I was so excited to get to my office this morning to see that a copy of the newest book in the Health Communication series from Johns Hopkins University Press had arrived! Emily Winderman’s beautiful book, Back-Alley Abortion: A Rhetorical History, is hitting the shelves and is the latest addition to our incredible series. It is available for pre-order now and will be shipping soon, so get your copy asap here through the Johns Hopkins University Press website. Remember to request that your university library orders a copy, too, for its collections.
To say that this is a timely book would be an understatement, but the truth is that Dr. Winderman has been painstakingly researching this book for years, accessing archives near and far to follow the history of where the term “back-alley abortion” came from, how it morphed and grew into different meanings and uses over time, and how it became associated with specific emotions and feelings that were used to drive debates about abortion access, and reproductive health and justice, until the present day. If you think you know how this phrase has been used and to what ends, I invite you to read this book because my bet is that this history is something that will surprise you and offer you valuable information for navigating the complex twenty-first century reproductive health landscape.