By Benjamin Oren Black
Publisher: Neem Tree Press
Print Length: 368 pages
Genre: Nonfiction
Release Date October 2022
Available on Amazon, B&N, AbeBooks, your local library
Special thanks to Neem Tree Press and theWriteReads Tours for providing me with an eARC.
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. (Goodreads)
As a reader with a background and interest in medicine, I was immediately drawn to Belly Woman when the opportunity to read it came to me. Having a particular interest in diagnostic medicine, any chance to explore books about contagions rare to my region is fascinating. Black even further discusses the ebolavirus in the context of the ongoing maternal crisis in Sierra Leone. A context that adds a deeper layer to pandemic and epidemic crises not often discussed at length.
Black’s writing is exceptional overall, both informative and highly empathic. For readers not well versed in medicine and humanitarian efforts within medicine, Black does well in presenting sometimes confusing concepts in an easy-to-understand manner. What may be even more impressive is how he easily expresses his thoughts and feelings for readers to empathise with. Black takes accountability early on, and his human approach to explaining human problems and concerns proves to work in his favour. The reader is not only able to empathise with the patient but also has an understanding of the thought process many medical professors go through and the extent of work that goes into practising medicine in high-stakes circumstances.
Belly Woman is forever relevant to the issues it presents. Maternity is a consistent concern for women’s health worldwide and will remain that way until reform is properly and extensively addressed in the long term. While both viruses are different, there are parallels in most pandemics, and that is very true in the case of the ebola epidemic described and the recent Covid-19 pandemic. Belly Woman provides a perspective and for some maybe a reframing on these ongoing concerns.
Belly Woman is a highly recommended read, with the sole warning that some of the events described may be disturbing for some readers. That said, while distubing, these are recollections of true events, and real life is not always picturesque, especially in the world of medicine. Belly Woman is a reminder of how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go.
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