Monique And the Mango Rains: Two Years With a Midwife in Mali - Softcover

Holloway, Kris

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1577664353 ISBN 13: 9781577664352

Publisher: Waveland Pr Inc, 2006

Synopsis

What is it like to live and work in a remote corner of the world and befriend a courageous midwife who breaks traditional roles? Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Mali Midwife is the inspiring story of Monique Dembele, an accidental midwife who became a legend, and Kris Holloway, the young Peace Corps volunteer who became her closest confidante. In a small village in Mali, West Africa, Monique saved lives and dispensed hope every day in a place where childbirth is a life-and-death matter and where many children are buried before they cut a tooth. Kris worked side-by-side with her as they cared for each other through sickness and tragedy and shared their innermost secrets and hopes.

Monique's life was representative of many women in one of the world's poorest nations, yet she faced her challenges in extraordinary ways. Despite her fiercely traditional society and her limited education she fought for her beliefs birth control, the end of female genital mutilation, the right to receive a salary, and the right to educate her daughters. And she struggled to be with the man she loved. Her story is one of tragedy joy, rebellion, and of an ancient culture in the midst of change. It is an uplifting tribute to indomitable spirits everywhere.

Monique and the Mango Rains is a fascinating voyage to an unforgettable place, a voyage spent close to the ground, immersed in village life, learning first-hand the rhythms of this world. From witnessing her first village birth to the night of Monique's own tragic death, Kris draws on her first-person experiences in Mali, her graduate studies in maternal and child health, medical and clinic records, letters and journals, as well as conversations with Monique, her family, friends and colleagues, to gives readers a unique view and a friend in West Africa.

Latest printing includes "2012 Postscript."

Not-for-sale instructor resource material available to college and university faculty only; contact the publisher directly.

About this title

Review

“Poignant and powerful.” Starred review

(Kirkus Reviews)

“Achingly real.” Editorial board favourite

(Boston Globe)

“There are many beautiful books by Westerners about living in Africa.... The best ones put the readers in the middle of unfamiliar terrain and make them smell it and hear it. This is one of those books.”

(Minneapolis Star Tribune)

"I shed several tears while reading this book. Monique and the Mango Rains is a true story that rides the ebb and flow of womanhood in Mali. It also sparks inspiration that differences can be made, and are made, when the right ingredients are combined."

(Midwives Magazine)

"Holloway has a fresh and sensitive way of relating events... what she sees, hears, what people say, what she learns and the impact of the different seasons.... The postscript describes [her and her husband's] return to Mali in 1999 and again in 2007. They continue to support Clinique Monique in the nearby village of Kouri. You could, too." Mmegi (Botswana)

(Mmegionline)

About the Author

Kris Holloway served as a development volunteer in Mali, West Africa, from 1989 to 1991. She holds a master’s degree in public health and currently works for an overseas study organisation based in the USA. This is her first book.

FULL
Kris Holloway served as a development volunteer in Mali, West Africa, from 1989 to 1991. She holds a master's degree in public health and currently works for an overseas study organisation based in the USA. This is her first book, proceeds from which help to support a rural health clinic, Cabinet de Soins Monique, founded in Monique's memory.

Edition details

• Publisher: Waveland Pr Inc
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1577664353
• ISBN 13: 9781577664352
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 212
• Editor: Bidwell John