A journalist "explores the way childbirth has changed, from pre-history to the present" in this "fascinating, funny and occasionally shocking" historical survey (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).

From midwives to the epidural and beyond, mother and former Boston Globe editor Tina Cassidy presents an intelligent, enlightening, and impeccably researched cultural history of how we handle the process of childbirth. Why is it that every culture and generation seems to have its own ideas about the best way to give birth? Touching on peculiar practices from across the globe as well as the very different experiences of mothers in her own family, Cassidy explores the physical, anthropological, political, and religious factors that have and will continue to influence how women bring new life into the world.

"Birth is a power-packed book. . . . A lively, engaging, and often witty read, a quirky, eye-opening account of one of life's most elemental experiences." —The Boston Globe

"Well-researched and engaging . . . Birth is a clever, almost irreverent look at an enduring everyday miracle." —Entertainment Weekly

"Wonderful. Packed full of information, a brilliant mixture of ancient wisdom and modern science." —Kate Mosse, author of the New York Times bestseller, Labyrinth