The Trials of Madame Restell: Nineteenth-Century America’s Most Infamous Female Physician and the Campaign to Make Abortion a Crime

Written by Nicholas L. Syrett

Narrated by Madeleine Maby

This biography of one of the most famous abortionists of the nineteenth century is a story that has unmistakable parallels to the current war on reproductive rights.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dreamscape Media
• Release date: Oct 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9781666649581

Nicholas L. Syrett

Nicholas L. Syrett is associate dean and professor of women, gender, and sexuality studies at the University of Kansas. A co-editor of the Journal of the History of Sexuality, he is the author of The Company He Keeps, American Child Bride, An Open Secret, and The Trials of Madame Restell. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Daily Beast. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas.

Reviews for The Trials of Madame Restell

[Andrea Author · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This biography highlights the 19th-century reproductive healthcare provider known as Madame Restell. Operating clinics in New York City, she offered services including contraception, pregnancy care, childbirth, and abortions. As society shifted, she drew criticism as a threat to traditional views on women's roles. New abortion restrictions put her at legal risk. Her numerous trials parallel today's battles over reproductive freedom.

This easy-to-read book is full of factual information about Madame Restell, her competitors, and her critics, effectively recreating the era when men increasingly sought to take over women's healthcare from traditional female providers. The audiobook narration is well done.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.