Lady’s Hands, Lion’s Heart

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 | American Literature

This memoir by Carol Leonard is an absolute page-turner. I found myself giggling non-stop with story after funny story; moved and fascinated by the diversity of people’s lives. Carol was one of the first midwives in the resurgence of homebirth midwifery in the ‘70s in the USA. After an apprenticeship with an aging doctor, she takes on most of the births in the area, and is instrumental in the training and registration of midwives through the 70’s and 80’s. At the same time she falls in love with an obstetrician, ironically enough, and it’s as much their story as hers. He was obviously an exceptional doctor and man.

There’s certainly a lot of hippies, with communes and ashrams and people squatting in shacks in the wood, but there’s also inner-city births, a few emergency hospital births, and her own rather horrific story. Alongside births there’s abortions and illegal family-planning and women’s health examinations - including one pretty funny story involving a diaphragm painted like a blood-shot eye.

 

As a piece of history it’s great, but as a read it’s just brilliant; funny, moving, human and absolutely un-put-downable. A highly recommended book.

 

 

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