BIRTH

In the tradition of Random Family and Evicted, a work of deeply reported narrative non-fiction that follows three American women as they encounter the life-changing journey of pregnancy and childbirth.

In BIRTH, journalist Rebecca Grant gives us a uniquely intimate and inspiring portrayal of three women experiencing pregnancy and childbirth on their own terms in today's America, as they all pass through the doors of the same birth center in Portland, Oregon.

There's Alison, a teacher whose long path to a healthy pregnancy has led her to question traditional hospital birth; T'Nika, who herself was born with the help of a midwife, and now aspires to be a Labor & Delivery nurse, driven by a commitment to equality in healthcare; and Jillian, an office manager and aspiring midwife who works at Andaluz, who is excited for a new beginning, but wonders how bringing a new life into the world might mean the deferral of her own dreams.

Told with a gripping blend of rigorous on-the-ground reporting, deep social history, and compassionate personal detail, Birth is a never-before-seen look at how we all begin.

Grant is a freelance journalist based in Portland, Oregon who covers reproductive rights, health, and justice. Her work has appeared in NPR, The Atlantic, Vice, The Nation, The Washington Post, Mother Jones, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Huffington Post Highline, and The Guardian, among other publications. She has received grants and fellowships from the International Women's Media Foundation, the International Reporting Project, and The Investigative Fund, reporting stories around the US and the world. Rebecca studied English and Art History at Cornell University and served in the Peace Corps in Thailand. Before full-time freelancing, she worked at Washingtonian Magazine and wrote about startups in San Francisco.