The Reluctant Midwife

Locations
Call Number: Fiction / Harman, Patricia, Adult Book / Fiction / General / Harman, Patricia
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Harman, Patricia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Harman, Patricia	4-week checkout	On Shelf

"P.S. Insights, interviews & more-- "
The Great Depression has hit West Virginia hard. Men are out of work; women struggle to feed hungry children. Luckily, Nurse Becky Myers has returned to care for them. While she can handle most situations, Becky is still uneasy helping women deliver their babies. For these mothers-to-be, she relies on an experienced midwife, her dear friend Patience Murphy.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Midwives and Nurses in the Great Depression in Appalachia submitted by Moira A Tannenbaum on August 10, 2016, 12:47pm Patricia Harman's second novel in her "Hope River" series shines with its plot: a compelling enough reason to read this lovely book. However, the book stands out as well as with the story about the development of the protagonist's midwifery skills, as well as her understanding of the myriad complexities of the human condition as they relate to birth and health.

Nurse Becky Myers is just that--a nurse, very experienced and skilled--who ends up assuming the midwife role for a community when its own midwife is ill. Prospective midwives, those with an interest in birth, student midwives, and experienced midwives will all enjoy this story, as will nurses, other healthcare professionals, and the general public. The book positively depicts physician-nurse collaboration, and delegation by nurses to subordinate staff, at a time when these topics are being debated in healthcare settings and legislatures nationally.

"The Reluctant Midwife" also helps build understanding about the development and role of nurse practitioners in the US healthcare system, highlights the Civilian Conservation Corps (in my estimation, something we urban residents hear less about than other aspects of the New Deal), and showcases positive aspects of Appalachian culture. In her gentle and natural way, author Harman includes African-American characters (in West Virginia, one of the least racially diverse states in the US) and addresses racial disparity in healthcare, and writes positively of same-sex couples.