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Midwife of Borneo: The True Story of a Geordie Pioneer
In 1959, Wendy Grey, a young district nurse, lives in one of the remotest corners of the world. Officially, she is employed as a health worker running a dispensary as part of the Anglican mission in Tongud in North Borneo. However, as the only medical practitioner in the region--apart from local witch doctors--she is obliged to carry out every procedure her patients require, or watch people die. And so Wendy finds herself diagnosing diseases, performing operations (acting as both anesthetist and surgeon), delivering babies, and extracting teeth. When news reaches her of patients too sick to come to the dispensary, she undergoes long and arduous journeys, often travelling for hundreds of miles through the jungle in a dug-out canoe to reach them. Back home, supporters are uplifted by Wendy's selfless, cheerful ministry, horrified by her accounts of close encounters with snakes and crocodiles, and stirred by her courage in the face of unimaginable challenges. Based on Wendy Grey's vividly detailed diaries, her many letters and the extensive newspaper coverage generated during her three-year mission, this is the story of a young district nurse who responds to a call for aid from Christians in one of the remotest corners of the world.
256 pages, Paperback
Published November 15, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 19, 2018
Wendy Grey, a Northumberland vicar's daughter, studied nursing to become a medical missionary. She answered a call to Borneo, working at an Anglican mission. Shortly after her arrival, she found herself performing a surgery with a doctor's phone directions. She relates other stories from her time in Borneo, including a suitor whose beliefs did not match hers very strongly. At the end of three years, she returned to England, intending to take another post in a more moderate climate. God had other plans for her. I enjoyed this medical missionary story. Photographs illustrating the text and helping put names with faces were included. I received an electronic copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 20, 2019
A fabulous book, I enjoyed this so much.
This is a fabulous memoir about Wendy Rogerson's three years spent in Borneo in a medical capacity. She was from Newcastle, North East England, so there were major changes for her. She had wanted to be a nurse and trained at London's Charing Cross Hospital. She returned to Newcastle to train as a midwife and also worked as a district nurse and health visitor at this time. Things sparked from a talk she attended about missionaries, her interest and desire stemmed from there.
At the start of the book, Wendy had been in Borneo ten days. It had been a month-long voyage to get to Borneo. She expected it would be very different, but things were harder than she'd imagined. But what an adventure. She wrote diaries of her time there and the book is based on these, so well put-together by co-author Barbara Fox.
Travel, adventure, and medical memoir all combined. Just my sort of book and I had soon got stuck in and got a flow on. Easy reading, my interest never waned. It was great, even before we got to any midwifing! Such adventure.
This was really good. Wonderfully descriptive of the vast differences in lifestyle. A fascinating memoir. Much more than I expected: she wasn't just a midwife there-she had to tend to patients with general ailments, and some with terrible diseases-even perform surgery! A fantastic book.
This is a fabulous memoir about Wendy Rogerson's three years spent in Borneo in a medical capacity. She was from Newcastle, North East England, so there were major changes for her. She had wanted to be a nurse and trained at London's Charing Cross Hospital. She returned to Newcastle to train as a midwife and also worked as a district nurse and health visitor at this time. Things sparked from a talk she attended about missionaries, her interest and desire stemmed from there.
At the start of the book, Wendy had been in Borneo ten days. It had been a month-long voyage to get to Borneo. She expected it would be very different, but things were harder than she'd imagined. But what an adventure. She wrote diaries of her time there and the book is based on these, so well put-together by co-author Barbara Fox.
Travel, adventure, and medical memoir all combined. Just my sort of book and I had soon got stuck in and got a flow on. Easy reading, my interest never waned. It was great, even before we got to any midwifing! Such adventure.
This was really good. Wonderfully descriptive of the vast differences in lifestyle. A fascinating memoir. Much more than I expected: she wasn't just a midwife there-she had to tend to patients with general ailments, and some with terrible diseases-even perform surgery! A fantastic book.
November 28, 2018
If you thought that your third shift weekends working the Emergency Department in a big city hospital were godawful, take a listen to what this young nurse dealt with on a daily basis for two years!
First let me tell you that I have learned that a Geordie is one from Newcastle on Tyne, England, or its environs, and Borneo is an island between the South China Sea and the Java Sea in Indonesia. The time frame of this memoir is late 1959 to 1961. The very remoteness of the area and the oppressive heat and humidity contribute to some of the problems not only then, but in present time as well. Imagine if you were a nurse from England or Ohio transported to rainforest with temperature 80 to 90F with relative humidity of 80% nearly all of the year! And then there's the water, and the snakes, and the disease bearing insects!
