"Della Leavitt illuminates with grace and pathos the demands, often hidden from view, of motherhood and marriage. Vivian's Decision is a moving portrait of a woman on the edge--of a life-altering choice, of change, of self-discovery."--Christine Sneed, best-selling author of Little Known Facts and Paris, He Said

"With a storyteller's skill and a historian's eye for detail, Leavitt transports us to 1950s Chicago, weaving a rich and harrowing story of a woman breaking free from the burdens of the past to decide her own future."--Frances De Pontes Peebles, author of The Air You Breathe

"Della Leavitt's exhaustive research and attention to detail shows on every page of this masterful work. Vivian's Decision is heartwarming and heartbreaking in equal measure."--Goldie Goldbloom, author of On Division, winner of the 2020 Association of Jewish Libraries Jewish Fiction Award

"Engaging and historically compelling . . ."--Kirkus Reviews

"A tender, charming, and generous story, filled with affection and deep knowing."--Abby Geni, author of The Body Farm

"A tender and gripping portrait of a mother and daughter in post-war suburban Chicago. This book becomes a meditation on community, solidarity, and courage."--Rachel Swearingen, author of How to Walk on Water

"Compassionate and immersive. In her riveting debut novel, Della Leavitt shows us the universal and yet deeply personal challenge women face when another child may be more they can bear. As in the best historical novels, Vivian's Decision tells a story of the past that is painfully relevant today."--Mary Kay Zuravleff, author of American Ending

"I couldn't put this book down. Its final coda offers a gut punch from which I won't soon recover."--Lindsay Hunter, author of Hot Springs Drive

"It's rare that historical fiction relates so powerfully to current themes. Della Leavitt has written a brave and important story."--Susan Levi, Off Campus Writers' Workshop director of programs

"It's an immigrant story. It's a woman's story. A love story and a family saga about generations of women faced with an agonizing moral choice made in a time when choices were not only illegal but dangerous to your health."--Andrea Change, executive director of Guild Literary Complex

"Not only a well-crafted historical fiction debut but also a rich and poignant family drama. Vivian's Decision will appeal to women everywhere who grapple with how to balance family obligations, religious teachings, personal aspirations, and their own emotional well-being. I couldn't put it down."--Maggie Smith, author of Truth and Other Lies and Blindspot

"Vivian's struggles show in stark, but exquisite detail the contradictions inherent in women's lives in the 1950s. Every word on every page rings 100 percent true. Vivian will stay with me for a long, long time."--Virginia McCullough, author of Amber Light

"Vivian's Decision is a warm, embracing novel--a text of a time. Set in the Midwest in the fifties, in both city and suburb, the story could be so many women's history."--Sandra Scofield, author of Little Ships and National Book Award Finalist for Beyond Deserving