Patricia Harman

Patricia Harman, CNM, got her start as a lay midwife on rural communes and went on to become a nurse-midwife on the faculties of Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University, and West Virginia University. She is the author of two acclaimed memoirs and the bestselling novel The Midwife of Hope River.

Harman's new novel is The Runaway Midwife.

Last month I asked the author about what she was reading. Her reply:

I’m currently reading three books. Do you think I’d get confused? Not me. Actually, they are all so different.

Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance.

If you’re interested in learning about Appalachia you’ll enjoy this book. Vance writes about his traumatic life in a way that’s very compelling. The book is part memoir and part social/political analysis. Since I live in West Virginia and write about people from this region, I thought it would be a good idea for me to read it. Outstanding.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette: A Novel by Maria Semple.

The reason I chose this book is because several reviewers of my new novel, The Runaway Midwife, mentioned Where’d You Go, Bernadette as being similar. Though Semple’s novel was a NYT bestseller a few years ago, I’d never heard of it. I’ve just started the tale, but so far I like it. The author is witty and very unconventional. Readers tell me, my books make them laugh, but I would like to write funnier. Maybe I’ll learn something!

The Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

O, this is weird; every night when I can’t sleep I read a chapter of the classic juvenile biography, Little House on the Prairie. I have the whole series, about ten books, and always keep one at the bedside. I find them comforting and Laura Ingalls Wilder was an amazing nature writer.

The Runaway Midwife by Patricia Harman

Finally, I’m re-reading my own book, The Runaway Midwife, because it launches January 31. When I finish one book, I start the next one. Most people don’t know that it takes the publisher about a year and a half to get a book ready for print, even after they have the author’s final copy. Now that it’s coming out, I’ll start going to book events, and I need to remember what I wrote!

Visit Patricia Harman's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Runaway Midwife.

My Book, The Movie: The Runaway Midwife.

--Marshal Zeringue