So this is her chronicle of adaptation, personal illnesses, making new friends, and relying on old friends and acquaintances to help ease the medical needs of the people she has come to Borneo to serve. I couldn't have done it.
This book needs to be read by many.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from SPCK via NetGalley. Thank you!
First let me tell you that I have learned that a Geordie is one from Newcastle on Tyne, England, or its environs, and Borneo is an island between the South China Sea and the Java Sea in Indonesia. The time frame of this memoir is late 1959 to 1961. The very remoteness of the area and the oppressive heat and humidity contribute to some of the problems not only then, but in present time as well. Imagine if you were a nurse from England or Ohio transported to rainforest with temperature 80 to 90F with relative humidity of 80% nearly all of the year! And then there's the water, and the snakes, and the disease bearing insects!
So this is her chronicle of adaptation, personal illnesses, making new friends, and relying on old friends and acquaintances to help ease the medical needs of the people she has come to Borneo to serve. I couldn't have done it.
This book needs to be read by many.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from SPCK via NetGalley. Thank you!
February 21, 2021
Midwife of Borneo was the book I didn't know I needed to read! As a doula and childbirth educator (fellow birth worker!) I ADORED this journal retelling / memoir of Wendy's time as a nurse and midwife in the remote community of North Borneo. So grateful to Netgalley for a digital copy of this book! I devoured this lengthy memoir in a number of days and had trouble putting it down. The combination of missions, birth work, ministry, and ingenuity in remote living was fascinating to say the least. I've always been drawn to those who work in medical missions (I used to live near the HQ for Mercy Ships!) so it's always a delight when I find another book like this. What a gift to receive a copy through Netgalley! It was really interesting to read of her daily life as a nurse in the jungle and the kinds of diagnoses patients would come in with. It was another world reading of the local medicine man and tribal beliefs, and how strongly these influenced how/when people received aid. IT was very conversational in tone as it was a compilation of her journals so it was an easy read and I didn't want it to end! The length she went to learn of medical professions unlike nursing to aide her patients or the distance she traveled to give someone care that only she could give was inspiring. Truly, Wendy was made for medical missions and the people of Borneo benefited in more ways than one. The ways she spread Christ among the tribes, the babies she delivered, the surgeries and medications given.....What a cheerful personality exhibited in these pages, an inspiration to respond to the call for aid in such a remote corner of the world. Loved this book so and will highly recommend it! Reminds me that I need to read more books about medical missions and missionary journeys - the way these can inspire and ignite your own faith - much needed! Thank you Netgalley for a digital copy to review.
November 20, 2018
Back in 1959, nurse Wendy left the UK to travel to Borneo, where she ran a clinic in a remote country district for three years. The book gives small snapshots of her life there, taken from her diaries at the time.
Overall, I found this interesting as far as it went - but it didn't go far enough for me. I would call it interesting rather than compelling, for a few reasons:
1. The way that the book is done (possibly unavoidably) it basically ends up a collection of scraps, with little or no continuity at times, and no particular character or story development. I don't mean that I was expecting a full plotline, because it is real life not fiction, but even real life should have more of relationships between people and general continuity than this really has.
2. The writing tends to minimise or gloss over the problems, so that it was hard to feel that I really understood the difficulties the author faced, though there were tantalising hints. It just never really got beyond the hints or went deeply into anything.
3. Finally, if you see the word 'midwife' in the title and hope for any tales of midwifery, they are few and far between - maybe 2-3 in the whole book, and those containing little detail. 'Nurse of Borneo' would be more realistic, though again there is little detail given in any case.
All in all, I suppose that I felt like the whole book just skimmed the surface of her life over the three years, picking up fairly random snippets of information or story along the way - which was interesting as far as it went, but (to me) rather unsatisfying overall.
Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.
Overall, I found this interesting as far as it went - but it didn't go far enough for me. I would call it interesting rather than compelling, for a few reasons:
1. The way that the book is done (possibly unavoidably) it basically ends up a collection of scraps, with little or no continuity at times, and no particular character or story development. I don't mean that I was expecting a full plotline, because it is real life not fiction, but even real life should have more of relationships between people and general continuity than this really has.
2. The writing tends to minimise or gloss over the problems, so that it was hard to feel that I really understood the difficulties the author faced, though there were tantalising hints. It just never really got beyond the hints or went deeply into anything.
