Madame Restell: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New York's Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist

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Product Details
Price
$30.00  $27.90
Publisher
Hachette Books
Publish Date
Pages
352
Dimensions
6.38 X 9.18 X 1.18 inches | 1.18 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9780306826795

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About the Author
Jennifer Wright is the author of several pop history books, including It Ended Badly and Get Well Soon (winner of Audible's "Best History Book of 2017"). She lives in Los Angeles with her husband--fellow writer Daniel Kibblesmith--and their daughter.
Reviews
"[An] impassioned and irreverent biography... Wright paints a vivid picture of Restell's rise to prominence and weaves in intriguing details about the history of birth control and abortion. This feminist history fascinates."--Publishers Weekly
"Jennifer Wright is one of the best writers of history working today, and it's a gift to all of us that she's choosing to focus her tremendous skill as a researcher and singular voice on an all-but-forgotten figure like Madame Restell. To call this book timely would be an understatement. It functions not only as a brilliant biography but also a timeless reminder of the way history can be erased and changed to serve modern political purposes."--DANA SCHWARTZ, #1 New York Times bestselling author of ANATOMY: A LOVE STORY and host of NOBLE BLOOD
"It may be a 19th century story, but Madame Restell's battles with sanctimonious hypocrites and condescending men feels all too modern, especially in an era when basic rights are once again being taken away. Luckily, Jennifer Wright has a wry humor and light hand, making this book as fun as it is inspiring."--AMANDA MARCOTTE, Senior Political Writer at Salon and Author of TROLL NATION
"Reading Jennifer Wright's books is always like having a brilliant friend tell you fascinating history you can't believe you never heard of before. MADAME RESTELL is no exception--it's a page-turning ride through the Gilded Age that will make you laugh, make you cry, and enrage you by turns."--ALEXANDRA PETRI, Washington Post columnist and author of Alexandra Petri's US History
"Like the woman herself, MADAME RESTELL is smart, fascinating, complicated, and not to be denied. Wright has written that most delicious of books, the true story of a bad bitch, a woman whose work is as relevant as your social media timeline, only it's true."--QUINN CUMMINGS, author of NOTES FROM THE UNDERWIRE and SMALL STORIES (2018-2020)
"MADAME RESTELL is a book about one of America's most infamous 19th century abortion providers, which is to say it's a delightful, indecorous, and sometimes disturbing story about the whole of American history: Capitalism and class, feminism and freedom, and puritanical hypocrites who find their authority challenged by women who want a littler power (and are willing to be more than a little bawdy in order to get it). If you want to understand contemporary politics, from brave women who break the law to the misogynist moral scolds who still want women under their thumb to the inevitable interplay of despair and resistance in the pursuit of liberation--or if you just want to read a truly captivating tale of the most important woman you've never heard of--don't miss MADAME RESTELL."--JILL FILIPOVIC, journalist and author of THE H-SPOT
"Wright's well-researched biography is not only interesting, but, sadly, timely. A fresh contribution to women's history."--Kirkus
"Painfully timely... Wright observes that Americans don't take well to learning history. When it is delivered with this kind of blunt force, however, perhaps they might. Whatever readers end up thinking of Madame Restell, they surely cannot miss the core lesson: that there has never been a culture in human history without abortion. The only variable has ever been the cost.--New York Times Book Review
"They say that history is written by the victors, which goes a long way towards explaining the anonymity of Ann Trow, a.k.a. Madame Restell. Jennifer Wright's meticulously researched, dryly humorous, and frankly feminist biography of the glamorous, celebrated, and unapologetic abortionist--whose defiance in the face of an oppressive patriarchy can best be described as (ahem) ballsy--should set that right... Dismantling centuries-old misconceptions, Wright blends rousing biography and eye-opening medical and cultural history lessons in this compulsively readable biography of a remarkable woman."--Amazon
"By unraveling the misogynistic and misleading lies that put women's lives in jeopardy, Wright simultaneously restores Restell to her rightful place in history and obliterates the faulty reasoning underlying the very foundation of what has since been dubbed the 'pro-life' movement." --Daily Kos
**An Amazon EDITOR'S PICK for BEST BOOKS OF THE MONTH (March 2023)**

**INDIE NEXT List Pick for March 2023**

**A Bookshop.Org EDITOR'S PICK (March 2023)***

Next Idea Book Club, "February Must Reads" and "40 Nonfiction Books to Watch Out For in 2023"

Cosmopolitan, "11 Best Books to Put on Your TBR"

Amazon, Best Books in History and Nonfiction (March 2023)

The Spectator, "Books to Watch Out For in 2023"


"Madame Restell is a timely portrait of one woman's boldness mixes deep research with page-turning prose to bring Madame Restell's times to life, reminding what's at stake in the fight for bodily autonomy." (Editor's Pick)--Bookshop.Org
"Wright has vividly and thoroughly revived the dark story of Madame Restell, an undeniably powerful entrepreneur who rose from seemingly hopeless poverty by exercising her innate abilities, excelling and enjoying the fruits of her labors. She examines the thorny issue of abortion from numerous angles, treating it deftly. Restell's life story encompasses subject matter that has much to teach, and Wright provides diligent, thoughtful research to make that possible." --BookReporter.com
"This is a book that'll make you want to stand up and say, 'HECK YES!'"--"Book Worm Says" column