Awards

• Short-listed for Moore Prize for human rights writing 2023

Overview

What happens to pregnant women when a humanitarian catastrophe strikes? Belly Woman shines a light on a story often left untold. May, 2014. Sierra Leone is ranked the country with the highest death rate of pregnant women in the world. The same month, Ebola crosses in from neighbouring Guinea. Arriving a few weeks later, Dr Benjamin Black finds himself at the centre of an exponential Ebola outbreak. From impossible decisions on the maternity ward to moral dilemmas at the Ebola Treatment Centres. One mistake, one error of judgment, could spell disaster. An eye-opening work of reportage and advocacy, Belly Woman chronicles the inside journey through an unfolding global health crisis and the struggle to save the lives of young mothers. As Black reckons with the demons of the past, he must try to learn the lessons for a different, more resilient, future. AUTHOR: Dr Benjamin Black is a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist in London and a specialist advisor to international aid organisations. His focus on sexual, reproductive and maternal healthcare for populations in times of crisis has taken him to many countries. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic he provided frontline healthcare to pregnant women and supported international guidelines development. Benjamin also teaches medical teams around the world on improving sexual and reproductive health care to the most vulnerable people in the most challenging of environments. Benjamin is also a member of the expert panel enquiry into racial injustice in UK maternity services.

Full Product Details

9781911107576

Table of Contents

Reviews

'Brave, moving, and vital. A unique account of battling the Ebola outbreak while providing maternity care in Sierra Leone, and of the incredible women, families, and health workers Dr Black encountered. Read it.' -- Damien Brown, author of Band-Aid for A Broken Leg * author of Band-Aid for A Broken Leg * 'This is an inspirational story of compassion and dedication in the face of a brutal epidemic, and Benjamin Black is the one to tell it.' -- Leah Hazard, author of Hard Pushed: A Midwife's Story * author of Hard Pushed: A Midwife's Story * 'From Sierra Leone to London, from 2014 to 2020, Benjamin Black's account of helping pregnant women in the midst of an Ebola epidemic and a COVID-19 pandemic is heartbreaking and terrifying. Black has done a stellar job of narrating what it is like to be on the frontline of a crisis as it enfolds and then engulfs. Death waits in the shadows of the delivery room, not just for the mother or her child, but for the medical staff, too. A needle prick or a slipped mask can mean the end. The parallels between the two outbreaks are evident, the range of human response not much different: fear, desperation, denial, anger, stoicism, compassion and courage all take their turn. Belly Woman is a must-read for our times. It is riveting, illuminating and humbling.' -- Aminatta Forna, author of The Memory of Love and The Devil That Danced on the Water * author of The Memory of Love and The Devil That Danced on the Water *

"""Moving, kind, eye-opening, terrifying and inspirational - this book will stay with me for years.""—Adam Kay, author of This Is Going to Hurt;""Black puts a human and profoundly humane face on what it’s like to be a doctor.""—Forbes;“Benjamin Black has the most amazing gift for telling a story. I could not put the book down.”—Victoria Macdonald, Channel 4 News;“A brilliant, painful and honest book. Read it.”—Mary Harper, Africa Editor at the BBC;“Dedicated and passionate.”—The Lancet Infectious Diseases;""Belly Woman is a must-read for our times. It is riveting, illuminating and humbling.’—Aminatta Forna, author of The Memory of Love and The Devil That Danced on the Water;""This is an inspirational story of compassion and dedication in the face of a brutal epidemic, and Benjamin Black is the one to tell it.""—Leah Hazard, author of Hard Pushed: A Midwife’s Story;""I was gripped from the first page. May we all be humbled by this book.""—Anna Kent, author of Frontline Midwife;""Brave, moving, and vital. A unique account of battling the Ebola outbreak while providing maternity care in Sierra Leone, and of the incredible women, families, and health workers Dr Black encountered. Read it.""—Damien Brown, author of Band-Aid for A Broken Leg"

Author Information

Dr Benjamin Black is a descendent of Iranian, Jewish, and British roots. His family heritage of persecution and forced migration led him to a career in medical humanitarian relief. He is a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist based in London and a specialist advisor to international aid organisations, including Médecins Sans Frontières, government departments, academic institutions, and UN bodies. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic he provided frontline healthcare to pregnant women and supported the development of international guidelines. Benjamin teaches medical teams around the world on improving sexual and reproductive health care to the most vulnerable people in the most challenging of environments.

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