The Birth of the Pill
How Four Crusaders Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution
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Narrated by:
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Gayle Hendrix
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By:
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Jonathan Eig
About this listen
The fascinating story of one of the most important scientific discoveries of the twentieth century.
We know it simply as "the pill", yet its genesis was anything but simple. Jonathan Eig's masterful narrative revolves around four principal characters: the fiery feminist Margaret Sanger, who was a champion of birth control in her campaign for the rights of women but neglected her own children in pursuit of free love; the beautiful Katharine McCormick, who owed her fortune to her wealthy husband, the son of the founder of International Harvester and a schizophrenic; the visionary scientist Gregory Pincus, who was dismissed by Harvard in the 1930s as a result of his experimentation with in vitro fertilization but who, after he was approached by Sanger and McCormick, grew obsessed with the idea of inventing a drug that could stop ovulation; and the telegenic John Rock, a Catholic doctor from Boston who battled his own church to become an enormously effective advocate in the effort to win public approval for the drug that would be marketed by Searle as Enovid. Spanning the years from Sanger's heady Greenwich Village days in the early 20th century to trial tests in Puerto Rico in the 1950s to the cusp of the sexual revolution in the 1960s, this is a grand story of radical feminist politics, scientific ingenuity, establishment opposition, and, ultimately, a sea change in social attitudes. Brilliantly researched and briskly written, The Birth of the Pill is gripping social, cultural, and scientific history.
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Every 69 seconds, someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Of the top 10 killers, it is the only disease for which there is no cure or treatment. For most people, there is nothing that they can do to fight back. But one family is doing all they can. The DeMoe family has the most devastating form of the disease that there is: early onset Alzheimer's, an inherited genetic mutation that causes the disease in 100 percent of cases, and has a 50 percent chance of being passed onto the next generation.
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A Cover-to-Cover Slug in the Gut, but Inspiring
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Teeth
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- Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Teeth takes listeners on a disturbing journey into America's silent epidemic of oral disease, exposing the hidden connections between tooth decay and stunted job prospects, low educational achievement, social mobility, and the troubling state of our public health.
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Content everyone should know; dismal narration
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Splendid Solution
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- By: Jeffrey Kluger
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- Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
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Salk became a cultural hero and icon for a whole generation. Now, at the fiftieth anniversary of the first national vaccination program, and as humanity is tantalizingly close to eradicating polio worldwide, comes this unforgettable chronicle. Salk's work was an unparalleled achievement, and it makes for a magnificent listen.
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Excellent book
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The Panic Virus
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The Panic Virus is a gripping scientific detective story about how grassroots radicals, snake-oil salesmen, and cynical journalists have perpetrated the biggest health-scare hoax of all time. It explores what happens when the media treats all viewpoints as equally valid, regardless of facts, from parents who are convinced that vaccines caused their children's autism to right-wing radicals who believe that climate change is a myth
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Incredible thorough journey
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The Nazis discovered it. The Allies won the war with it. It conquered diseases, changed laws, and single-handedly launched the era of antibiotics. This incredible discovery was sulfa, the first antibiotic medication. In The Demon Under the Microscope, Thomas Hager chronicles the dramatic history of the drug that shaped modern medicine.
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Great Book!!!!!
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US of AA
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Five years in the making, this brilliant, in-depth investigative reporting on the history, politics, and science of alcoholism will show how AA became our nation's de facto treatment policy, even as evidence for more effective remedies accumulated. US of AA is a character-driven, beautifully written exposé, full of secrecy, irony, liquor industry money, the shrillest of scare tactics and, at its center, a grand deception. US of AA shines a much-needed spotlight on the addiction treatment industry. It will forever change the way we think about the entire enterprise.
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A Detailed History of Alcoholism
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In this 10th anniversary edition, renowned political commentator Cokie Roberts once again examines the nature of women's roles. From mother to mechanic, sister to soldier, Roberts reveals how much progress has now been made and how much further we have to go. Updated and expanded to include a diverse new cast of women, including Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Billie Jean King, and others, this collection of essays offers tremendous insight into the opportunities and challenges that women encounter today.
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A must read or “listen” for all women and girls!!
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Headstrong
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In 2013, the New York Times published an obituary for Yvonne Brill. It began: “She made a mean beef stroganoff, followed her husband from job to job, and took eight years off from work to raise three children.” It wasn’t until the second paragraph that readers discovered why the Times had devoted several hundred words to her life: Brill was a brilliant rocket scientist who invented a propulsion system to keep communications satellites in orbit, and had recently been awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
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Role models for young women
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One Child
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- Unabridged
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When Communist Party leaders adopted the one-child policy in 1980, they hoped curbing birthrates would help lift China's poorest and increase the country's global stature. But at what cost? Now, as China closes the book on the policy after more than three decades, it faces a population grown too old and too male, with a vastly diminished supply of young workers. Mei Fong has spent years documenting the policy's repercussions on every sector of Chinese society.
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Best Book Club Discussion Ever!!
- By Rachael W. Schettenhelm on 05-01-17
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Inside Scientology
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- By: Janet Reitman
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- Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Scientology, created in 1954 by a prolific sci-fi writer named L. Ron Hubbard, claims to be the world's fastest-growing religion, with millions of members around the world and huge financial holdings. Its celebrity believers keep its profile high, and its teams of "volunteer ministers" offer aid at disaster sites such as Haiti and the World Trade Center. But Scientology is also a notably closed faith, harassing journalists and others through litigation and intimidation, even infiltrating the highest levels of government to further its goals.
