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Book Reviewed by:A dramatic and inspiring novel based on the true story of the Jane Collective and the brave women who fought for our right to choose, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Paris Bookseller.
Chicago, early 1970s: Who does a woman call when she needs help? Jane.
The best-known secret in the city, Jane is an underground women's health organization composed entirely of women helping women, empowering them to live lives free from the expectations of society by offering reproductive counseling and safe, illegal abortions. Veronica, Jane's founder, prides herself on the services she has provided to thousands of women, yet the price of others' freedom is that she leads a double life. When she's not at Jane, Veronica plays the role of a conventional housewife—which becomes even more difficult during her own high-risk pregnancy.
Two more women in Veronica's neighborhood are grappling with similar disconnects. Margaret, a young professor at the University of Chicago, secretly volunteers at Jane as she falls in love with a man whose attitude toward his ex-wife increasingly disturbs her. Patty, who's long been content as a devoted wife and mother, has begun to sense that something essential is missing from her life. When her runaway younger sister Eliza shows up unexpectedly, Patty is forced to come to terms with what it really means to love and support a sister.
In this historic moment when the personal was nothing if not political, when television, movies, and commercials told women they'd "come a long way, baby," Veronica, Margaret, and Patty must make choices that will change the course of their lives forever.
The book shows how dangerous, demeaning and expensive an experience abortions were, and how these people made it a safe, supportive, informed process (Ruthie A). The reader has a clear sense of how intricate the secret network was, of the pressures on it and of the need for it (Judith G). The impact of the lack of resources for people of color and other marginalized people before Roe is overwhelming. Although we still have a very long way to go and are unfortunately backtracking, we have come a long way. The description of women's roles during that time period is spot on. It's important information for all of us and a well-written book (Jane M)...continued
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(Reviewed by First Impressions Reviewers).
Kerri Maher's novel All You Have to Do Is Call fictionalizes the story of the real-life Jane Collective, an underground abortion network that operated in Chicago during the late 1960s and early '70s before abortion was legalized with the passing of Roe v. Wade in 1973. The organization was founded by Heather Booth, who as a college student in 1965 arranged a connection between a friend's sister who needed an abortion and the physician (and civil rights leader) T.R.M. Howard, who was able to perform the service. Booth and Howard continued working together to provide women with abortions, and this arrangement expanded into a larger system that became the Jane Collective.
The collective was run by volunteer activists, called Janes. As ...
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A timely and poignant depiction of the precarious position of women in pre-Roe America. Maher delivers a compelling insight of the dangers women of all walks of lives had to face to gain access reproductive health care. The characters are rich and keenly developed; the pacing flawless. A worthy reminder of the progress we've made and the progress we stand to lose. A stunning tribute to the strength of women.
