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ktomkie's review
5.0
An outstanding feminist revisionist history of life in early America. If you're wondering what living in rural colonial New England was like for the average Joe (and Jane), this is a must read. And Ulrich's foregrounding of issues around archive--bringing to light all the social forces that have kept Ballard's diary from being taken seriously by scholars over the centuries--deserves its own merit.
rachael1221's review against another edition
5.0
Reread for prelims. Still my all-time favorite history of anything. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich does this so well. She plops the reader down into Martha Ballard’s world and makes you care deeply about her and all the people in it while never losing sight of her argument and the bigger picture. And it’s beautiful.
🤓😍📖🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🤓😍📖🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
lexcellent's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
ameliadunn's review
Impressive and important historical document. Boring as an audiobook.
erine's review
5.0
This is one of the first historical nonfiction books I read that I enjoyed. I read it first many years ago, but I still own a copy and have never forgotten the impression this book made on me that history can be interesting, that the most mundane details can be interpreted to mean something significant, and that history often ignores those who have no voice, assuming that they didn't matter instead of leaving room for them.
Martha Ballard’s daily life is full of mundane details and repetitive tasks, and is deeply relatable in so many ways. An ordinary woman in many respects who cared for her family, her community, and was diligently competent at her profession, she is one of my historical heroes.
The book began a lifelong fascination with medical history in general and women's medical history specifically. I found this book to be well-written and engaging. There are surprising details, such as Martha's low mortality rate among her patients, that after examination, really shouldn't be so surprising. This book challenges a lot of assumptions that people have about history in general, and historical writing in particular.
I'm re-reading this, and love this bit: "The problem is not that the diary is trivial, but that it introduces more stories than can easily be recovered and absorbed."
Notes:
The introduction establishes that Martha Ballard is fully literate but not fancy about it, steady, and religious. She never lost a mother during delivery, and dealt with emergencies and scandal regularly. Even her repetitive daily details reveal larger societal context. But I think this sums up why I like this book so much, and why I have come back to it more than once: “…I have hoped to remind readers of the complexity and subjectivity of historical reconstruction, to give them some sense of both the affinity and the distance between history and source."
The first chapter follows a passage that includes an epidemic of Scarlett fever, several births and deaths, and lays out Martha’s relationship with the colonial medical system as a whole. She was an integral and important piece of it.
Chapter two uses the metaphor of weaving cloth to describe the social bonds and household economies of Martha Ballard’s life The vitality and invisibility of the work women did emphasizes the patriarchal nature of every system, from economic to governmental to judicial. In every aspect, men were elevated, recorded, rewarded, while women occupied the background in roles no less important for being unrecorded by the men.
In chapter three we find the inspiration for [b:The Frozen River|112975658|The Frozen River|Ariel Lawhon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1676671937l/112975658._SY75_.jpg|88637313], as the trial of Colonel North proceeds. Rebecca Foster does indeed accuse him of sexual assault, and Martha is involved in the case. She did seem to support the Fosters, both in her church attendance and commentary on Isaac’s sermons, as well as through conversations with Rebecca. But ultimately many of the details are lost to history: “Any effort to solve the mystery only deepens it. Barring the discovery of other documents, the case must rest with Martha Ballard.” (Note: check in to see if Lawson sends Rebecca to Peru)
Chapter four begins with weddings and the concept of “going to housekeeping,” then quickly follows with an examination of premarital sex — over 2/3 of Martha’s deliveries were conceived before or out of marriage.
Chapter five focuses on delivery statistics, the stages of labor, and the practical process of labor. Not the medical details, but how often Martha was called out, what she was paid, and the way the stages of labor are reflected in who is at the house helping at any given moment.
In Chapter six, Martha is aging, without consistent household help, and Ephraim is often away surveying. Tensions are rising between settlers living on the land and those surveying for the large property owners. Despite the drama, Martha’s struggles with housework are what resonate even today: she “finds my house up in arms.” Her experiences as an aging woman are painfully similar to what modern women relate.
Chapter seven returns to varying forms of medical practice, including dissections or postmortems, and Martha’s role. Changing ideas of medicine, and of women combined to create new relationships with healthcare.
Chapter eight examines the changes that happen in Martha’s life as she ages: they have to move from their home, Ephraim is sent to jail for failing to collect enough taxes, and her ongoing clashes with her eldest son.
