If I'm not sobbing, I am just angry

More non-fiction books to add to your list

Following on from last weeks’ review (rant), this week we are taking a look at some more must-read non fiction. I read both of these books in May 2023. If I am recommending fiction, it is usually because it makes me feel something, and my non fiction recommendations are similar - and that feeling is usually rage. Oh how simple life would be to read a book and just smile and enjoy it. I promise to return to something lighter next week. Dare I say it, I might even go for fun.

The first book which I implore you to read, is My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World’s Deadliest Migration Route by Sally Hayden. This book is an amazing work of non fiction. I’m so grateful for the work that goes in to producing books such as these. You can see the years of meticulous research. You can imagine the personal impact writing this must take. You can feel how invested the author is in the subject matter and in getting the story out there.

Slightly lazy reviewing from me today but when I try to explain this book, you will see a rant (again) so I thought I would leave it to GoodReads for this far more articulate description of this book:

“The Western world has turned its back on migrants, leaving them to cope with one of the most devastating humanitarian crises in history. In 2018, Sally Hayden received a message on Facebook: "Hi sister Sally, we need your help." It was from an Eritrean refugee who had been held in a Libyan detention center for months, locked in one big hall with scant meals. Now, Tripoli was crumbling in a scrimmage between warring factions, and the refugees remained stuck, defenseless, with only one hope: contacting her. With that begins Hayden's staggering account of the migrant crisis across North Africa: from brutal, vindictive Libyan guards to unexpected acts of kindness; the frustration of visiting aid workers; fake marriages between detainees; the strain on real marriages; and the phenomenon of some refugees becoming oppressors after entering into Faustian bargains with their captors.

With unprecedented contact with dozens of people currently inside Libyan detention centers, My Fourth Time, We Drowned will, for the first time, detail these stories. In the future, people will regard this pivotal period with fascination and horror. The failure of NGOs and corruption within the United Nations represents a collective abdication of international standards that will echo throughout history. But most importantly, this book will highlight the resilience of humans: how refugees and migrants locked up for years fall in love, support each other through the hardest times and carry out small acts of resistance in order to survive in a system that wants them to be silent and disappear.”

If you enjoy non fiction, and are interested in learning more about the world around you, this book is essential reading. Five stars from me.

The next non-fiction book is one that many of you may have seen me review on my social media, but I wanted to include here for those of you who are actively not on Facebook and Instagram. When I posted my review to social media, the author of this book, Anna Kent, reached out to me and thanked me for my review and she even shared it to her page. We ended up having a bit of an online chat, and Anna is just super lovely! I think sometimes when people review books, it is easy to forget that authors put their heart and soul on the line in these pages. This is one of the reasons why I will never write negative reviews. If I don’t like a book, I will simply move on. I am but one reader, and I don’t think I have the right to tear down someone else’s art. Anyway, I digress.. but I will add, if you are in a position to buy Anna Kent’s book, please do. She would really love and appreciate your support.

Back to it… Book two for this week is Frontline Midwife: My Story of Survival and Keeping Others Safe by Anna Kent.

I have so much respect and love for midwives - especially the two who helped bring my three children safely into the world. It’s such a special relationship. You may know that my eldest child is training to be a midwife - there were parts of this book so gripping (and horrifying) I actually read my daughter parts of this book out loud. It’s been awhile since I’ve read her a bedtime story!

To be honest, I thought this would be a book with lots of birth stories (which I love), as well as Kent’s experiences as a midwife. In my head, I was thinking of something along the lines of This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay. This book is not exactly that..

It is not a book for the faint hearted. It is largely about Kent’s experiences as a midwife in South Sudan and Bangladesh as an aid worker. Bloody harrowing stuff. Think about trying to assist women to give birth where there is no medical supplies, they have guards with guns, and their presence isn’t exactly welcome. This book is also as much about Kent’s own struggles and personal life. I won’t say too much because I don’t want to spoil it. I will say that I cried my little eyes out. You should definitely check the trigger warnings for this book before you read it.

If you want a book about happily ever after birth stories, this is not the book for you. If you want to learn more about what women experience in other parts of the world, even though it will hurt your heart, this is the book for you.

It’s beautifully written. Hard to put down. Heart breaking 💔 #readitandweep

This book will stay with me

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5 stars from me.

What is your favourite non fiction book? Have you read any five star recommendations recently? I would love to hear about them so I can add to my ever growing list because life is too short to read bad books.

P.S When Anna Kent was messaging me, she asked if the book had put my daughter off being a midwife. It was so sweet of her to check. I really appreciate Kent’s real sense of personal responsibility in putting a book such as this into the world - particularly when you love your profession and you want more people to become midwives. It is such a fine line. Kent need not worry about my daughter - I don’t think anything could put her off. It is definitely her calling. I do know that in no uncertain terms that I will be strongly discouraging her from a life of aid work! Mama bear instincts are strong!

P.P.S The midwife who delivered my youngest daughter also read this book after my recommendation, and she also gave this five stars. This is probably the only review anyone needs.