Born

”[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
“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!
“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
“Inglis treats childbirth with the academic rigour and insightful compassion it deserves.”–Leah Hazard, author of WOMB
“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 model of lucidity. This timely account will interest advocates and concerned citizens. Inglis’s skillful command of style will please them all.”– “Library Journal (starred)”
“As Lucy Inglis recounts in her sweeping new history of opium, the tension between the substance’s medicinal virtue and its dangers is ancient. [She] untangles these contradictions with gusto. A deeply researched and captivating book.”– “The Economist”
“This sweeping history explores our millennia-long relationship with Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy. Deftly tracking opium’s path along global trade routes, Inglis illuminates various cultures and industries that have sprung up around it, from the Chinese opium den to the contemporary pharmaceutical manufacture of opioids.”– “The New Yorker”
Praise for Lucy Inglis’s Milk of Paradise:

Lucy Inglis is the creator of the Georgian London blog, and her book of the same name was shortlisted for the Longman-History Today Prize. City of Halves, her first novel for young adults, was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Branford Boase Award. Milk of Paradise: A History of Opium was published by Pegasus Books in 2019. She lives in Britain.

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