Labor Day

"Beautiful, heart-wrenching" personal stories of giving birth by Lauren Groff, Julia Glass, Dani Shapiro, Cristina Henriquez, Cheryl Strayed, and many more (Booklist).

In Labor Day, you'll read about women determined to give birth naturally and others begging for epidurals; women who pushed for hours and women whose labors were over practically before they'd started; women giving birth to twins and to ten-pound babies. These women give birth in the hospital, at home, in bathtubs, and, yes, even in the car. Some revel in labor, some fear labor, some feel defeated by labor, some are fulfilled by it—and all are amazed by it. You will laugh, weep, squirm, perhaps groan in recognition, and undoubtedly gasp with surprise, as thirty acclaimed and bestselling writers share their personal birth stories—the extraordinary, the ordinary, the terrifying, the sublime, and the profane.

Contributors: Nuar Alsadir * Amy Brill * Susan Burton * Sarah Shun-lien Bynum * Lan Samantha Chang * Phoebe Damrosch * Claire Dederer * Jennifer Gilmore * Julia Glass * Arielle Greenberg * Lauren Groff * Eleanor Henderson * Cristina Henriquez * Amy Herzog * Ann Hood * Sarah Jefferis * Heidi Julavits * Mary Beth Keane * Marie Myung-Ok Lee * Edan Lepucki * Heidi Pitlor * Joanna Rakoff * Jane Roper * Danzy Senna * Dani Shapiro * Anna Solomon * Cheryl Strayed * Sarah A. Strickley * Rachel Jamison Webster * Gina Zucker


"Compelling childbirth narratives told from fresh perspectives." —Kirkus Reviews

"The angst echoed in these accounts will resonate with any woman who has ever wondered, 'Can I do this?' as she stood alone facing the wobbly, unpredictable bridge to motherhood." —The New York Times