Review: The Birth House

The Birth House by Ami McKay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My friend Lynn recommended this book after I shared with her that my maternal grandmother was a midwife and healer. I told her how I wish she had passed on her knowledge to my mother so she would have done the same with me. My mom told me that her mother went through hardship because of her craft and that "modern medicine" killed the art of midwifing and providing care through natural remedies. My grandmother did not want my mom to go through the same harassment and did not pass on her art. How sad!

The Birth House is a book just about that. How "modern medicine" discredited people using natural remedies and even outlawed midwifing. The book tells the story of a young lady who learns the midwifing and healing crafts from an older French woman in her community and how she has to face persecution from a local doctor and some men in the small town where she resides in Nova Scotia. This is a must read. Ami McKay's writing is beautiful and honest. Superb book!

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