Beautiful and yet brutal, this series is a rare window into the past from the point of view of women who saw and dealt with it all: birth, death, disease, war, family, love, sacrifice, govt sanctioned abuse, poverty, illegal abortion. As a birth doula, I was impressed with how the complicated births were handled in pretty extreme situations. The stories are told with both stark honesty and unending compassion. (Do not read if pregnant, IMO.)