The Midwife Book Review

"The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy and Hard Times" by Jennifer Worth is an astonishing book. Worth was in her early 20s when she started working as a midwife at Nonnatus House, which was run by nuns and located in the heart of the London Docklands. Initially one would think, "Oh, London! I would have loved to see what London was like in the 1950s." But Worth's experience was quite different. After World War II London's Docklands were in horrid conditions: buildings in rubble, tarps used as roofs, deadly smog, rats, prostitution, close quarters, one bathroom to an entire building, no running hot water, the workhouse howl, and not to mention a patient who had 25 babies and was only in her 40s! Worth did not realize what she was getting herself into when she became a midwife for the London Docklands, but looking back she never would have given up the experiences she had.

Not only does Worth explain London's history during her stories, but also includes an interesting appendix explaining the Cockney dialect and a glossary for understanding medical terms (Worth does not "dumb down" this book for her readers). Worth includes personal, professional, patient, and medical stories all which I could never have imagined myself. Her memoir left me intrigued, baffled, repulsed, heartbroken, and inspired. I felt pretty much every kind of emotion during this great read! Because this memoir was such an unusual and interesting story I read it quite quickly and enjoyed every moment. I highly recommend it to anyone with a strong stomach and heart!

Here is one of my favorite heart-warming yet heart-breaking lines:

"She was his first and only love, and he lavished on her all the passion of youth, with the tenderness and consideration of maturity. Afterwards he said to me, "I am just thankful that I knew her at all. If we had not met, or if we had met and just passed each other by, all the great literature of the world, all the poets, all the great love stories would have been meaningless to me. You cannot understand what you have not experienced." "-Jennifer Worth

February is a month for lovers, so let's help fill that heart of ours with love, by reading February's read: "The Pure Heart of Yoga: Ten Essential Steps for Personal Transformation." by Robert Butera, Ph.D. As some of you may know I have been practicing yoga for over 10 years now, but have never read a book about its philosophy. Butera has studied meditation and yoga for over 25 years and currently trains yoga instructors and publishes "Yoga Living" magazine. Therefore his combination of skills, teacher and writer, should make this a wonderful book.

Happy Reading and Happy Valentine's Day! <3