Inspired by the author’s harrowing experience giving birth to her premature daughter, this work combines memoir with reporting to tell the story of neonatology—and to meditate on the questions raised by premature birth.
Early opens like a medical thriller ... the heart of DiGregorio’s illuminating book isn’t just about her family’s journey; it’s an expansive examination of the history and ethics of neonatology ... DiGregorio, a food editor and writer, is such a beautiful storyteller, I found myself underlining passages, turning corners of pages and keeping track of the page numbers at the back of the book until I had a hodgepodge of numbers scribbled on top of each other.
... [a] compassionate exploration of preterm birth ... Sensitively approaching the myriad practical and ethical challenges involved in caring for such fragile babies, DiGregorio gives vivid, individualized portraits of struggling parents, premature infants who developed into thriving children, and the specialists dedicated to helping them. Reassuringly emphasizing that most preterm babies develop into happy, fulfilled children, DiGregorio delivers a candid yet gentle work with appeal for prospective parents and anyone interested in 'what premature birth [can] teach us about being human.'
