Thursday, August 30, 2012

The Birth House by Ami McKay

The Birth House by Ami McKay
In 1916, Dora Rare, age 17 begins working with Mrs. B, the midwife in their town in Nova Scotia. The story chronicles her life as a doctor comes to town touting medicated births and paid "assurance" - an early form of health insurance. Many of the town's men leave to fight in WWI, Dora continues to help women with their female ailments, gets married, and is diagnosed with "hysteria" by the doctor who "treats" the "ailment" with a vibrator. Dora gets an up close view of the women's sufferage movement and eventually continues working as a midwife.

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