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Jonathan Odell Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Author Biography  | Interview  | Books by this Author  | Read-Alikes

Jonathan Odell
Photo: Jim Kuether

Jonathan Odell

How to pronounce Jonathan Odell: oh-DELL

Jonathan Odell Biography

Jonathan Odell is the author of the acclaimed novel The View from Delphi, which deals with the struggle for equality in pre-civil rights Mississippi, his home state. His short stories and essays have appeared in numerous collections. He spent his business career as a leadership coach to Fortune 500 companies and currently resides in Minnesota.

Jonathan Odell's website

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Interview

Jonathan Odell, author of The Healing, set in the pre-Civil War South, interviews retired midwife Mrs Willie Turner of Midnight, Mississippi, who was 91-years-old at the time of the interview in 2002.

Jonathan Odell writes, "In 2002, I had the honor of sitting down with Mrs. Willie Turner of Midnight, Mississippi, a retired midwife. At the time, she was 91 years old and eager to talk about the profession she loved and felt she was called by God to do. The questions I asked are the following:"

PART 1

  1. How many children did you help birth? 0.16
  2. How busy did you stay? 1:00
  3. Did some mothers get scared? What did you do to calm them? 4:25
  4. How did you get around to your patients? 5:44
  5. Did any of the women fight you? 10:09
  6. How did you raise a family and be a midwife? 10:42
  7. What were the homes like? 12:54



PART 2

  1. When did you decide you wanted to be a midwife?
  2. How did you learn?
  3. Tell me about a typical delivery.
  4. What were some of the most difficult deliveries?
  5. Were some babies born not breathing? What did you do?

Most of the photos are of ex-slaves, midwives and sharecroppers taken in the 1930's by artists working for the WPA, archived in the Library of Congress. This video was developed by James Kuether and Random House.

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Books by this Author

Books by Jonathan Odell at BookBrowse
The Healing jacket
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Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for Jonathan Odell but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose read-alikes

  • Author Image Not Available

    Hannah Crafts

    Hannah Crafts lived in the mid 1850s and is believed to be a runaway slave from N. Carolina. This recently discovered manuscript, "The Bondwoman's Narrative," is believed to be the first novel written by a female ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    The Healing

    Try:
    The Bondwoman's Narrative
    by Hannah Crafts

  • Henry Louis Gates

    Henry Louis Gates

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr., is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. An award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    The Healing

    Try:
    The Bondwoman's Narrative
    by Henry Louis Gates

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