Anyone who works with me, follows me on Goodreads, talks to me regularly about books or comes to Literatea will know that I have a number of quirky reading interests.  I simply cannot read enough about tiny houses, nuns, the Amish and … midwives.  And if a book combines more than one of these, well than, it is pretty much guaranteed a top place on my To Read list.

My fascination with midwife literature (Is that an actual genre?  If not, I guess I just created it) was, most unusually for me, inspired by a television show.  In 2012 when I was going through my annual television slump after a season of Downtown Abbey ended, I saw that PBS was debuting another British period piece first aired by the BBC.  Call the Midwife sounded intriguing and I tuned into the first episode.   Immediately, I was hooked.  The series was originally based on the memoirs written by Jennifer Worth about her experiences as a midwife in the East End of London in the 1950’s.  Worth worked with an order of nuns midwives (are you starting to see the appeal?) to deliver babies in a poverty stricken section of London.

I have eagerly followed the Call the Midwife series through five seasons.  The television show has moved beyond the material covered in Worth’s memoirs and the plot lines are now created solely by an extremely talented group of writers.  Even if you don’t share my peculiar interest in nuns and midwives, I can tell you that you will fall in love with the wonderful period details, the gripping stories and the amazing array of characters in the show.  If you don’t trust my recommendation, you may take heart in knowing that the show has the enthusiastic endorsement of a number of ladies who regularly attend Literatea!

Once you’re hooked by Call the Midwife, you will undoubtedly want to delve deeper into the world of midwives.  Here are some reading suggestions to help you along the way.

First, even if you watch the show, Jennifer Worth’s original three books are well worth reading.  Many of the stories she tells are told in the first few seasons of the show, however, Worth’s first person versions add a richness and detail that will deepen your appreciation of the midwives, nuns and families of the East End.  You may also want to consider listening the audiobooks.  Nicola Barber’s narration is excellent and brings out the humor in the many bittersweet stories Worth tells.  By now I have watched, read, listened to and rewatched these stories and the tales truly never get old.

If you find yourself pulled in by the real life aspect of Call the Midwife, there are a number of other good memoirs written by midwives.  One of the first I read was A Midwife’s Story by Penny Armstrong.  Armstrong trained as a midwife in Glasgow and then worked as a midwife for many years to an Amish community in Pennsylvania.  Her recollections provide a fascinating glimpse into both the world of midwifery and the lives of her primarily Amish patients.

Another midwife turned author is Patricia Harman.  She has written two memoirs.  One, Arms Open Wide details her early adulthood, living in rural America, becoming a mother, living in an eco-concious commune and becoming a midwife.   The other, The Blue Cotton Gown shares her later life when she and her husband open a women’s health clinic, where she continues to “catch babies.”

Interestingly, Harman did not stop writing once she had shared her own adventures in midwifery.  She followed her memoirs up with two novels: The Midwife of Hope River and its sequel, The Reluctant Midwife.  Although fictional, these stories share much in common with Call the Midwife.  While thoroughly American, they have a strong sense of both time and place.  Midwife Patience Murphy serves her Appalachian community during the Great Depression, but like the midwives of East End London, she battles poverty and the prejudices of her time, while still serving soon-to-be mothers with a fierce determination.

While my favorite midwife books, both novels and memoirs, are period pieces that combine the stories of both the midwives and their patients, I still found The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth quite enjoyable.  Set in the current day and focusing more on the relationships between a daughter, mother and grandmother, this novel of three generations of midwives offers an interesting look at three women who approach their midwifery work vastly differently.  It also tosses in some compelling family secrets just to keep you reading.

What all the memoirs and novels featuring midwives that I’ve read have in common is their portrayal of strong women rallying to help other women on their journeys to become mothers.  The stories are often heartrending, but almost always beautiful too.  And definitely worth reading.  I was pleased to discover that there is another season of Call the Midwife coming in 2017, but until then I shall continue to seek out and revel in books about midwives.  Feel free to join me!