Anna North
A reimagining of the mid 1800's wild west where the highest value for both men and women is to have families and bear children. In this context, the barren and/or genderfluid (women only of course) are cursed as witches and driven away if they are lucky and killed if not. Our narrator is Ada, a young woman who grew up with a mid-wife mother and was learning the trade. When she doesn't get pregnant upon marriage, she is "endangering the fertility of the entire town", and is shunned. She ends up in a convent, and then ultimately as a member of the Hole in the Wall gang, and she pursues a dream of doing reproductive research to find out the truth about why some women are barren. The gang is larger than life, and Ada fills the role of Doc with her mid-wife training and experience with herbs and medicines. And while this sounds like a heavy story, North (and Ada) tells the story as a lighthearted western, mixing traditional gender roles in ways that are surprising, and completely logical and super fun. And lighthearted does not bury the seriousness of bias and oppression that the women are living with daily. A wonderful look at gender stereotypes and equity through a new lens.
4 stars (out of 4)
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