"The Birth House" Reading Path

Interviews & Reviews

Inside the Home

Midwifery:
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
* A home birth goes wrong on a stormy night, and the midwife is unable to save the mother. The novel shows the events leading to the trial of the midwife, narrated by her now-adult daughter.
The Midwifery Option by Sarah Knox
* A Canadian guide to the home birth experience.


Modern Medicine:
How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman, M.D.
* Discusses how doctors diagnose patients, and the tensions and emotions that influence both doctors and patients.

Pastimes:
Canada Knits: Craft and Comfort in a Northern Land by Shirley A. Scott
* A social history of knitting in Canada.
The Fortune-Telling Book by Gillian Kemp
* Advice, folklore and techniques for prediction the future. Discusses the reading of tea leaves, which is mentioned in The Birth House.

The Outside World

Nova Scotia:
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod
* The story of one Scottish clan who immigrated to Cape Breton, and their struggle to survive through the generations.
My Famous Evening by Howard A. Norman
* Details the author's long love affair with Nova Scotia, including his passion for the landscape, the birds, and the folklore.

The Halifax Explosion:
Curse of the Narrows by Laura MacDonald
* A minute-by-minute account of the explosion in Halifax Harbour on December 6th, 1917, which killed over 1600 people and injured another 6000.
City of Ruins: The Halifax Explosion (DVD)
* Tells the story of the explosion using archival news footage and still photography.

Women's Rights:
The Feminine Mistake by Leslie Bennetts
* Explores the issue of women maintaining their economic independence after having children.
Ten Thousand Roses by Judy Rebick
* A discussion of Canadian feminism, focusing on the second wave of the 1960's.