The Book of Etta

This sequel to The Unnamed Midwife continues the very slow recovery of a postapocalyptic United States. In the first book, a virus killed most men and nearly all women, especially those who try to have children. Three generations later, some women survive childbirth, but the balance of male and female is far from equal. Civilization consists of a variety of social structures whereby some communities protect women while others use women as sex slaves and forced breeders. Etta is a twentysomething woman who passes as a man, Eddie, to survive outside of her hometown when she raids the dead cities for old-world trading goods and strives to rescue girls and women from slavers. Etta/Eddie identifies as both female and male and feels very much an outsider in the world and at home where women have one of two roles—mother or midwife. The book is set in the Midwest and Western United States, but, unfortunately, narrator Adenrele Ojo applies a significant Southern accent to many of the secondary characters, which is very distracting. This second series title is more personal and introspective than its predecessor and has a meandering story line.