Transworld acquires Agg's 'groundbreaking' book on how we think about miscarriage

Transworld has acquired a “groundbreaking” book on how we think about miscarriage from health and science journalist Jennie Agg. 

Helena Gonda, commissioning editor, bought world English rights to Life, Almost from Niamh O’Grady at the Soho Agency. Zoe Berville, senior commissioning editor, is overseeing publication. It will be published in February 2023.  

The book is described as part memoir, part scientific investigation. It documents Agg’s path to motherhood and her search for answers after losing four pregnancies with no obvious cause. Tracing each tentative step of her fifth pregnancy, Agg draws on pioneering research and interviews with world-leading experts to dismantle the myths that we have unquestioningly accepted about our reproductive lives.  

The publisher said: “As a personal reflection on the experience of miscarriage, Life, Almost is exquisitely told and profoundly moving. As an indictment of the institutionalised complacency that surrounds this experience, it is eye-opening and urgent. We are incredibly proud to be working with Jennie to share her altogether remarkable book with the world.” 

Agg said: “As anyone who has been through miscarriage will know, it can feel as though you are offered little more than a shrug afterwards. It is still seen as ‘just one of those things’. I wanted to write a book that challenges the ways we have been taught to think about what can be a complex and profound experience. And I am beyond thrilled to be working with the incredible team at Transworld to make this a reality. Miscarriage is frequently described as a taboo, yet we rarely stop to question why that is—or what we can do to change the status quo. Above all, I hope my story is a comfort to anyone who has struggled to get—or stay—pregnant.”