Labor: One Woman's Work

by Mary Fariba Afsari

A powerful memoir of medicine, identity, and family secrets from an esteemed OB/GYN as she unravels her grandmother’s mysterious death while reimagining women’s health care from a mobile clinic—for readers of The Beauty in Breaking and The In-Between.

In One Woman’s Work, Dr. Mary Afsari takes us on a deeply personal and transformative journey through her life as an OB/GYN. Set against the vivid backdrops of Portland, Oregon, and Shiraz, Iran, this powerful memoir intertwines the complexities of her professional life with the hidden truths of her family’s past, exploring the intersection of medicine, identity, and the enduring search for agency.

The story begins in the bustling corridors of an Oregon hospital, where Mary dedicates herself wholeheartedly to her patients—often at great personal cost. At the same time, Mary uncovers a long-buried family the tragic story of her grandmother Mehry’s death in 1950s Iran. This revelation propels her on a quest to untangle the threads of her family’s history while confronting the forces that have shaped her identity and her professional mission.

As Mary struggles with the oppressive realities of the medical-industrial complex and the growing attacks on women’s reproductive rights, she chooses a path of bold defiance. Inspired by her grandmother’s legacy and her own commitment to compassionate care, she decides to take her work out of the hospital and on the she converts an RV into a mobile women’s health clinic. This innovative act allows her to deliver personalized, critical reproductive health care services across the Pacific Northwest, creating community and enduring friendships along the way.

“When women don’t have a choice, bad things happen,” Mary writes. Labor is an intimate, immersive personal story, a rallying cry in a post-Roe world, and an inspiring example of what women can do when they do have a choice. Rich with the voices of her patients and the vibrant cultural threads of her Iranian heritage, Mary’s story challenges us to rethink the boundaries of health care and reclaim the autonomy of women’s bodies and lives. With warmth, insight, and humor, Labor ultimately offers a vision of transformation, resilience, and the power of reclaiming one’s path and saving other people’s lives in the process.

Genres: Memoir, Health, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication April 7, 2026

Reviews

[Off Service Book Recs · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It's not an act of love if you make her / You make me do too much labor"

From the modern, beeping, activity-filled halls of a Portland, Oregon medical center to the sun-drenched home of her doomed grandmother in 1950s Iran, Mary - an OB/GYN straddling two worlds takes readers on a journey between past and present, identity and belonging, family and personal missions, as she unravels the ghosts of her family's past while confronting the realities of reproductive healthcare access in America.

"When women don't have a choice, bad things happen"

In the face of the battle being waged on women's healthcare and reproductive access, Mary - inspired by her grandmother's legacy - opens a mobile women's health clinic, retrofitting an RV to bring healthcare to those who need it most but who may not be able to access it for any number of reasons. Bold and defiant in the face of a post-Roe world, Mary serves as an example of what women can do when they DO have a choice. Rich in history, memory, resilience, loss, love, friendships, and the yearning for what could have been and what could be, "One Woman's Work" is a rallying cry for healthcare workers and private citizens alike to rethink the boundaries of health care and reclaim the autonomy of women’s bodies and lives.

I absolutely devoured this book - as someone who thought long and hard about OB/GYN as a career path and for whom reproductive justice and women's health remain incredibly vital pillars of medicine as a career, this was an incredible memoir. I remember where I was and what I was doing when Roe fell, and for the past several years each new story in the news of a right lost, a life snuffed due to inadequate healthcare access, and a freedom stripped away has been incredibly disheartening. Mary's story - her personal journey through medicine, her motivations, the family secrets which lit a fire in her to offer something new and radical in the sometimes rigidly inflexible realm of healthcare, and her dedication in the face of insurmountable personal and financial struggles was incredibly inspiring.

