Lovie

The Story of a Southern Midwife and an Unlikely Friendship

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, Rural, Health & Well Being, Medical, Reference, History, Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book Lovie by Lisa Yarger, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lisa Yarger ISBN: 9781469630069
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: October 13, 2016
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Lisa Yarger
ISBN: 9781469630069
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: October 13, 2016
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

From 1950 to 2001, Lovie Beard Shelton practiced midwifery in eastern North Carolina homes, delivering some 4,000 babies to black, white, Mennonite, and hippie women; to those too poor to afford a hospital birth; and to a few rich enough to have any kind of delivery they pleased. Her life, which was about giving life, was conspicuously marked by loss, including the untimely death of her husband and the murder of her son.

Lovie is a provocative chronicle of Shelton's life and work, which spanned enormous changes in midwifery and in the ways women give birth. In this artful exploration of documentary fieldwork, Lisa Yarger confronts the choices involved in producing an authentic portrait of a woman who is at once loner and self-styled folk hero. Fully embracing the difficulties of telling a true story, Yarger is able to get at the story of telling the story. As Lovie describes her calling, we meet a woman who sees herself working in partnership with God and who must wrestle with the question of what happens when a woman who has devoted her life to service, to doing God's work, ages out of usefulness. When I'm no longer a midwife, who am I? Facing retirement and a host of health issues, Lovie attempts to fit together the jagged pieces of her life as she prepares for one final home birth.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

From 1950 to 2001, Lovie Beard Shelton practiced midwifery in eastern North Carolina homes, delivering some 4,000 babies to black, white, Mennonite, and hippie women; to those too poor to afford a hospital birth; and to a few rich enough to have any kind of delivery they pleased. Her life, which was about giving life, was conspicuously marked by loss, including the untimely death of her husband and the murder of her son.

Lovie is a provocative chronicle of Shelton's life and work, which spanned enormous changes in midwifery and in the ways women give birth. In this artful exploration of documentary fieldwork, Lisa Yarger confronts the choices involved in producing an authentic portrait of a woman who is at once loner and self-styled folk hero. Fully embracing the difficulties of telling a true story, Yarger is able to get at the story of telling the story. As Lovie describes her calling, we meet a woman who sees herself working in partnership with God and who must wrestle with the question of what happens when a woman who has devoted her life to service, to doing God's work, ages out of usefulness. When I'm no longer a midwife, who am I? Facing retirement and a host of health issues, Lovie attempts to fit together the jagged pieces of her life as she prepares for one final home birth.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book Feud by Lisa Yarger
Cover of the book The Road to Redemption by Lisa Yarger
Cover of the book The Enemy's House Divided by Lisa Yarger
Cover of the book Engines of Diplomacy by Lisa Yarger
Cover of the book Beyond the Prison Gates by Lisa Yarger
Cover of the book Gay on God's Campus by Lisa Yarger
Cover of the book The Economic Diplomacy of the Suez Crisis by Lisa Yarger
Cover of the book Bobby Rush: "Blues Singer--Plus" by Lisa Yarger
Cover of the book Silk Stockings and Socialism by Lisa Yarger
Cover of the book Jim Crow Wisdom by Lisa Yarger
Cover of the book A Reforming People by Lisa Yarger
Cover of the book The Inception of Modern Professional Education by Lisa Yarger
Cover of the book Alcohol by Lisa Yarger
Cover of the book The Corner of the Living by Lisa Yarger
Cover of the book Antiracism in Cuba by Lisa Yarger
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy