A Midwife's Tale

“A truly talented historian unravels the fascinating life of a community that is so foreign, and yet so similar to our own.” —The New York Times Book Review“Expertly executed and endlessly interesting. An offbeat gem of scholarship.” —Washington Post Book World“A marvelously nuanced, subtle, and unillusioned portrayal of one woman’s life in early America. It has the makings of a classic.” —Stephen Innes, University of Virginia“It takes a historian of extraordinary persistence, skill, and empathy to recognized [Martha Ballard’s] diary as something of a buried treasure and to painstakingly unearth its gems…. Ulrich has recognized Ballard’s great spirit, and has given to us the gift of a life worth knowing.” —Philadelphia Inquirer

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich was born in Sugar City, Idaho. She holds degrees from the University of New Hampshire, University of Utah, and Simmons College. She is 300th Anniversary University Professor at Harvard University and past president of the American Historical Association. As a MacArthur Fellow, Ulrich worked on the PBS documentary based on her Pulitzer Prize-winning book A Midwife’s Tale. She is immediate past president of the Mormon History Association. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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