After the End Book Club - The Book of the Unnamed Midwife

About this event

After the End book club reads books that feature post-apocalyptic, dystopian or alternate history themes. We meet the 1st Thursday of the month at the library (with a virtual Google Meet option) and welcome all new members!

This month we'll be reading The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison.

Print book copies in PINES.

About the book from Goodreads: When she fell asleep, the world was doomed. When she awoke, it was dead.

In the wake of a fever that decimated the earth’s population—killing women and children and making childbirth deadly for the mother and infant—the midwife must pick her way through the bones of the world she once knew to find her place in this dangerous new one. Gone are the pillars of civilization. All that remains is power—and the strong who possess it.

A few women like her survived, though they are scarce. Even fewer are safe from the clans of men, who, driven by fear, seek to control those remaining. To preserve her freedom, she dons men’s clothing, goes by false names, and avoids as many people as possible. But as the world continues to grapple with its terrible circumstances, she’ll discover a role greater than chasing a pale imitation of independence.

After all, if humanity is to be reborn, someone must be its guide.

"This is the way the world ends

Not with a bang but a whimper." - T. S. Eliot

The world has ended? What's not to love? We know it's not really over. There is still a story to tell. Sometimes it's a story about how the end came; sometimes it's a story of those who survive. If you enjoy these explorations, you will enjoy AFTER THE END, book discussion group dedicated to Post-Apocalyptic fiction and the readers who love it. Questions? Contact Gretchen Elm at gelm@athenslibrary.org or 706-613-3650 ext. 324 for more information.