This book is nearly seven years old and I still have not read it. While I hope that it was good, I do not have time to go back to it.

Very infomrative book. Good comparisions, and aknowledging the role black women have played in this field. Good read. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

An interesting peek into gynecology and the race issue that no one really talks about (within the topic). A nice difference from the books I have been reading and had me thinking about it after I was done.

This book discussed the history of the field of gynaecology and how it relates to race and gender. Obviously the field of gynaecology affects the female gender due to its very nature but adding race to the mix reveals some ugly truths about the field itself. Many people ( including myself) consider the field of gynaecology itself to be behind in knowledge in comparison to other medical specialities and this book contributes to that theory by showing its dark origins. I am not a fan of feminist or gender based theories but this book does discuss some real horrors in history for women, particularly women of colour and I think this book should be read by future and current gynaecologists. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in medicine as well as history. I give this 4.5 stars out of 5. I thank Netgalley very much for the ARC which gave me the opportunity to read this informative books.

This book is an extraordinary statement on how the personal is always political, as enslaved black woman are finally given their rightful place in history as the mothers of American gynaecology!

This is an amazing book about history of American obstetrics and gynecology. The author refers to historical and medical facts, doctors and their devices that some of us very familiar. A good example would be Dr. Sims, his practice, research, and famous medical devices such as Sims forceps. Did you know that he relied on speed during surgery, in order to save women's lives? Well, sounds familiar for those of us, who was in OR, right?
The author explains well the origins of practice of a gynecologist versus a midwife, male versus female practitioner with different scope of practice. The need for pain relief during birth for a white woman versus black is also discussed as well as the view of female body as weaker than male one.