Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born
Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born Books
Product Description
“Well-researched and engaging . . . Birth is a clever, nearly irreverent look at an enduring everyday miracle. (A-)” —Entertainment Weekly
“Wonderful. Packed full of in rank, a brilliant mixture of ancient wisdom and modern science.” —Kate Mosse, author of the New York Times best seller, Labyrinth
“Birth is a power-packed book. . . . A lively, engaging, and often witty read, a quirky, eye-opening account of one of life’s most elemental experiences.” —The Boston Globe
Published to widespread acclaim, Tina Cassidy’s smart, engaging book is the first world history of childbirth in fifty years. From evolution to the epidural and beyond, Tina Cassidy presents an intelligent, enlightening, and impeccably researched cultural history of how and why we’re born the way we are. Women have been giving birth for millennia but that’s about the only constant in the final stage of the fantastic administer that is human reproduction. Why is it that every culture and generation seems to have its own thoughts about the best way to give birth? Cassidy explores the corporal, anthropological, political, and religious factors that have and will continue to influence how women result in new life into the world.
“Wonderful. Packed full of in rank, a brilliant mixture of ancient wisdom and modern science.” —Kate Mosse, author of the New York Times best seller, Labyrinth
“Birth is a power-packed book. . . . A lively, engaging, and often witty read, a quirky, eye-opening account of one of life’s most elemental experiences.” —The Boston Globe
Published to widespread acclaim, Tina Cassidy’s smart, engaging book is the first world history of childbirth in fifty years. From evolution to the epidural and beyond, Tina Cassidy presents an intelligent, enlightening, and impeccably researched cultural history of how and why we’re born the way we are. Women have been giving birth for millennia but that’s about the only constant in the final stage of the fantastic administer that is human reproduction. Why is it that every culture and generation seems to have its own thoughts about the best way to give birth? Cassidy explores the corporal, anthropological, political, and religious factors that have and will continue to influence how women result in new life into the world.
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Cassidy’s review of history was accomplished in the year and a half after she gave birth to her first child. She was clearly disappointed with her birth experience, and she shows significant bias toward doctors, modern medicine and shows tremendous (and unbalanced) act of kindness toward midwives. Having worked in the Third World -as well as the US-and seen the horrible consequences(fistulas, stillbirths, deaths) from no prenatal care/lay midwives attending births/’natural’ births….I cannot reckon through how she can converse in of midwives with such romantic fervor. Its nearly as if she idealizes the perfect birth–and feels that it is attainable only if you have the aptly midwife, the aptly attitude, and stay away from doctors!
Rating: 3 / 5
Nothing new here for anyone who has attended prenatal classes, read articles in women’s magazines, and/or is reasonably well-read. Rather hit or miss in terms of thoroughness. Even as the author appears to make excellent use of endnotes and includes a bibliography, this book suffers from the lack of a excellent glossary. Still, I suppose there is a place for this in the well loved literature. Note: I can’t know the preponderance of excellent reviews.
Rating: 2 / 5
It is a sad,sad fact that this book is a best seller because it is evidently the best available. The topic deserves honesty and is not served by misandrous rhetoric and actual falsehoods. Tina Cassidy does a excellent job of making several vital points, if you don’t place too much value on honesty and accuracy. In fact she makes these points with more restraint than I would have (she never really says that OBs might place a patient’s life at risk in order to make their tee time at the golf course). There are serious and pervasive problems with the medical profession ,especially in OB-GYN, in this people. It is unnecessary to resort to flat out lies ,statistical cheats, and distortions to damn the birthing industry.
Part of the problem is Tina Cassidy’s background. She was indeed a journalist. But covering realestate and sports business news does not prepare you for investigative or schollarly work in history and medecine.
Rating: 3 / 5
I have been fascinated by pregnancy and birth since the first moment I was taught how babies are made. I can also remember the horror I felt when my mother told me of the dreadful experiences she had with doctors in the U.S. forty years ago. She chose to have me ten years later with a midwife at home.
This book describes, I reckon, a pretty balanced and complete view of the history of birth. It’s not Tina Cassidy’s fault if history shows that doctors over time have acted quite barbaricly through out the world. She is simply presenting the facts. She also points out some of the honestly weird habits of midwives in the past.
Todays doctors are very well trained in the technological ways of birthing a baby, but they often forget the importance of compassion for the mother (and father) during such an emotional and energy charged time. I was fortunated to have a doctor, with my second birth, who believed in my ability and strength as much as I did myself. Not all doctors are “terrible”, midwives are just better known for showing the private touch.
I gave this book four stars because she clearly believes in evolution, and depicts it as a part of history. I judge we were made by God, not as monkeys, but as human beings. Evolution is not part of history, therefore is certainly an inaccurate part of this book.
Overall though, she has described a very right depiction of how we have been and are born. We’ve come a long way. Thank goodness for modern technology, and intelligence.:-)
Rating: 4 / 5
I plotting this book was going to be a study of infants in the womb and the ‘connect’ that happens between mother and child. Rather it was a history of the labor administer, medical and matter-of-fact. Not that , that particular theme is a terrible one but I was mislead by the cover a small bit.
Rating: 3 / 5