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Weidenfeld & Nicolson (W&N) has signed Mothers: An Intimate History from feminist cultural historian Dr Elinor Cleghorn.
Editorial director Maddy Price acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Emma Finn at C&W, for publication in spring 2024. US rights were acquired by Maya Ziv at Dutton, Penguin Random House from Amelia Atlas at ICM. The book is billed as an “intersectional feminist history of women and mother-led knowledge around reproduction, pregnancy, birth and mothering”.
Described by the publisher as “ groundbreaking”, Cleghorn tells the long history of mothers and maternal care from the first medical texts right up to the present day, tracing the roots of the issues faced today around maternal health and wellbeing – physical and mental – and showcasing the knowledge which has historically and in the present day been annexed from "proper medicine". Cleghorn will reveal how women and mothers cared for themselves and others, as individuals, groups and communities, throughout history and in the present, despite a tradition of maternal medicine that has been shaped by the patriarchy for centuries.
“Throughout history, mothers have always resisted the patriarchal forces that sought to control their bodies and lives,” Cleghorn said. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to honour those women, mothers and caregivers who have redefined motherhood and maternal care on their own terms. By tracing the physical, emotional, and social experiences of mothers across the centuries, I hope to celebrate the value and power of maternal knowledge, care, and activism – in all its diversity. I am delighted to be publishing with W&N, and incredibly grateful to be working again with Maddy Price.”
Cleghorn’s previous book, Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine and Myth in a Man-Made World was published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 2021.
Price said: “Elinor’s first book touched so many lives and spoke to women who have been ignored or misdiagnosed by the medical profession in a way no book has done before. Now she is turning her focus on another huge subject – women’s reproductive health, pregnancy, birth and maternal care. She shares again her own experiences, including a near-death experience following the birth of her second child, and writes with compassion about the many women who have suffered and fought for change throughout the centuries. I can’t wait to share this book with anyone who has ever experienced mothering in its many forms.”