Giving Birth
Examining midwife-attended childbirth in contemporary America, Taylor approaches the subject as both a creative journalistic investigator (her articles have appeared in Premiere, Rolling Stone, and Every Baby) and a consumer of the system she reports on (while writing the book, she became pregnant and gave birth). The result is a delightfully readable blend of scholarship, expos‚, and storytelling that is likely to become a classic. An important aspect of this book is Taylor's exploration of the economic and social factors that keep maternity healthcare locked into costly structural problems, block consumer access to appropriate care, and threaten the profession of midwifery. Peggy Vincent's Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife also addresses these issues and comes to similar conclusions. However, since Vincent writes from the perspective of a single midwife, her book offers primarily personal recollection rather than research and investigation and is thus narrower in scope though no less worthy. Taylor's book is essential reading for prospective parents and anyone interested in maternity care or the politics of contemporary healthcare systems. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries. Noemie Maxwell, King Cty. Lib. Syst., Issaquah, WACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.