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My cup of tea.
- By MWMcCabe on 08-09-11
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Labor of Love
- The Invention of Dating
- By: Moira Weigel
- Narrated by: Kyra Miller
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Weaving together over 100 years of history with scenes from the contemporary landscape, Labor of Love offers a fresh feminist perspective on how we came to date the ways we do. This isn't a guide to "getting the guy". There are no ridiculous "rules" to follow. Instead Weigel helps us understand how looking for love shapes who we are and hopefully leads us closer to the happy ending that dating promises.
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Not Meant To Be Useful, But Quite Fun
- By Gillian on 02-14-17
By: Moira Weigel
What listeners say about The Birth of the Pill
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amelia
- 07-17-15
Fascinating story and content, terrible narration.
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would probably not recommend this to a friend as an audiobook because the narration was so poor--bad enough that I very nearly stopped listening during the first chapter. I pushed on because the content and story was of great interest to me, and I'm glad that I finished simply because I think this is an important history. But seeing Gayle Hendrix as a narrator will be enough to prevent me from buying any other book she has narrated.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
It was a little like fingernails on a chalkboard. Very hard to keep listening. Eventually I got accustomed to her inability to read sentences with any natural, human inflection, but it took quite a while. And I'll avoid anything narrated by her in the future.
Any additional comments?
I would only purchase this audiobook if you are deeply invested in the story and content AND if you simply must listen to it, rather than read it. If you have the option of reading instead of listening, do yourself a favor and buy a hard copy or ebook instead.
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1 person found this helpful
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- STORK
- 08-29-15
Fascinating review of the developemnt of THE PILL
If you could sum up The Birth of the Pill in three words, what would they be?
It changed us.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Katharine McCormick as she was unknown to me before reading this book. The first woman to graduate with a science degree from MIT. She truly funded the research that change the world.
Any additional comments?
Margaret Sanger was the the spark that helped develop the pill. Frankly, this book has sanitized, white washed and made politically correct her true history. She did not just have "friends" in the eugenics movement, she was very much a part of negative eugenics that approached racial extermination. Explore the facts of her history. The truth is what it is. None of the 3 other main characters had this horrible flaw and I respect them and their work. I would have rated this overall higher had author not reconstructed history.
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- D. Littman
- 01-11-15
an altogether enjoyable, skillful book of history
Jonathan Eig has done a fabulous job bringing forward the little know (to me, anyway, a history buff) of the development of the Pill. Oh, of course I remember when it the scene (fuzzy, I was in elementary school & junior high) and its early appearance on college campuses not long after, but to me, it was as if the Pill sprouted from the ground, did not have a history. That is how all everyday things, things part of the landscape, seem to us. But Eig filled that gap, in a very entertaining way, for me. He does so by weaving together the history the the "sex," family planning (Planned Parenthood), and birth control movements, with the biographies of 4 individuals central to the development, and also drug testing, drug companies, the executives at Searle and so forth. The narration is compelling. I give this book 5 stars for each of the 3 attributes.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Brad Yeary
- 07-11-16
must read
We take for granted a lot of things these days and women's equality is one of those things. Everyone should read this book to get a better understanding how backwards we were just 50 years ago. One of the best books I've read in a while. We are all better off when all members of our society are equal. the pill was a great equalizer for women . Before you vote this fall read this book.
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3 people found this helpful
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- catie smierciak
- 11-21-15
Superb and under-reported story
Great story, really highlights why reproductive rights are such an important element of women's rights. Onward!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Jana S.
- 03-31-15
Fascinating Story -- Below Par Narration
Would you listen to The Birth of the Pill again? Why?
I might read it again, but I don't think I'd listen to this again. The narration is distracting.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Birth of the Pill?
I enjoyed the characterization of Margaret Sanger. I enjoy the mix of science and history.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Gayle Hendrix?
Anyone else -- this was an extremely odd narration -- the narration was a mix of robotic monotone with slightly odd pronunciations and an inappropriately placed questioning lilt -- often found in the middle of a statement. Science doesn't have to be read in a boring monotone.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No, I could only take the narration a bit at a time. I only listened to the entire book because I found the topic so interesting.
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3 people found this helpful
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- S. Yates
- 02-03-18
Great history, medicore and grating performance
Eig does an admirable job blending medical, social, and political history in telling the story of how the birth control pill came about. The impact this medication had on culture is hard to overestimate, and its intertwining with sexual freedom, population control, women's liberation and equality, and the pharmaceutical industry is fascinating. The only negative is that I found the narrator grating and could only handle her voice when I sped up to 1.25X.
Nonetheless, recommended.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Philip B. Galbraith
- 09-10-16
A Well Researched Book....But
while the information in this book was highly valuable, well researched and wonderfully written, the narration was sadly lacking.
The book is read in a dull, monotone style that is only equaled by the dull reading of minutes from a committee meeting of insurance salesmen.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Karen f
- 08-16-20
fascinating history
This is the long, harrowing, complicated story of how the birth control pill came to be. I never really considering all the barriers to it's development, funding, testing and acceptance; it's amazing that it ever happened! I am disturbed at how the testing was conducted in some cases and the association Margaret Sanger had with eugenecists, but I admire their tenacity and am grateful that we have more choices today.
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- AM
- 08-17-20
Outstanding
Just following how the attitude to women's health changed over time makes this book 100% worth reading.
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1 person found this helpful