A Midwife's Tale: the Life of Martha Ballard Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812

Highly recommended.

A way to view life in an earlier time in regards to the daily decisions and tasks that women performed. Helpful in understanding the stress that women in that era were under. Martha was a remarkable woman who definitely did more in a day than most women today do in a week.

I saw the movie the other day for a class and it was absolutely wonderful. It really gives you perspective of a woman's life in the 18th century.

Excellent insight into a very little known period of middle class American women's history, the late 18th & early 19th century The story of the diary itself & Dr Ulrich's subsequent painstaking research, dissection & assessments are, also, fascinating.

A bit dry at times, but for those with an interest in history (esp women's history), it was an interesting look at the life of women in the late 18th and early 19th century. While some things have changed dramatically (ie, the amount of physical labor required to run a household), it also pointed out how the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Really fascinating for any New Englander or anyone who's given birth...life sure used to be tough!

I'm pretty sure that this is the only book I've read more than twice.

Changed the assumptions I had about women in early America.

To me it was kind of boring, but it was a required reading for a class I had on Women in American Society. As my professor stated this book proves that women had their own economy separate from men's since the late 1700s.