I don't read a lot of non-fiction but I found this a very pleasant and informative read. I learned a lot and enjoyed the journey. This is a title that will probably appeal to specific people but I thought it was well researched and gave me a lot to think about.

I read this for personal enjoyment and I did enjoy it. Leah Hazard does a good job of taking the reader through the birthing process from conception all the way to delivery. There were a lot of factoids that I did not already know, so it was interesting to learn something new.

I picked up this book to learn more about the womb. This didn't really go into the nitty gritty science of the womb due to women's health not being a high priority for research in the past but I was hoping to see if that changed! This is a great introduction though to the social history of women's health research. There is much to be taken away and I do recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc of this book.

I loved this book and found it absolutely fascinating. Easy to follow for a lay audience and a little-focused-on subject. Great for library collections.

*I was gifted an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

DNF. I didn't even make it through the first part, it wasn't what I expected. It aims to be "inclusive".

Good introduction to women's biology, and current contexts.







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I am horrified at how much I learned from this book -- I've been in possession of a uterus for three decades, and I could've used this 'owners manual' years ago! Hazard's voice is so inviting -- warm, funny, thoughtful, and informed. There's a great balance of story and research in WOMB, and I'd recommend it to anyone!

Thanks to Netgalley and Ecco for the ARC of this!

Inclusive in its language and full of riveting information this was so interesting to me. The tone was lovely, and I picked up the audio as well to be able to switch back and forth, and the author did a great job narrating. Definitely recommend to anyone with a uterus or who loves someone with a uterus and wants to know more.

As a reader of nonfiction books about science, I was looking forward to learning more about my own anatomy. Not having had or wanted children, I was still curious about how everything works. This volume taught me more than I’d ever learned, even in school, about the miracle of a woman’s reproductive system. The author’s experience as a midwife was fascinating. That said, I expected a heavy dose of feminism, but the content was just too woke for me. The term “birthing person” seems too long to use instead of “mother.” Learning about trans people was interesting, since I knew nothing, but there was just too much about it. I enjoy reading books by authors with many different opinions, but the tone of this one was too militant. The parts about the miracle that is the human body and the future of science were great, they just seemed like the backdrop to a very political manifesto.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Ecco!

Leah Hazard has done something for me that only one other science non-fiction writer has done for me - told an impeccable, humorous tale on a topic that most people would find disturbing at worst or uninteresting at best. Personally, I found the book well researched, personable, and highly entertaining. I was drawn to the book, having a vested interesting in the topic, but always seeking to educate myself on obscure topics. If you've been on the fence about reading this, do it. You won't be disappointed. I can't wait to see what she does next.

I overall really liked this book and its comprehensive history of women’s reproductive health. I think I was hoping for a bit more of an activist perspective and at times the pacing felt off, but overall this was an excellent way to learn more about the reproductive history and the marginalization of women in the American health system.

This book looked really interesting to me. I loved the cover. However, I shortly DFNd this book because it didn’t caught my attention. I was looking to get more biological answers or info about my womb rather the book focus on the social aspect.

Womb is a nonfiction book that investigates a truly underresearched organ - the uterus. Midwife Leah Hazard combines medical history and discoveries of the past with her own research to delve into this fascinating topic. As someone who's lived with a uterus all her life, I felt like I learned something mind-blowing in every single chapter.

Additionally, Hazard deconstructs the patriarchal bias that has influenced the study of the uterus, from lack of funding to damaging terminology to outright medical abuse (and many points in between). While illuminating the many wonders of the female reproductive system, the author highlights how men have dominated research surrounding uterus-bearing individuals while seldom considering those individuals' input.

At the same time, the author seeks to share the personal experiences of uterus-bearers of all demographics. She juxtaposes past medical tragedies with updates on where the issue stands in modern times, whether it be in a place of triumphant progress, frustrated stagnation, or somewhere in the middle. Hazard focuses on the women and their strength for what they've endured, and shows that the uterus truly is an incredible organ.

For those intimidated by science-oriented books, I assure you this was not hard to follow. However, covering topics like miscarriage, eugenics, medical bias/abuse, and even descriptions of past medical/experimental procedures, it's not always an easy read, but its worth it considering these are the real experiences of uterus-bearers throughout time.

Womb will be available March 7, 2023. Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollins for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

When I saw that a midwife authored this book, I knew that it would be relevant, detailed, and female friendly. The womb is regulated by the government, dismissed by some physicians, and disparaged by men. It is also a misunderstood organ, considered to be simply the place where the fetus lives. That could not be farther from the truth! The uterus has far -reaching effects upon a woman, more than just the cause of mood swings each month during menstruation.
Each chapter discusses a different subject, such as endometriosis, hysterectomies, transplants (yes, you can put a uterus into a woman just like a heart transplant) hormones, and the various stages of the womb from first menses to menopause. The final chapters are reminiscent of BRAVE NEW WORLD, as the author discusses the possibility of an external uterus (called a biobag) and ways that a woman could be pregnant even without a womb.
There are stories in each chapter that make you realize just how much this organ is ignored and how men have used and abused it, from Josef Mengele’s experiments to the eugenics movement in the United States. Some of the details are cringeworthy, such as the woman who tried to remove her own uterus, or the story of the doctor at the Irwin County Detention Center whom they called the “uterus collector”.
Since Roe v. Wade has been overturned, women’s reproductive rights have been at the forefront of a great deal of news cycles. It seems unreal how the government, especially male politicians, have the final say on whether a woman can end her pregnancy or not. Regardless of your convictions (pro-choice or pro-life), it is unfathomable that a woman has no control over her own organs.
This book should be required reading for anyone that has a uterus. There are so many amazing facts and thought-provoking ideas – it’s almost guaranteed that you will learn something as you read WOMB. The author’s writing style is easy to understand, as she explains the science and history of this wonderful organ in a way that will make you want to keep reading.

I really wanted to like this book, since it promised a detailed look at the female reproductive system and the advances in medical knowledge about the womb. I was already aware that women's health is often overlooked in research and that knowledge of our organs, hormones, and body processes lags behind many other fields of medical study. It's quite shocking how many times during pregnancy/birth care I asked a question only to be told, "That's never been studied. Nobody really knows." I was really hoping to have some of those questions answered.

Having said that, I was disappointed by the content. It seemed the book wasn't aimed at providing an overview of medical knowledge and research so much as explaining the social context and history of how women's reproductive health has been marginalized in the world of medical research. That's a valid topic, and definitely plays into the dearth of current knowledge of the womb's inner workings, but it took up far too much of the book, to the exclusion of the medical/scientific information I was hoping to learn.

For example, in the chapter about periods, we are invited to ask the question "what exactly happens in the menstrual cycle and what purpose does it serve?" Rather than answering that question, the chapter delves into the experience of shame and social stigma of menstruation, and then spends several pages interviewing a person who is pushing for medication that will eliminate periods based on her opinion that periods are unnecessary. I suppose that's an interesting perspective, but it was more of a social/ideological take than a medical/scientific take.

So if you're looking for a feminist look at how women's bodies have been stigmatized and overlooked by 19th-20th century Western medicine, this is a great resource. If you're looking for a deep dive into the inner workings of the uterus, this may not be the right book.

*Disclaimer: I received an advance reader copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.