3. Finally, if you see the word 'midwife' in the title and hope for any tales of midwifery, they are few and far between - maybe 2-3 in the whole book, and those containing little detail. 'Nurse of Borneo' would be more realistic, though again there is little detail given in any case.
All in all, I suppose that I felt like the whole book just skimmed the surface of her life over the three years, picking up fairly random snippets of information or story along the way - which was interesting as far as it went, but (to me) rather unsatisfying overall.
Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.
October 6, 2025
This was hard work. It felt like an elderly relative telling a story that had far too much detail, with the result being that it feels like hard work.
Can you doubt Wendy’s love for people in Borneo? Not at all. The things she faced and did are incredible…
BUT…from a faith perspective, God/her relationship with God felt like a character in a movie barely given any lines. She mentions luck but doesn’t give God/prayers prayed to him the glory and credit.
The book is 99% focused on her work, not God’s strength, provision and protection. She mentions sermons but nothing learned from them. She doesn’t mention Jesus (at least that I remember) but talks a lot about people.
I’ve recently read maybe 10 autobiographies by Christians, most of which point to God, who he is and the power of God, through prayer. This wasn’t that. It shows no reference to a relationship with God…it’s a shame.
I don’t recommend it and even in the acknowledgements, God isn’t thanked.
Can you doubt Wendy’s love for people in Borneo? Not at all. The things she faced and did are incredible…
BUT…from a faith perspective, God/her relationship with God felt like a character in a movie barely given any lines. She mentions luck but doesn’t give God/prayers prayed to him the glory and credit.
The book is 99% focused on her work, not God’s strength, provision and protection. She mentions sermons but nothing learned from them. She doesn’t mention Jesus (at least that I remember) but talks a lot about people.
I’ve recently read maybe 10 autobiographies by Christians, most of which point to God, who he is and the power of God, through prayer. This wasn’t that. It shows no reference to a relationship with God…it’s a shame.
I don’t recommend it and even in the acknowledgements, God isn’t thanked.
January 30, 2022
Based on diaries this reads like a pioneer missionary tale of the 19th century, but actually occurred in the 1950s and 60s. A good read but too much traipsing through the jungle and too many people introduced meant that I lost interest in places. Would have preferred more midwifery, as that was what was promised by the title. Or more medical stuff/ interaction with the natives generally. Brave woman though and I wanted to read it all.
February 27, 2019
Incredible story of young woman from Newcastle who goes out to a really remote part of Borneo in the 1960s. She is the only nurse for miles so she has to not only run a clinic, but become anaesthetist and surgeon. She visits patients by travelling in tiny boats, in rivers full of crocodiles and poisonous snakes, in an area where illness and accident are treated by witchcraft.
June 30, 2023
Unfortunately too much detail about who was who, journeys, and religion and very little about Wendy's work caring for patients in Borneo. Also confusing that it's called midwife of Borneo given that I think 2 or 3 births were briefly mentioned throughout the book. It's a shame because I bet there's some really interesting stories in her diaries, but I wanted more about the people and the culture.
May 18, 2019
Midwife of Borneo is a fascinating memoir with an immediate and persistent sense of adventure. Rogerson recounts captivating...http://www.theloopylibrarian.com/chri...
May 31, 2020
Not the kind of book I usually read but I really enjoyed it. Wendy was a real pioneer, working as a nurse in very harsh tropical conditions and having lots of adventures along the way. She is a very brave lady.
July 28, 2020
I didn't think I was going to like this book. It took me a while to get into it. It did get good, and I liked the pictures. However the title is misleading as there is absolutely no midwifery in this book at all! Wendy is like a nurse come doctor in Borneo for three years.
June 8, 2021
Good Stuff!
Having visited East Kalimantan/Borneo during my college years I was very interested in this story, and I was not disappointed! I loved these diary entries and true life experiences very much - So Very different than our own, fascinating!
Having visited East Kalimantan/Borneo during my college years I was very interested in this story, and I was not disappointed! I loved these diary entries and true life experiences very much - So Very different than our own, fascinating!
June 6, 2020
I found this book to be heavy on.life comments and very light on midwifery situations. i.wanted to read this for a while but was disappointed when I finally bought it.
May 14, 2024
I don’t often enjoy memoirs, but I was hooked by the first chapter. I love the authors “can do” voice. The adventures were exciting and the setting was mesmerizing. I loved it!
