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aminowrimo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Medical content, and Blood
Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, and Racism
Minor: Racial slurs and Rape
olivexgreen's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
I’ll admit, I started reading this because I love the BBC series. I think this book does a lot to show what life in Poplar must have been like for the people living there, the medical and financial realities of Jennifer Worth’s patients.
However, Worth writes from a place of privilege and judgement. Judgements about the nuns, her fellow midwives, her patients are made callously. I would be less put off by them if it weren’t for the fact that she says these things as she writes and not as she’s looking back.
She makes judgmental comments about her patients’ social status, their dialect, their racial/ethnic backgrounds, their homes, their bodies. She refers to wealthy London as the only civilized place in the world (a comment which is made about 2009).
If you’re looking for the compassion and kindness of the series, skip the memoirs. If you’re looking for information, give it a try.
However, Worth writes from a place of privilege and judgement. Judgements about the nuns, her fellow midwives, her patients are made callously. I would be less put off by them if it weren’t for the fact that she says these things as she writes and not as she’s looking back.
She makes judgmental comments about her patients’ social status, their dialect, their racial/ethnic backgrounds, their homes, their bodies. She refers to wealthy London as the only civilized place in the world (a comment which is made about 2009).
If you’re looking for the compassion and kindness of the series, skip the memoirs. If you’re looking for information, give it a try.
Graphic: Pregnancy, Misogyny, and Medical content
Moderate: Body shaming, Racism, Sexism, Classism, Infidelity, and Trafficking
pickledradish's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
A really fascinating look into a time period I didn't know much about before falling in love with the show. There's really a lot of information about how history and the past still affects the present. Alternates lighthearted anecdotes with some of the very difficult and tragic stories of people in awful situations, usually due to poverty. Overall has a very hopeful and reflective tone, but there's a lot of darkness in some of the stories, especially that of Mary.
Graphic: Trafficking, Sexism, and Medical content
Moderate: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, and Misogyny
Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Violence, and Rape
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