With Japan's looming birthrate crisis, is artifical insemination a good idea?
A student answers, "Yes, having a child, but without a husband. That's a good idea."
I felt that we laughed genuinely.
