Why read The Book of the Unnamed Midwife?

Book cover of The Book of the Unnamed Midwife

Book description

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2016 and Philip K. Dick Award Winner

When she fell asleep, the world was doomed. When she awoke, it was dead.

In the wake of a fever that decimated the earth's population-killing women and children and making childbirth deadly for the mother and infant-the…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Book of the Unnamed Midwife as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Rae Giana Rashad

Author

I read this novel when I was hungry for books with strong female characters.

The main character, the unnamed midwife, didn’t disappoint. Her journey emphasizes the importance of choice and agency when it comes to reproductive decisions. She works to empower women to make choices about their own bodies and reproductive futures, even in a world where such choices are limited.

From Rae's list on The best novels on reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy.

Sara Foster

Author

After a virus decimates the world’s female population, an unnamed midwife must work out how to survive and make her way to safety in a world where women are scarce, and men seek to control the few who are left.

I loved this story for its incredible world-building and the fresh approach to the struggles of a woman trying to exist in a world of chaos, competition, and aggression. I really appreciated the practicalities of survival that the main character prioritises over any sense of idealism or femininity: the novel beautifully casts those themes aside to portray the midwife’s deeper…

From Sara's list on The best female-focused dystopias to make you think deeply about contemporary women’s experiences.