Birth Science

Black women have higher rates of premature birth than other women in America. This cannot be simply explained by economic factors, with poorer women lacking resources or access to care. Even professional, middle-class Black women are at a much higher risk of premature birth than low-income White women in the United States. Dána-Ain Davis looks into this phenomenon, placing racial differences in birth outcomes into a historical context, revealing that ideas about reproduction and race today have been influenced by the legacy of ideas which developed during the era of slavery.

Augustin Fresnel (1788–1827) shocked the scientific elite with his unique understanding of the physics of light. The lens he invented was a brilliant feat of engineering that made lighthouses blaze many times brighter, farther, and more efficiently. Battling the establishment, his own poor health, and the limited technology of the time, Fresnel was able to achieve his goal of illuminating the entire French coast. At first, the British sought to outdo the new Fresnel-equipped lighthouses as a matter of national pride.

Journalist Rebecca Grant provides us with a never-before-seen look at the changing landscape of pregnancy and childbirth in America—and the rise of midwifery—told through the eyes of three women who all pass through the doors of the same birth center in Portland, Oregon. In remarkable detail and with great compassion, Grant recounts the ups downs, fears, joys, and everyday moments of each woman’s pregnancy and postpartum journey, offering a rare look into their inner lives, perspectives, and choices in real time.

All winter long, people in the Green Hollows have prepared for a final battle with Gnag the Nameless and the Fangs of Dang. Janner, Kalmar and Leeli are ready and willing to fight alongside the Hollowsfolk. But when the Fangs make the first move and invade Ban Rona, the children are separated.

This comprehensive manual for understanding and preparing for the looming changes to reproductive rights law explains how to get the healthcare you need - by any means necessary. Activist and writer Robin Marty guides listeners through various worst-case scenarios of a post-Roe America and offers ways to fight back, including how to acquire financial support, how to use existing networks and create new ones, and how to, when required, work outside existing legal systems.

In 1776, upon the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Founding Fathers concluded America’s most consequential document with a curious note, pledging “our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor”. Lives and honor did indeed hang in the balance, yet just what were their fortunes? How much did the Founders stand to gain or lose through independence? In this landmark account, historian Willard Sterne Randall investigates the private financial affairs of the Founders, illuminating like never before how and why the Revolution came about.

"In December 1776, a small boat delivered an old man to France." So begins a dazzling narrative account of Benjamin Franklin's French mission, the most exacting, and momentous, eight years of his life.

One child holds the key to the survival of the Fae and humanity. But with King Jarvok a shadow of his former self, Asa has chosen to disobey him and disguise herself as a member of the Court of Light to find answers. Together, she, Indiga, Dora, and the Familiars undertake a perilous mission to rescue the Little One who can lead them to the prophecy child. Yet, even if they save him, they still have many powerful enemies who will do anything to prevent the prophecy child from being found and fulfilling their destiny.

The second edition of this pathbreaking, widely taught book offers five new chapters, on breastfeeding and Black infant health; Black birthing during COVID; Black doulas rethinking birthing practices; the recent buildup of a US national movement; and expanding the global movement for sexual and reproductive wellbeing. Other chapters are updated throughout. Birthing Justice puts black women's voices at the center of the debate on what should be done to fix the broken maternal care system.

Crystal Fire is a tale of the human factors in technology; the pride and jealousies coupled with scientific and economic aspiration that led to the creation of modern microelectronics and ignited the greatest technological explosion in history.

For Jenn Shapland, the barrier between herself and the world is porous; she was even diagnosed with extreme dermatologic sensitivity—thin skin.

During the 20th century, modern births in America came to involve mostly male physicians, hospitals, technological interventions, and quick, routine procedures. In a unique and detailed historical study, Nurse-Midwifery: The Birth of a New American Profession, Laura E. Ettinger fills a void with the first book-length documentation of the emergence of American nurse-midwifery.

An indispensable guide to the revolutionary advances in pregnancy and childbirth. After decades of research into how babies develop in the womb, Susan J. Fisher, PhD, shares her expert advice to empower expecting parents. Complete with helpful illustrations, practical tips, and the essential questions to ask health-care providers, here is everything you need to take charge of your health and your baby’s.

Break the Code, Be Part of the Inner Circle Imagine a world where you have the power to create anything you can dream of, where your ideas come to life with just a few lines of code. Welcome to the exciting and boundless world of programming! If you are looking to start your journey into coding, "Code Breakers: Understanding The Language of Computers" is the perfect guidebook to help you navigate this exhilarating landscape. The goal of this book is to introduce you to the fundamentals of coding in a fun, engaging, and accessible way. But why learn to code, you might ask? In today's digital...

The Unicorn Princess is setting up for her birthday party and realizes that she has forgotten the cake. She grabs her mother's recipe card to make her favorite cake and all the necessary ingredients, except she finds she doesn't have her favorite berries and heads to town to buy her favorite berries by way of the scary Zorak forest. The Unicorn Princess isn't scared or alone for long because she meets some new friends along the way who help her reach the town to buy the berries for her cake. Grateful for her newfound friends, she invites them to her birthday party.

A new era is dawning for the Court of Light and the Court of Dark. Queen Aurora will soon be married to King Jarvok, and for the first time in history, Dark and Light Fae will be united. Except Aurora is also concealing a secret from everyone—she is with child. Not everyone is pleased with the upcoming nuptials. Queen Aurora’s closest advisors have long held that Virtues and Power Angels are sacrosanct, and her bishops view her upcoming marriage as an abomination.

What if Isaac Newton had never lived? Robert Hooke and Edmond Halley, whose place in history has been overshadowed by the giant figure of Newton, were pioneering scientists within their own right and instrumental in establishing the Royal Society. Whilst Newton is widely regarded as one of the greatest scientists of all time and the father of the English scientific revolution, John and Mary Gribbin uncover the fascinating story of Robert Hooke and Edmond Halley....

In The Birth of Politics, Melissa Lane introduces the listener to the foundations of Western political thought, from the Greeks, who invented democracy, to the Romans, who created a republic and then transformed it into an empire. Tracing the origins of our political concepts from Socrates to Plutarch to Cicero, Lane reminds us that the birth of politics was a story as much of individuals as ideas.

Once, peace between the Court of Dark and Light seemed possible. A treaty was signed, a new balance was agreed upon. But now it all may go up in flames. Queen Aurora and King Jarvok are refusing to end their battle. And with neither willing to surrender, their kingdoms are on the edge of destruction. Until a ghost from the past intervenes.

In the opening months of 1949, US President Harry S. Truman found himself faced with a looming diplomatic catastrophe - "perhaps the greatest that this country has ever suffered", as the journalist Walter Lippmann put it. Throughout the spring and summer, Mao Zedong's Communist armies fanned out across mainland China, annihilating the rival troops of America's onetime ally Chiang Kai-shek and taking control of Beijing, Shanghai, and other major cities.