Yellow Crocus

It has been awhile since I've read a really good novel. I sort of stumbled upon this one by accident, but now I'm recommending it to everyone.

The Yellow Crocus is a novel written by Laila Ibrahim, who also happens to be a birth doula from Berkeley. I first heard about the book at a doula meeting and was impressed by how much some of the other doulas liked it. I actually emailed Laila, re-introduced myself (we first met at a doula meetings many months ago), told her I was interested in buying a copy of her book, and asked her if she preferred that I buy it from her directly or from Amazon.com. She was great about offering the book for a slightly reduced fee if I bought it directly from her plus she said she would sign it and meet me at a half-way point for delivery. I decided to buy four copies.

I sent one copy to my godmother, whom I have pretty much neglected this past year, and am hoping to make amends with now. I hope she likes it. I sent a copy each to women who have been particularly generous and supportive of me recently (and Louis), and I kept one copy for myself.

Here's the description from the book's back cover:

"Moments after her birth to the mistress of a sprawling Virginia plantation, Lisbeth Wainwright is entrusted to Mattie, an enslaved wet nurse. From then on, Mattie serves as Lisbeth's stand-in mother, nursing her, singing her to sleep, and soothing her in the night. And yet mothering Lisbeth tears Mattie away from her own baby, Samuel, who lives in the slave quarters. Growing up under Mattie's tender care, Lisbeth adopts her traditions of prayer, singing, eating black-eyed peas, and hunting for yellow crocuses in the spring. As the years pass and Lisbeth is drawn back into the white world, she slowly becomes aware of the inequality of her and Mattie's stations. She struggles to reconcile her love for Mattie with her parents' expectations for her future, intent on keeping the best of both worlds-until a terrible betrayal forces her to choose once and for all. Yellow Crocus is a compelling novel of love, loss, and redemption set during one of the most painful chapters of American history."

This is Laila's very first novel and a really great book. It is the written equivalent of a total chick flick, with lots of birth, breastfeeding, and emotions. I loved that she was able to use her practical knowledge of birth to present realistic (and midwife-friendly) descriptions of what we can only imagine these experiences were like during slavery.

If anyone needs a brief escape from reality, you are welcome to borrow my copy. Or, if you'd like to buy a signed version for a gift, lemme know and I'll hook you up.