Editorial Review:

"Well-researched and engaging . . . Birth is a clever, almost irreverent look at an enduring everyday miracle. (A-)" --Entertainment Weekly
"Wonderful. Packed full of information, 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 great process that is human reproduction. Why is it that every culture and generation seems to have its own ideas about the best way to give birth? Cassidy explores the physical, anthropological, political, and religious factors that have and will continue to influence how women bring new life into the world.

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Required reading for new mothers:

So many of my friends were pushed into birth experiences that were not what they expected by not knowing what to expect when you get to the hospital, and why things are the way they are right now in the US. The truth is that it IS possible to have a positive childbirth experience, you just have to work to get it. Don't expect the hospital or doctors to look out for you, as they are working for the benefit of the hospital and not you. Read this book, get informed, find out what you want, and find... more info

Read for entertainment, not information:

After hearing the birth stories of her mother and grandmother and after her own emergency C-section, Tina Cassidy starts contemplating the history of childbearing methods, starting with why it's so much harder for us to bear children than for a rhesus monkey (biped and big brain). She then examines midwives, where we give birth, doctors, pain relief, C-sections, forceps and other tools, and the role of the father.
Some of this book is truely squirm-inducing. She describes the horrific ways women have... more info

This book is wonderful!:

The beginning drew me in right away! Some of the facts that Tina Cassidy had discovered, I was surprised about!

One of the best books written today on birth:

If you are pregnant, were pregnant, want to be pregnant, will be pregnant or any combination of the above, read this book. It acurately highlights the problems with birth in the United States today, offering an historical, scientific, and sociological view. It is dense, but well-written, and you will be so enthralled by her words that you will finish it within a day.

Similar Products:

Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care by Jennifer Block (Paperback) - Usually ships in 24 hours

Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed to Put Women and... by Marsden Wagner (Paperback) - Usually ships in 24 hours

Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali by Kris Holloway; Consulting Editor John Bidwell (Paperback) - Usually ships in 24 hours

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin (Paperback) - Usually ships in 24 hours

The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer, Rhonda Wheeler (Paperback) - Usually ships in 24 hours

Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife by Peggy Vincent (Paperback) - Usually ships in 24 hours

A Midwife's Story by Penny Armstrong, Sheryl Feldman (Paperback) - Usually ships in 24 hours

Birthing from Within: An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation by Pam England, Rob Horowitz (Paperback) - Usually ships in 24 hours

Vaginal Politics: A midwife story by Judy Lee (Paperback) - Usually ships in 24 hours