Richly historic, The Midwife vividly details the history of midwives in the Cockney-speaking area of London's East End. Extremely dedicated, Jennifer Worth chose, as a young woman, a somewhat solitary life of servitude to pregnant, often uneducated women living in the poorest, dirtiest section of London in the 1950's. Despite her sometimes atrocious surroundings, Worth was able to capture the beauty of new life and motherhood in this poignant memoir. In that time, nursing was affiliated with religious organizations and as Worth continued to develop her skills as a midwife, we are also able to see a spiritual awakening of her own. Balancing the light and beauty of childbirth is the darkness of stillbirth, abortion, prostitution and the workhouse system, all of which are examined as a matter of course as Worth recalls her most memorable clients and shares a lifetime of experience with her readers.

I took a special interest in this book as I have had a midwife for all three of my children's births (two of which were homebirths—relatively unheard of then in American society). Women who view childbirth as a natural function, which our bodies are designed for, rather than a medical procedure, will especially enjoy this book.