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challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
challenging
informative
medium-paced
I've loved Jennifer Wright's other books, so I was very excited to see her tackle this topic. And I was even more excited when I saw that the audiobook was narrated by Mara Wilson. What a match made in heaven.
I first heard of Madame Restell while reading a book about the Blackwell sisters, the first certified female doctors in America. The Blackwells were strongly anti-abortion (and generally anti-feminist, despite advancing the careers of women in medicine), so they had a very negative view of Restell. She was considered their competition in the field of female medical care, and they also looked down on her because she did not have the formal medical education they did (which, of course, they had to fight hard to get, using resources not everyone had).
So it was nice to get an opposing viewpoint focused on Restell herself and celebrating her achievements. She's just as important a historical figure as the Blackwells and doesn't deserve to be as largely forgotten as she seems to be.
While it's clear that Wright largely admires Restell, she still does a good job of pointing out where her actions and attitudes were problematic (like giving away an infant against it's mother's wishes, or tainting the reputation of her clients in court to save herself). She was a business woman first and foremost, but does seem to have strongly believed in the ethics of the services she provided. Apart from providing pills and medical procedures, she also did a lot to increase general knowledge of the options available to women and disseminated information that was still considered strictly taboo.
The epilogue really drives home why this is an important story that should be told *now*. History often repeats itself in cycles, and it's easy to draw parallels to the period of Commstock's moral crusade, and to see how those attitudes harmed women of the past just as they are harming women of the present.
For anyone squeamish about medical history I don't remember there being anything bordering on graphic. There are of course themes that will be difficult for some -- in addition to discussion of abortion there is mention of of sexual assault and coersion, though not in any graphic detail.
Mara Wilson's narration is excellent and made it easy to listen for long stretches without losing focus or having to backtrack because I had misunderstood anything. Her accent used to quote Restell sounds more Irish that English to my ears, but it is used pretty sparingly throughout. Her tone suits Wright's wry sense of humor perfectly, and I really hope that she'll narrate any future books as well.
I first heard of Madame Restell while reading a book about the Blackwell sisters, the first certified female doctors in America. The Blackwells were strongly anti-abortion (and generally anti-feminist, despite advancing the careers of women in medicine), so they had a very negative view of Restell. She was considered their competition in the field of female medical care, and they also looked down on her because she did not have the formal medical education they did (which, of course, they had to fight hard to get, using resources not everyone had).
So it was nice to get an opposing viewpoint focused on Restell herself and celebrating her achievements. She's just as important a historical figure as the Blackwells and doesn't deserve to be as largely forgotten as she seems to be.
While it's clear that Wright largely admires Restell, she still does a good job of pointing out where her actions and attitudes were problematic (like giving away an infant against it's mother's wishes, or tainting the reputation of her clients in court to save herself). She was a business woman first and foremost, but does seem to have strongly believed in the ethics of the services she provided. Apart from providing pills and medical procedures, she also did a lot to increase general knowledge of the options available to women and disseminated information that was still considered strictly taboo.
The epilogue really drives home why this is an important story that should be told *now*. History often repeats itself in cycles, and it's easy to draw parallels to the period of Commstock's moral crusade, and to see how those attitudes harmed women of the past just as they are harming women of the present.
For anyone squeamish about medical history I don't remember there being anything bordering on graphic. There are of course themes that will be difficult for some -- in addition to discussion of abortion there is mention of of sexual assault and coersion, though not in any graphic detail.
Mara Wilson's narration is excellent and made it easy to listen for long stretches without losing focus or having to backtrack because I had misunderstood anything. Her accent used to quote Restell sounds more Irish that English to my ears, but it is used pretty sparingly throughout. Her tone suits Wright's wry sense of humor perfectly, and I really hope that she'll narrate any future books as well.
challenging
informative
medium-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
emotional
funny
informative
medium-paced
An important and inspirational story about the most famous abortionists in 1850's New York.
Madame Restell met or interacted with a bunch of other famous people at the time like Boss Tweed and Anthony Comstock.
This book does a great job showing that abortion has always existed and isn't a new invention.
Abortion is Healthcare!
Madame Restell met or interacted with a bunch of other famous people at the time like Boss Tweed and Anthony Comstock.
This book does a great job showing that abortion has always existed and isn't a new invention.
Abortion is Healthcare!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Abortion
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
dark
funny
informative
sad
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Minor: Child death