Reviews with content warning for Miscarriage - A Spark of Light

This book is a dramatization of a concept. I have seldom heard an audiobook that has a self-descriptive soundbite as part of the narrative, but this one hits the nail on the head. This deeply informative book, seeks to present the idea of abortion in the USA - pros and cons, warts and all.
It does this by telling the story of a clinic where a gunman turns up. Through the course of the story we find ourselves in an intricate web of backstories, origin stories, and personal experiences of all the people who are in the center at the time, and a few others who are not.

The author clearly wants us to invest in the characters. She illustrates real things that happens to real people and has spent time investigating the science, the feelings, and the Faith of those people who are deeply invested in the topic. She expresses the frustration and sadness of anti-abortionist, and the frustration and sadness of the abortion providers, as well as lawyers, cops, a kid who was stuck bouncing through foster homes, and the women affected by closure of and aggression against women's health centres. Not everyone in this story is visiting the centre for a pregnancy termination.

I didn't expect this story to be so entertaining. I must admit to being a little concerned as to the tack it was going to take because it delivered many sides of the issues with respect and clarity, and I was just waiting for the shoe to drop and for the author to fall heavily on one side. I think she did eventually land lightly but firmly on the pro-choice side.

I did get a little tangled in trying to understand what was happening at times, before I got used to the spiderweb structure of the story, frequently backtracking into prior events and historical anecdotes to fill in blanks from perspectives of all the different characters. It was an interesting way to tell the story and I can't believe that I still managed to get lulled into a few misconceptions that were revealed at the the end. The twists were a good payoff for me, though would possibly be a bit predictable for other readers.

There is an expansive author's note, in the author's voice on the end of the production, where she mentions her research and sources and provides a little more context. It's not for the faint of heart, but is pretty thorough and would be a good club book, class topic for high school seniors, or conversation starter for families. I have had some good discussions with my pre-teen son about it.

Content Warnings

swhence's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad

3.0

Content Warnings

bookswithgeorgia's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Content Warnings

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