A mass murder/suicide occupies much of chapter nine. Just down the road from Martha, one of her neighbors slaughtered his entire family, including many children, leaving only one son to survive. And not long after, another person in the neighborhood commits suicide. This tragedy encompasses a changing neighborhood, echoes in their changing religious composition, and reveals the passing of nursing duties to the next generation.
Chapter ten ends with tensions between squatter settlers and absent large landlords. Martha’s nephew is caught up on the settler side and ends up in prison for murder. While all this is going on, Martha’s life is also coming to an end.
I'll leave all this with a note from Martha that still resonates today, “It is very strange that men cannot behave like rationall beings."
Martha Ballard’s daily life is full of mundane details and repetitive tasks, and is deeply relatable in so many ways. An ordinary woman in many respects who cared for her family, her community, and was diligently competent at her profession, she is one of my historical heroes.
The book began a lifelong fascination with medical history in general and women's medical history specifically. I found this book to be well-written and engaging. There are surprising details, such as Martha's low mortality rate among her patients, that after examination, really shouldn't be so surprising. This book challenges a lot of assumptions that people have about history in general, and historical writing in particular.
I'm re-reading this, and love this bit: "The problem is not that the diary is trivial, but that it introduces more stories than can easily be recovered and absorbed."
Notes:
The introduction establishes that Martha Ballard is fully literate but not fancy about it, steady, and religious. She never lost a mother during delivery, and dealt with emergencies and scandal regularly. Even her repetitive daily details reveal larger societal context. But I think this sums up why I like this book so much, and why I have come back to it more than once: “…I have hoped to remind readers of the complexity and subjectivity of historical reconstruction, to give them some sense of both the affinity and the distance between history and source."
The first chapter follows a passage that includes an epidemic of Scarlett fever, several births and deaths, and lays out Martha’s relationship with the colonial medical system as a whole. She was an integral and important piece of it.
Chapter two uses the metaphor of weaving cloth to describe the social bonds and household economies of Martha Ballard’s life The vitality and invisibility of the work women did emphasizes the patriarchal nature of every system, from economic to governmental to judicial. In every aspect, men were elevated, recorded, rewarded, while women occupied the background in roles no less important for being unrecorded by the men.
In chapter three we find the inspiration for [b:The Frozen River|112975658|The Frozen River|Ariel Lawhon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1676671937l/112975658._SY75_.jpg|88637313], as the trial of Colonel North proceeds. Rebecca Foster does indeed accuse him of sexual assault, and Martha is involved in the case. She did seem to support the Fosters, both in her church attendance and commentary on Isaac’s sermons, as well as through conversations with Rebecca. But ultimately many of the details are lost to history: “Any effort to solve the mystery only deepens it. Barring the discovery of other documents, the case must rest with Martha Ballard.” (Note: check in to see if Lawson sends Rebecca to Peru)
Chapter four begins with weddings and the concept of “going to housekeeping,” then quickly follows with an examination of premarital sex — over 2/3 of Martha’s deliveries were conceived before or out of marriage.
Chapter five focuses on delivery statistics, the stages of labor, and the practical process of labor. Not the medical details, but how often Martha was called out, what she was paid, and the way the stages of labor are reflected in who is at the house helping at any given moment.
In Chapter six, Martha is aging, without consistent household help, and Ephraim is often away surveying. Tensions are rising between settlers living on the land and those surveying for the large property owners. Despite the drama, Martha’s struggles with housework are what resonate even today: she “finds my house up in arms.” Her experiences as an aging woman are painfully similar to what modern women relate.
Chapter seven returns to varying forms of medical practice, including dissections or postmortems, and Martha’s role. Changing ideas of medicine, and of women combined to create new relationships with healthcare.
Chapter eight examines the changes that happen in Martha’s life as she ages: they have to move from their home, Ephraim is sent to jail for failing to collect enough taxes, and her ongoing clashes with her eldest son.
A mass murder/suicide occupies much of chapter nine. Just down the road from Martha, one of her neighbors slaughtered his entire family, including many children, leaving only one son to survive. And not long after, another person in the neighborhood commits suicide. This tragedy encompasses a changing neighborhood, echoes in their changing religious composition, and reveals the passing of nursing duties to the next generation.
Chapter ten ends with tensions between squatter settlers and absent large landlords. Martha’s nephew is caught up on the settler side and ends up in prison for murder. While all this is going on, Martha’s life is also coming to an end.
I'll leave all this with a note from Martha that still resonates today, “It is very strange that men cannot behave like rationall beings."