The complete diaries of Patty Bartlett Sessions, detailing early Mormon life from Illinois to Utah and her life as a pioneer midwife. All too often, the sensational stories of the past overwhelm stories of hard work, drudgery, and frustration--the normal rhythms of the everyday lives of our ancestors. This excellent volume restores that rhythm to its proper balance -- Book of the Month, National Park Service webpage, July 1997 Mormon Midwife is based on the 1846-1888 diaries of Patty Bartlett Sessions. Sessions' diaries provide a detailed record of early Mormon community life from Illinois to Utah through the eyes of Mormondom's most famous midwife. They also recount her important role in women's social networks, her contributions to community health, Utah's economy, education, and horticulture. Sessions assisted at the births of hundreds of early Mormons and first-generation Utahns, and meticulously recorded the events. She had an active role in the founding of the Relief Society and health organizations. She spoke in tongues and administered spiritually as well as medically to the ill. Her diaries are a rich resource for early Mormon and Utah history. Mormon Midwife is highly recommended as biography, history, women's studies, and the simple pleasures of reading the fascinating and eventful life of a remarkable woman. -- Midwest Book Review Mormon Midwife, volume 2 in the Life Writings of Frontier Women series, was awarded the 1997 Evans Handcart Prize--the second time in two years that a volume from this series was awarded this prize. Donna Smart taught English in secondary schools in Wyoming and Utah and was a technical writer for the seven-volume Coptic Encyclopedia (1990) edited by Aziz Atiya. She is an active community volunteer, especially for university, public, and churc h libraries. She live in Salt Lake City, Utah. Used Book in Good Condition