Deeply researched, smart, poignant, and witty… By placing birth – rather than violence, language, or even taxes – as humanity's constant, Inglis offers a compelling new view of both history and the present.

Karen Bloom Gevirtz, author of 'The Apothecary's Wife'

Moving from prehistory to the present, Lucy Inglis draws long overdue attention to the cultural history of childbirth. Born is a compelling read, considering subjects as diverse as caesareans, eugenics and religious theorising on birth, while taking readers on a journey through this most important of life events. Impeccably researched, Born is essential reading for anyone interested in the human condition.

Dr. Elizabeth Norton, author of 'The Lives of Tudor Women'

A fascinating exploration of a long overlooked area of history. Shaped by meticulous research, Inglis writes with clarity, pace and a sharp eye for surprising details. She takes the reader on a tumultuous rollercoaster through time, and achieves that most difficult of things: bringing the strange lives of our ancestors vividly to life.

Alice Loxton, author of 'Eighteen' and 'Uproar!'

Inglis treats childbirth with the academic rigour and insightful compassion it deserves.

Leah Hazard, author of 'WOMB'

[An] eloquent account from historian Inglis (Milk of Paradise). Childbirth, she argues, has always been fraught with danger, underscored by hope, and communal, with 'every successful birth...a small victory for humanity.' With birth stories from the author's own family gracefully woven in, the result is a nuanced and tender look at an intimate yet universal human experience.

Publishers Weekly

compelling

Martin Chilton, The Independent