Rate this book

Get Me Out: A History Of Childbirth From The Garden Of Eden To The Sperm Bank (2010)

by Randi Hutter Epstein(Favorite Author)

4.03 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0393064581 (ISBN13: 9780393064582)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

review 1: Really interesting book. I recommend if: 1. You're having a baby-- so fascinating to read the history of childbirth, especially recent medicalization trends. If you're squeamish, maybe skip the section on difficult births pre-forceps, because that was pretty nightmarish. But interesting to hear how one family kept forceps a secret for decades. 2. You love Mary Roach (but wish her books weren't as funny). This is why this book is 4 stars, not 5. I just wish Mary Roach had written it. Roach has spoiled me with her science writing, and I wanted this book to be less serious and more amusing. Like Roach, Epstein covers a wide spectrum of subjects related to childbirth. She also doesn't shy away from really problematic origins of modern day birthing techniques (such as doctors t... moreesting risky procedures on slaves in 1800s America). 3. You enjoyed the historical parts of the Business of Being Born. I just watched this documentary last night and ended up rolling my eyes through most of it. (Ugh, the armchair theorizing that the problem with society today is too many epidurals which block oxytocin and make it so moms don't love their babies...) But there were interesting scenes talking about the history of births in hospitals-- all which are much better described in this book. (For example, the trend of using drugs to make it so women didn't remember anything from birth but also had to be strapped down because the drugs blocked inhibitions.) Also great discussion in this book of the shift from midwives to doctors.
review 2: Poorly edited, to the extent of having misused words and typos. But plenty of larger-scale problems too. As another reviewer noted, the chapter on an operation to repair fistulas didn't really explain what the operation does; a chapter on forceps likewise never explained how forceps work. (I mean, I guess I can kind of imagine. But still!) Touched on a number of potentially interesting topics but didn't stay with any of them for long enough. Attempts at humor mostly stiff and weird. The strongest chapter was the one on sperm banks. I don't understand much more about childbirth than I did when I went in. To the author's credit, though (I guess?), I read the book pretty ravenously from beginning to end. It is a quick read, full of tidbits (as I guess another reviewer mentioned) that you can mention at your next cocktail party...as long as you don't plan on having an in depth conversation about them. less

Download links for: Get Me Out: A History of Childbirth from the Garden of Eden to the Sperm Bank

Advertising