Once a Midwife
Page 34
Overall, 80 percent of babies are currently born into the hands of midwives, so Dr. DeLee’s scorn for midwifery has not held the profession back as much as one might think. In the United States obstetrics is still dominated by physicians, but as the Cesarean section rate hovers at 30 percent, more pregnant women are looking for midwives who will support them in their hope to deliver naturally.
Q: Let’s talk about Bitsy a bit. She comes back to the United States, and to the South, after what sounded like a pretty delightful life in Paris. The folks in Hope River seem mostly open to Bitsy, but do you think her experience was unique?
A: Bitsy had to get out of Europe. Hitler was approaching Paris. She returned to the only home she’d known. West Virginia is not the Deep South. People are mostly open-minded and judge their neighbors by how hard they work and what they contribute to the community. West Virginians are not color-blind, but race is a minor factor. Integrity, generosity, and a good sense of humor seem to matter more. Also, Bitsy, for a year or so, had helped many of the Hope River families have their babies and she was remembered, respected, and loved by many.
Reading Group Discussion Guide
When Patience is reunited with Bitsy after nearly a decade she thinks, “Have you ever noticed that when you’re reunited with an old friend, someone you’ve been through hard times with, it’s like you’ve never been apart?” Discuss times in your life where this has been true, or not true.
How did you feel about Daniel and his refusal to fight? Do you think his feelings were justified? Why or why not? Our history books tend not to talk about the conscientious objectors in World War II; why do you think this is?
It’s difficult for us today to face the suspicion and hatred citizens of the United States felt for the Japanese at the time. In what ways does the novel address this?
Daniel and Patience both try to live life as usual: Daniel with his vet practice and Patience with her midwifery practice. Is this realistic in a time of war, even on the home front? Why or why not?
Were you surprised at how the community for the most part accepts Bitsy’s “adoption” of Willie and her marriage to Lou?
We may think of opioid addiction as a modern-day issue, but it’s clear that Daisy is a drug addict. Did this surprise you? What other situations in the novel strike a chord similar to modern-day events? Even though decades have passed, have people and their situations essentially changed from the 1940s to now?
Have you ever taken an unpopular position in a group? Maybe you felt strongly that something was unfair or wrong and though you were nervous or scared you had to speak up. What were the results? Can you share the story?
At the novel’s end Daniel tells Patience it’s their job to “be happy and to love.” In what ways is this possible during a time of war? What do you think might be next for Patience, Daniel, and their children?
Historical Photographs
Dave Dellinger, who drove an ambulance in the Spanish Civil War and studied at Yale, Oxford, and the Union Theological Seminary, was born into a wealthy family. In 1940 when he told his father he was going to refuse to register for the draft, his father threatened to kill himself. Dellinger was sent to federal prison for his beliefs.
The U.S.S. West Virginia in flames after the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.
Japanese American family awaiting evacuation to an internment camp, World War II.
(Photo credit: Dorothea Lange)
Japanese Americans arriving at a concentration camp in Tule Lake, California, 1943.
(Photo credit: Densho via courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration, Number G-575)
Posters recruiting both men and women to serve in the war were everywhere.
Twenty thousand conscientious objectors served as medics in World War II.
Adolf Hitler takes Paris, June 1940.
Praise for Patricia Harman and the Hope River Novels
Once a Midwife
“Patricia Harman . . . brings to life the impact of the First and Second World Wars upon the people of early twentieth-century rural America. . . . True love, family, friendships, politics, history, nature, culture, and babies. What more could a reader possibly want?”
—Alicia Bay Laurel, New York Times bestselling author of Living on the Earth
“Long after I turned the last page, the character of midwife Patience Hester stayed with me. She is with me still. For we all need role models like Patience—fiercely loyal, brave, and forgiving. Once a Midwife is a remarkable read, full of individuals to love and birth stories to inspire.”