There are good people out there trying to do what is right even when it isn't easy, and in the face of such injustice in the world - especially for the most vulnerable among us - knowing people like Mary are out in the world, bringing healthcare to those who need it one gas station visit and generator refill at a time is inspiring, heartwarming, and definitely has me looking at what local organizations I can devote some of my time and resources towards. Congratulations to Mary on a fantastic book and accomplishment in the founding of her mobile clinic, and I look forward to following along with her work in Oregon!

[Emily Pukuma · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this powerful memoir, an ob-gyn shaped by her family’s Iranian immigrant roots reflects on her years practicing medicine in Oregon—years marked by tireless commitment to patients and a growing heartbreak at the system’s persistent failures in women’s safety and care. As she confronts the daily realities of a healthcare structure that too often sidelines women’s needs, she undergoes a profound personal and professional transformation.

Threaded through her story is the legacy of her grandmother, Mehry, whose tragic death in childbirth becomes a generational echo of what can happen when reproductive care is shrouded in silence and stigma. Her grandmother’s experience—steeped in cultural constraint, unspoken expectations, and the absence of accessible support—shapes the author’s understanding of the stakes of her work and the urgency of advocating for women who have been historically unheard.

Haunted by the stories she inherits and the ones she encounters in clinics and delivery rooms, she begins searching for new ways to care more deeply and more directly. What follows is a journey of reinvention—from burnout to bold self-expression, from quiet reflection to the creation of a mobile ob-gyn clinic that allows her to meet women where they are, especially those most marginalized by traditional healthcare.

As Roe v. Wade falls and reproductive rights constrict nationwide, her mission sharpens. With access shrinking and fear rising, she steps forward, determined to provide care in a landscape increasingly defined by abandonment.

Bold, intimate, and fiercely compassionate, this memoir charts one woman’s search for purpose within a politicized healthcare system. It is a testament to resilience, advocacy, and the radical impact of showing up with humanity.

A vital read for anyone navigating the uncertainties of a post-Roe world, it champions courageous action, empathy above all, and the power of choosing a path devoted to women’s well-being.

[Catherine Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great way to start my reads of 2026. There’s women like Dr. Mary Fariba Afsari out there who are looking out for the future of my daughter’s rights and I’m a better person for reading her story. As I read this book I was angry, scared, sad, but by the end I felt hope. Hope that there’s more doctors out there willing to fight and do something crazy and new like turning a vehicle into a mobile practice for reproductive healthcare. While moving through this book the reader gets to see numerous different clinical situations that had permanent impacts on how the author views reproductive healthcare and the importance of what she does.
I also learned a lot about Iran and the struggle they have been experiencing while reading this story. My favorite aspect of the story took place in Iran as we get glimpses into what the author’s grandmother had been through while seeking an end to an unwanted pregnancy and how it may have ultimately led to her death. I loved the way the flashbacks offered a needed break from current events. It was still hard to read at times, but it gave a break by looking into the past. “Zan, Zendegi, Azadi” Woman, Life, Freedom.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release of a truly beautiful memoir.

This review is in my words and opinions are my own.

What a powerful memoir to start my 2026. The way Dr. Mary Fariba Afsari writes is captivating, raw and powerful. I am thankful for reading her story and knowing there are doctors out there like her in the corner for women and women's healthcare. As a mother of two who had emergent deliveries both times; as a woman who deals with varying levels of hormone dysfunction on the regular, I am grateful to the doctors I have encountered who listened the same way that Dr. Afsari does to her patients.

I found myself in tears many times throughout this because her passion and attention to detail for her patients was heartwarming. I was gripped by what happened with her own grandmother in the face of what happens when women's health is not taken seriously and taken care of.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone, really. Men and women alike. Be prepared to feel deeply for the author, the women who she cares for and the women in your life. Wonderful read <3

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and avid Reader Press for sharing this inspiring memoir. Recommended if you’re interested in one dedicated doctor’s story of caring for women, and how she found connections between that and her family history.

[Jennifer Lincoln · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing memoir that I couldn’t put down. Read this asap when it’s published, you will thank me!