Sisters on a Journey: Portraits of American Midwives

In the United States, the hallowed female ground of birth may be trampled by so many doctors, nurses, and machines that the laboring woman gets lost in the rush. The 27 midwives interviewed in Sisters on a Journey speak out on the frustrations and joys of helping women give birth in a country that embraces the mumbo jumbo of science more readily than simple body knowledge. Most consider empowerment a crucial part of good prenatal care. "Don't ever place a shadow of doubt in a woman," advises one seasoned midwife. "You just let her rip into it." Penfield Chester, herself a midwife, skillfully weaves the threads spun by women with differing politics, backgrounds, and views on spirituality and the calling of midwifery into a coherent oral history. Especially enjoyable are passages from two midwives who serve Amish communities, where birth has never been removed from a woman's realm and hauled into the medical arena.