Blessed Events Religion and Home Birth in America

Summary: "Klassen fascinates as she shows us how women who give birth at home experience the simultaneous embodiment of pain and power, self-sufficiency and surrender, immanence and transcendence. Weaving these themes into a cohesive portrait of home birthers in all their complexity, Klassen gives us at the same time new ways of understanding what it means to practice religion in contemporary America."--Robbie Davis-Floyd, au...thor ofBirth as an American Rite of Passage "This lively book analyzes how women who chose to give birth at home create meaning from their birthing experiences. It makes a significant contribution to several fields, including religious studies and feminist theory, and will also be useful to general readers who are interested in the manifestation of religion in everyday life, as well as to anyone considering home birth."--Lynn Davidman, Brown University "This book examines how women who give birth at home use religious discourse to make meaning of their birth experiences and to resist the views of the dominant society, especially the medical establishment. Carefully, through a nuanced argument that explores the perspectives of women from very diverse backgrounds, Klassen challenges and enlarges what we understand as 'religion.'"--Mary Jo Neitz, University of Missouri [read more]