January 21, 2019
I have always wanted to go on a mission trip to a foreign country. There was even a point during my college years when I seriously considered dropping out of school and joining the Peace Corps.
As an adult, I've been on several mission trips in the continental United States; however, I've still never had the opportunity to be a missionary to another country. That is why I was so excited to read The Midwife of Borneo. The author didn’t just dream about traveling to distant places to serve God- she was actually willing to go out and serve!
Despite the fact that many years have passed since her time in Borneo, Rogerson writes in a style that makes the events feel as if they happened only yesterday. With the help of the diary that she kept during her travels, Rogerson is able to reconstruct her day to day life for the reader with meticulous care.
Rogerson recounts her exploits in Borneo with characteristic understated British humor. It's the little gritty details of her day to day experience in Borneo that made this book truly come alive for me. Even when rats fall from the ceiling or she finds a snake in the outdoor toilet, Rogerson doesn't lose her head.
There was something delightfully British about this book and Rogerson's "Keep Calm and Carry On," attitude. I couldn't help but smile as she described sitting in her small home in the tropical weather and attempting to sing Handel's Messiah while accompanying herself on the piano. despite the fact that she had recently undergone a tonsillectomy.
I felt as if I was truly present with Rogerson throughout her adventures in Borneo. She includes photographs of the colorful cast of characters whom she encountered during her time in there.
For me, the most touching picture was a "before" and "after" photo of a young woman who Rogerson had helped to treat for tuberculosis. This striking image clearly depicted for me just how important the work Rogerson and her colleagues were doing as they ministered to the people of Borneo.
I will also admit that I picked up this book with a bit of trepidation. I’m always leery to see how white authors write about indigenous people (I'm Filipino-American); however, I need not have worried. Although some of the terminology that Rogerson uses is no longer quite politically correct, it is clear that she truly cares about the people of Borneo and that she respects them as individuals. Her abiding love for the people of Borneo shines through in her writing.
Many times when people speak about mission trips, they have a tendency to gloss over the challenges and difficulties. I appreciated Rogerson's candid prose and the way she wasn't afraid to describe both the challenges and the joys of serving as a missionary in a land that was foreign to her.
I recommend this book for anyone who has ever felt the desire to live in a different culture, explore a foreign country, or serve as a missionary.
*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own.
**This review was originally posted to my blog at www.BeckieWrites.com
As an adult, I've been on several mission trips in the continental United States; however, I've still never had the opportunity to be a missionary to another country. That is why I was so excited to read The Midwife of Borneo. The author didn’t just dream about traveling to distant places to serve God- she was actually willing to go out and serve!
Despite the fact that many years have passed since her time in Borneo, Rogerson writes in a style that makes the events feel as if they happened only yesterday. With the help of the diary that she kept during her travels, Rogerson is able to reconstruct her day to day life for the reader with meticulous care.
Rogerson recounts her exploits in Borneo with characteristic understated British humor. It's the little gritty details of her day to day experience in Borneo that made this book truly come alive for me. Even when rats fall from the ceiling or she finds a snake in the outdoor toilet, Rogerson doesn't lose her head.
There was something delightfully British about this book and Rogerson's "Keep Calm and Carry On," attitude. I couldn't help but smile as she described sitting in her small home in the tropical weather and attempting to sing Handel's Messiah while accompanying herself on the piano. despite the fact that she had recently undergone a tonsillectomy.
I felt as if I was truly present with Rogerson throughout her adventures in Borneo. She includes photographs of the colorful cast of characters whom she encountered during her time in there.
For me, the most touching picture was a "before" and "after" photo of a young woman who Rogerson had helped to treat for tuberculosis. This striking image clearly depicted for me just how important the work Rogerson and her colleagues were doing as they ministered to the people of Borneo.
I will also admit that I picked up this book with a bit of trepidation. I’m always leery to see how white authors write about indigenous people (I'm Filipino-American); however, I need not have worried. Although some of the terminology that Rogerson uses is no longer quite politically correct, it is clear that she truly cares about the people of Borneo and that she respects them as individuals. Her abiding love for the people of Borneo shines through in her writing.
Many times when people speak about mission trips, they have a tendency to gloss over the challenges and difficulties. I appreciated Rogerson's candid prose and the way she wasn't afraid to describe both the challenges and the joys of serving as a missionary in a land that was foreign to her.
I recommend this book for anyone who has ever felt the desire to live in a different culture, explore a foreign country, or serve as a missionary.
*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own.
**This review was originally posted to my blog at www.BeckieWrites.com
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