I admit first that I have been a fan of Perri Klass for years because of her ability to bring difficult medical information into clear and humane focus. This latest volume, which is more medical history than anything else, is a fascinating look at infant mortality and, thankfully, how things have improved over the years. She delves into how race and class impact a child's prospects (or don't). childhood diseases, the value of vaccination, and other topics. Her writing is, as always, clear and direct but with a tone that never hectors (even where it might be easy to do so). This has been deeply and carefully researched and her conclusions are supported by data which, rest assured, never overwhelms the narrative. She's encouraged by how things have changed and that comes through loud and clear. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is well worth a read.

Perri Klass talks about the historical times and about all the ailments like measles and that have once plagued children when they were young. Some parts of the book were heartbreaking and and sad when delving into the past of childhood diseases and high child mortality rate. But it's also really enlightening seeing how far we've come, and realizing how much has changed due to the introduction of sanitation, hygiene, and vaccines. It's amazing the amount of progress that has been made, and as the title states, now is truly a good time to be born. I highly recommend!

First I would like to thank Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to review this book.

I am a registered nurse so I had a particular interest in this subject. Living in the days of modern medicine it is often difficult to truly appreciate the early milestones in medical progress, and make it all too easy to take those victories for granted.

The author has certainly chosen a topic that relevant to today’s medical culture. The fight against child mortality is something that healthcare providers all over the world struggle with today. It is a war with battles lost and battles won. I feel this book offers encouragement to all medical personnel, that though there are times we fail, there will be times we succeed. This is a powerful tribute to the hard work of those who have sought to improve the quality and longevity of humanity.

The author begins with an overview of the expectations and experiences of those a century or so; creating a strong start for the following chapters. The chapters and information are well-organized and with the subject matter clearly outlined.

The language used in the book is appropriate for both medical personnel and laymen, as the author takes time to explain anything that may cause confusion. Her thoughts are clear and concise, along with well-researched.

Overall I found this book to very interesting and found myself compelled to continue. I feel I learned a lot that I didn’t know, and received a good refresher on things I had previously studied.

Science writing done right

I loved everything about this book. Dr. Perri Klass’s excellent writing carried me along with her clever wording and some well placed humor. I couldn’t put the book down. Some parts of the book, where Klass discussed the bad old days, are absolutely heart-breaking but conversely, Klass explains how things have improved since then. The other aspect of the book I liked is that Klass puts herself into the story as we learn more about her and her journey. This book is an example of great science writing and is a must-read.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

Perri Klass from her first books has been a heroine of mine.So smart always open sharing her life her practice with us.This is a fascinating read an extremely timely look at the world of vaccines at how far we’ve come come..We learn to be thankful for vaccines as parents who know how they keep our children safe.With the search for a vaccine for COVID this book is a very important very timely,#netgalley#ww.norton

I received a digital galley of "A Good Time to be Born," from Net Galley in exchange for a fair review.

In general, this book gives an insightful overview of the medical advances over the past few centuries that have been critical in improving infant and child mortality. Klass does a nice job reviewing primary source material from public health workers, nurses, physicians and researchers that intelligently includes the contributions of African-Americans and women that have taken an event--childhood death--that used to be so common among both impoverished and wealthy families to wheres now a childhood death is looked upon as unusual.

When I first started reading the book, I became worried about the repetitiveness of how many similarities of the following statement occurred in the introduction and first chapter, "In previous centuries, no matter how rich and powerful parents were, no matter how many important doctors they could summon, they had a very limited ability to protect the children they loved." Also, the first chapter is essentially a review of how childhood death was portrayed in literature which gave the impression that this was going to be more about how childhood death was portrayed in 19th century literature rather than a medical history of how childhood mortality improved over the centuries. Portions of the first chapter could have been integrated into the other chapters to humanistically represent what cultural productions like plays, literature and movies portrayed about the death of children.

Fortunately, Klass eliminated my frustrations in the first sentence of Chapter 2 by starting it with the following sentence quoted from the anti-slavery newspaper ,"The Liberator: "American mothers! Can you doubt that the slave feels as tenderly for her offspring as you do for yours?...Will you not raise your voices, and plead for her emancipation?" She then gives a forceful, inspiring narrative (including an 1860 document listing the prices of enslaved people), how African-Americans' children suffered under the savagery of slavery and how African-American writers poignantly captured the grief of seeing their infants die, experiencing the same grief and loss as Caucasians and then continuing throughout the book highlights the important contributions that African-American pubic health workers, nurses and physicians contributed to improving childhood mortality. This is history that is inclusive and inspiring.

The book goes on to highlight what you would expect a medically-focused history of childhood mortality to address--breastfeeding, infectious diseases, vaccines, the development of Neonatal Intensive Care Units, etc. All of which appear to be grounded by historical research and her clinical experience as a pediatrician when some of these developments occurred. She does a nice job explaining medically-related concepts in an easy to understand format but does not lose a more general reader who might be less interested in a scientific explanation of how these advances led to improved mortality.

That said, a medical focus on improved mortality will not necessarily provide a comprehensive overview of the entire story of improved childhood mortality. Although Klass mentions other factors as early as the introduction-- poverty, education, environmental, personal behaviors--that contribute just as much, if not more, to improved mortality, these are not explained to any substantial degree, nor is HIV/AIDS. Legislative and legal contributions, including regulatory improvements in environment, housing and labor, are also not given equal treatment compared to medical advances. This is not necessarily a fatal flaw, just that the book reflects the author's background in the medical sciences. Klass also mentions and laments how there is still a difference between African-American infant mortality versus Caucasian infant mortality. Even though rates have dropped precipitously compared to prior decades and centuries, we can't declare victory until this rate narrows and here is where a broader view of overall health rather than just medical care can help better inform these disparities of care and what needs to be done to advances these social determinants of health. Lastly, there is no discussion on how medical harm through the delivery of care sometimes contributes to less than optimal pediatric health outcomes.

I don't want this review to focus on the potential omissions of Klass's book on why childhood mortality has improved over the past centuries, particularly because in her skillful telling she highlights the humanity in children and their families that you end up inspired by reading her narrative and want all of us to continue to ensure that all children grow up loved, cared for and supported by their parents and their communities. Although I didn't give this 5 stars, it still should be read for its literary and medical history merits and I commend her for taking up such a diverse topic and ultimately making it inspiring reading.

An absolutely fascinating book fiction book about childhood health and diseases. The author is a pediatrician who had been working for decades, and tells us about her historical research and personal experience of what were once common childhood ailments, like measles, scarlet fever and diphtheria. It is amazing to think about how within living memory we have moved from virtually every parent having to live with the expected death of a child, to a world where childhood death is thankfully incredibly rare. It really makes you realise how much we owe to sanitation, knowledge of germs and hygiene and vaccination to have changed our lives so fundamentally. The author did a great and very even handed job of explaining how vaccinations and the care of premature babies became contentious issues, and how both have changed family life. I read this book in one sitting, and although it might seem like a morbid subject, ultimately I felt uplifted by the massive progress we have made across the world in child life expectancy. A really great read.