Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Beacon Press, 2008
Pages: 296
Rating: Recommend
Synopsis: As a nurse-midwife and the manager of a women's health clinic in West Virginia, Patricia "Patsy" Harman bears witness to the struggles and triumphs of every woman who walks through her exam room door. She sees Heather, a teenager pregnant with twins, through the loss of both babies and their father. She cares for Nila - a longtime patient who must try to make a new life without her abusive husband - and helps Kaz transition into a new body. The only thing more varied than these women's background are their stories, which they share with Patsy inside her small clinic, covered only a blue cotton gown.
In her memoir, Patsy juxtaposes these heartbreaking and uplifting tales with her own story of keeping a small medical practice solvent. She recounts conversations with her patients over the course of a year and a quarter - a time when her own life seems on the brink of collapse due to financial troubles, malpractice threats, serious medical problems, and marital strife.
Review: Not the best memoir I’ve ever read, but I liked how it was structured. I read this in a few hours, so it wasn’t a huge commitment. I was expecting more midwifery, but this was more nurse practitioner. This also has a Hillbilly Elegy vibe. I liked it, but not enough to read the follow-up, Arms Wide Open.
Good choice for upping your book/page count, if you track that sort of thing.
Review: Not the best memoir I’ve ever read, but I liked how it was structured. I read this in a few hours, so it wasn’t a huge commitment. I was expecting more midwifery, but this was more nurse practitioner. This also has a Hillbilly Elegy vibe. I liked it, but not enough to read the follow-up, Arms Wide Open.
Good choice for upping your book/page count, if you track that sort of thing.
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