This book describes why and how all women can and should go through pregnancy, labor, childbirth, and all of their reproductive functions without fear or pain, but rather in joy. While acknowledging the hard work and courage involved, the author (Grantly Dick-Read, by the way- only the forward is by Michel Odent) writes to help women understand what is happening in their bodies as they make their babies.
The Philosophy of the Book
What I love about this book is that the author continually re-emphasizes his faith in women, and his belief that all women are strong enough to successfully bear healthy, happy children and that this is one of their great purposes and one of the great joys of humankind.
Above all the author seems to have used his common sense when writing. He respects the common sense and experience (though not always supersitions) of ordinary women around the world, especially those who have successfully borne children happily and without pain or fear. I love that he points out that no male OBGYN has never actually done this- though being a doctor himself he does respect medical science for what it can provide.
The book has a healthy respect of religion and Dr. Dick-Read includes an entire chapter on the curse of pain on Eve and the translation of the Bible on this particular point. Humanists can skip this chapter if they don't care and I think they will find the book very inspiring from the humanist/naturalist point of view. A number of times I felt like there should be a Walt Whitman poem inserted at the beginning or end of a chapter.
Informative
It contains sections on psychological preparationg for childbirth, good nutrition, how to prepare physically for labor, pregnancy, childbirth and related issues around the world and in modern society, breastfeeding, and other related topics. There are a number of stories of happy, healthy deliveries.
Not a Reference Book
The book is not a reference book. It has a number of benefits (including the force of a well-argued essay that will help to convince people with lingering fears) that reference books do not, and there IS an index. However if you want a reference book you would want to get that in addition to this.
Old Fashioned Style?
Some commented that the style is old-fashioned. I would just emphasize that this only refers to the *style* (think: C.S. Lewis or Bertrand Russell), and not the vocabulary. The book is obviously targeted at the general population and there are not a lot of fancy words.
I am seven months pregnant and I am so happy to have found this book. It's alleviated so many of my fears and given me so much solid information. I would recommend it to all pregnant women, even if they think they can't finish the whole book before they give birth, and to their husbands.