Journal Entry 1 by BananaForce from Minneapolis, Minnesota USA on Tuesday, March 08, 2005

In 1962, Jessica Mitford shocked the nation with The American Way of Death, her best-selling investigation of shady practices in the funeral business. Now she turns her penetrating gaze to the opposite extreme of human experience.

Mitford examines conventional and alternative birth methods, public-health programs, the costs of having a child, and much more. Her inescapable conclusion - that the American way of birth is more a product of greed and political expediency than of concern for mothers and babies - will revolutionize the way we think about a universal rite of passage.

Abridged on 2 audio cassette tapes (3 hours). 

Journal Entry 2 by BananaForce from Minneapolis, Minnesota USA on Tuesday, March 08, 2005

A good review of the history of birth in America. It tended to highlight the negative areas. These should not be ignored in such a book, but you don't want one to loose hope that you can not have a good birth in America. The book does state that one of the best ways to assure you have a good birth is to be well educated, which is a very good point. Doctors are people just like you and me except they get paid more and went to school to learn about what could go wrong. From what I understand, we as Americans need to educate ourselves more on how birth can be and how it can go right. The section on Ina May was my favorite. I think reading her books would be a great next step.