Listen to Me Good: The Story of an Alabama Midwife Contributor(s): Smith, Margaret Charles (Author), Holmes, Linda Janet (Author) |
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ISBN: 0814207014 ISBN-13: 9780814207017 Publisher: Ohio State University Press OUR PRICE: $26.55 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: July 1996 Annotation: An inspiring and engaging oral history of a wise woman who truly understands the value of life. As Margaret Charles Smith says herself: 'This book here is ready.'Evelyn C White |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Biography & Autobiography | Women - Family & Relationships | Marriage & Long Term Relationships - Health & Fitness | Pregnancy & Childbirth |
Dewey: B |
LCCN: 96015037 |
Series: Women & Health C&s Perspective |
Physical Information: 0.61" H x 6.1" W x 9.01" (0.68 lbs) 200 pages |
Themes: - Cultural Region - Deep South - Cultural Region - Gulf Coast - Geographic Orientation - Alabama - Sex & Gender - Feminine |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Margaret Charles Smith, a ninety-one-year-old Alabama midwife, has thousands of birthing stories to tell. Sifting through nearly five decades of providing care for women in rural Greene County, she relates the tales that capture the life-and-death struggle of the birthing experience and the traditions, pharmacopeia, and spiritual attitudes that influenced her practice. She debunks images of the complacent southern "granny" midwife and honors the determination, talent, and complexity of midwifery. Fascinating to read, this book is part of the new genre of writing that recognizes the credibility of midwives who have emerged from their own communities and were educated through apprenticeship and personal experience. Past descriptions of southern black midwives have tended to denigrate their work in comparison with professional established medicine. Believed to be the oldest living (though retired) traditional African American midwife in Alabama, Smith is one of the few who can recount old-time birthing ways. Despite claims that midwives contributed to high infant mortality rates, Smith's story emphasizes midwives' successes in facing medical challenges and emergencies. |