—Amy Wright Glenn, author of Holding Space: On Loving, Dying and Letting Go
The Midwife of Hope River
“Memoirist Harman (Arms Wide Open; The Blue Cotton Gown), herself a certified nurse-midwife, takes readers back to hardscrabble times and adds plenty of medical drama and a dash of romance to offer an uncommonly good piece of American historical fiction.”
—Library Journal
“The moments of joy between new parents and their baby, between the mothers and the midwife, and between the midwife and her young assistant light up the pages. Amen, baby!”
—Penny Armstrong, CNM, author of A Midwife’s Story and A Wise Birth
“The Midwife of Hope River . . . is still on my mind days after finishing. This is one I’ll read again, more slowly next time.”
—Johanna Moran, author of The Wives of Henry Oades
“A luminous novel of new beginnings, loss, love . . . and, yes, hope! Patricia Harman’s all-too-human stories of birth mingle with the harsh realities of rural life in the 1930s. . . . A thoroughly satisfying read by a talented storyteller.”
—Gay Courter, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Midwife and The Midwife’s Advice
“Harman has created such a striking and original heroine that pregnant women everywhere will be wanting Patience Murphy to deliver their babies, while the rest of us would consider ourselves lucky to call her friend.”
—Theresa Brown, author of Critical Care: A New Nurse Faces Death, Life and Everything in Between and New York Times opinion columnist
The Reluctant Midwife
“This title is sure to appeal to fans of American historical fiction or anyone else looking for a story with plenty of emotion, spunk, and community spirit.”
—Library Journal
“This poignant, powerful novel does not shy away from the gruesome facts of life and death. Fans of the BBC’s Call the Midwife . . . will enjoy Harman’s inspirational and introspective story.”
—Booklist
“Laced with drama, accurate detail, and imagination, The Reluctant Midwife will educate and engage readers eager to further explore Hope River.”
—Penny Armstrong, author of The Midwife’s Story
“An entrancing saga of birth and rebirth, of people you come to love as they confront loss and guilt, poverty and fear, silence and doubt.”
—Pamela Schoenewaldt, author of Swimming in the Moon
“A very enjoyable sequel to Patsy Harman’s first novel, The Midwife of Hope River, this new book reconnects us with beloved characters from that story while introducing an appealing new midwife, Becky Myers.”
—Teresa Brown, RN, author and New York Times columnist
The Runaway Midwife
“The Runaway Midwife takes us on a journey from loss, grief, and guilt to love, forgiveness, and redemption.”
—Mary McNear, New York Times bestselling author
“In the vein of Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple and Falling Uphill by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga. . . . Full of hope and heart, this will appeal to anyone tempted by the thought of complete reinvention.”
—Booklist
“A fast-paced, engrossing tale of a woman on the run from a bad marriage and an estranged daughter. . . . The characters are convincing, the plot tight and the conclusion convincing.”
—Roberta Rich, author of The Midwife of Venice
&nb
sp; “Fans of Maria Semple’s Where’d You Go, Bernadette will enjoy this story of a woman’s courageous reinvention.”
—Library Journal
Also by Patricia Harman
The Runaway Midwife
Lost on Hope Island: The Amazing Tale of the Little Goat Midwives
The Reluctant Midwife
The Midwife of Hope River
Arms Wide Open: A Midwife’s Journey
The Blue Cotton Gown: A Midwife’s Memoir
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.
P.S.™ is a trademark of HarperCollins Publishers.
ONCE A MIDWIFE. Copyright © 2018 by Patricia Harman. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
Cover design by Elsie Lyons
Cover photographs © Elly De Vries/Trevillion Images (Woman); © Ivan Cholakov, Ragnarock, javarman, Africa Studio, PETRUK VIKTOR/Shutterstock (5 images); © Ann Cutting/Trevillion Images (background)
Digital Edition NOVEMBER 2018 ISBN: 978-0-06-282558-2
Version 09292018
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-282557-5
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