When an unplanned C-section derailed Somerstein’s birth plan, she did not realize the path it would set her on as she struggled to accept, recover, and make peace with it while entering the new world of motherhood. Her search to understand how things could go so wrong after a normal pregnancy broadens her understanding of womanhood, birth, mothering, and the risks women take to have children. Delving into the history of the C-section, arguably one of the most ubiquitous and misunderstood surgeries, Somerstein’s (journalism, SUNY New Paltz) first book uncovers the truth about it with compassion, tenderness, and understanding. From days when women gathered to celebrate and support the laboring mothers to the loneliness of laboring alone during the COVID pandemic, the author traces the history of birthing practices and the ways in which they have changed for better and worse. Somerstein also investigates the complex medical industry that often governs the ways in which women are coerced into giving birth, either by cost, location, or available resources. Xe Sands narrates this well-researched, emotional work with understanding, empathy, and humor as needed. Her narration is both tender and informative, giving a humanness to the stories of Somerstein and the women she interviews. This complex, heart wrenching, and hopeful narrative will have listeners hooked from the very beginning. VERDICT A wonderful look into an often-overlooked experience.