In the Hands of Women: A Gilded City Series
To write this novel, Rubin did extensive research about the plight women faced at the beginning of the 20th century in terms of their physical and mental health. Rubin documents such facts that women’s resources for medical care were controlled by men; their ability to receive medical care for childbirth, contraception, and abortion was completely restricted by men and laws promulgated by men. This history in no way impedes the author’s ability to tell her story.
Rubin’s heroine, Hannah Isaacson, an obstetrician in New York City, has worked hard to earn a medical degree at Johns Hopkins University. She sees firsthand the difficulties women face, and she vows to rectify them. Hannah’s experience is personally sharpened when she is unwittingly accused of performing an abortion.
The plot of this novel traces Hannah’s experience from her medical school days through her prison trials at the notorious Blackwell Prison, to winning a large grant from the governor to improve the health care facilities and personnel for women, particularly poor immigrant women who are arriving in New York in record numbers during this time period. The story also follows Hannah’s professional and romantic alliances with several men, most of whom treat her like a not-too-bright child or an outrageous harridan. The action moves quickly and keeps the reader totally absorbed.
Hannah meets the outrageous and charming Margaret Sanger in her quest, and Sanger adds an interesting subplot with her suffragist ambitions. Other well-drawn minor characters include Hannah’s loving sister, Tillie, who raised her; Dr. Boro, who fostered her medical ambitions; and Joseph, a fellow doctor who proves to be a patronizing cad.
Rubin’s writing style is energetically detailed, though at times it bumps against the border of melodrama. What the reader learns about this history and the women who experienced it, however, makes this novel well worth reading.
