“Restell was a businesswoman, a scofflaw, an immigrant, and an abortionist. She made men really, really mad. She deserves a place in the pantheon of women with no fucks left to give.” 

-I pulled that from the ARC copy I received so is it an actual accurate quote? I don’t know - but it damn well should be. It’s a powerful line and says a lot about not just her, but women who fight in general. 

This book was clearly well researched and written with the respect and appropriate amount of snark that a book like this requires. It’s obviously a pro-choice narrative and if that offends you then either skip it or go in with an open mind and maybe you’ll learn something. 

I really enjoy history like this. This is basically the history of medicine in the 1800’s USA. We get information about surgeons, lack of germ theory (yuck), midwifery, general practitioners and of course abortionists. We even get a look into women choosing a midwife over the hospital because a midwife was the safer option (again because germs). There’s information surrounding limiting the expansion of families (aka birth control that isn’t abortion) but it really is a dive into the life of Madame Restell - a woman I had never heard of - from seamstress to abortionist in New York City. It’s a wild ride. The parallels between 1800’s USA and today are absolutely no surprise to me either, but that’s a different story. 

Thanks to NetGalley for the ebook!