The Family Roe

By Joshua Prager,

Book cover of The Family Roe: An American Story

Book description

Despite her famous pseudonym, "Jane Roe," no one knows the truth about Norma McCorvey (1947-2017), whose unwanted pregnancy in 1969 opened a great fracture in American life. Journalist Joshua Prager spent hundreds of hours with Norma, discovered her personal papers-a previously unseen trove-and witnessed her final moments. The Family Roe…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Family Roe as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Many of us think of Roe vs. Wade in political terms: pro-choice or pro-life. But this beautifully written book provides the stories of the people behind the landmark Supreme Court case.

The book is exhaustively researched, and Prager is a magnificent storyteller. I came away with an entirely new understanding of the complex contradictions our culture embodies when it comes to reproductive healthcare, as well as the history behind the current battle for abortion rights.

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