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Frontline Midwife: My Story of Survival and Keeping Others Safe
'The heart-wrenching tale of one midwife's quest to help others -and make peace with herself ' LEAH HAZARD, AUTHOR OF HARD PUSHED
This is a story of women in crisis, seen through the eyes of a remarkable midwife 'My own suffering, my own loneliness, was a fair price to pay for the lives we'd saved. And now here I am, training to be a midwife, so that next time I can make it better.' Anna Kent has delivered babies in war zones, caring for the most vulnerable women in the most vulnerable places in the world. At twenty-six years old, not yet a fully-trained midwife, she delivered a baby in a tropical storm by the light of a headtorch; the following year, she would be responsible for the female health of 30,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. But returning to the UK to work for the NHS, she soon learned that even at home the right to a safe birth was impossible to take for granted. In Frontline Midwife, Kent shares her extraordinary experiences as a nurse, midwife and mother, illuminating the lives of women that are irreparably affected by compromised access to healthcare. This is at once an astonishing story of the realities of frontline humanitarian work, and a powerful reminder of the critical, life-giving work of nurses and doctors at home and around the world.
This is a story of women in crisis, seen through the eyes of a remarkable midwife 'My own suffering, my own loneliness, was a fair price to pay for the lives we'd saved. And now here I am, training to be a midwife, so that next time I can make it better.' Anna Kent has delivered babies in war zones, caring for the most vulnerable women in the most vulnerable places in the world. At twenty-six years old, not yet a fully-trained midwife, she delivered a baby in a tropical storm by the light of a headtorch; the following year, she would be responsible for the female health of 30,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. But returning to the UK to work for the NHS, she soon learned that even at home the right to a safe birth was impossible to take for granted. In Frontline Midwife, Kent shares her extraordinary experiences as a nurse, midwife and mother, illuminating the lives of women that are irreparably affected by compromised access to healthcare. This is at once an astonishing story of the realities of frontline humanitarian work, and a powerful reminder of the critical, life-giving work of nurses and doctors at home and around the world.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published May 11, 2022
25 people are currently reading
551 people want to read
About the author
Anna Kent
1 book3 followers Anna Kent has helped women birth babies in war zones, caring for the most vulnerable people in the most vulnerable places in the world.
At 26 years old, when working for MSF (Medecins Sans Frontieres), in a conflict zone she attended a birth in a tropical storm, by the light of a headtorch. Later, she would be responsible for the female health of 30,000 stateless Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. But returning to the UK to work for the NHS, Anna soon learned that even at home, the right to a safe birth was impossible to take for granted.
In her book Frontline Midwife, Anna shares her extraordinary experiences as a nurse, midwife and mother, illuminating the lives of women that are irreparably affected by compromised access to healthcare. This is at once an astonishing story of the realities of frontline humanitarian work and a powerful reminder of the critical, life-giving work of midwives at home and around the world.
Anna now works as an NHS nurse and midwife in UK, specialising in teenage pregnancy.
Instagram: AnnaKentMidwife
At 26 years old, when working for MSF (Medecins Sans Frontieres), in a conflict zone she attended a birth in a tropical storm, by the light of a headtorch. Later, she would be responsible for the female health of 30,000 stateless Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. But returning to the UK to work for the NHS, Anna soon learned that even at home, the right to a safe birth was impossible to take for granted.
In her book Frontline Midwife, Anna shares her extraordinary experiences as a nurse, midwife and mother, illuminating the lives of women that are irreparably affected by compromised access to healthcare. This is at once an astonishing story of the realities of frontline humanitarian work and a powerful reminder of the critical, life-giving work of midwives at home and around the world.
Anna now works as an NHS nurse and midwife in UK, specialising in teenage pregnancy.
Instagram: AnnaKentMidwife
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
April 12, 2022
A heart-wrenching autobiography of a truly remarkable woman. Tales of midwifery in South Sudan, Bangladesh and Nottingham. An absolute must read for everyone. I’m so incredible grateful to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy in return for a honest review. It is honestly one of the most breath-taking books I’ve read.
April 2, 2022
An honest, raw memoir. So powerful in its reach. I have loved following Anna’s life, and what an extraordinary one at that.
I will forever hold in my heart the stories that she has told from the depths of Sudan to the Bangladesh Shacks. I was gripped from the very first page and literally couldn’t put it down. Talking about her own personal life and how she coped with what she experienced and saw can’t have been easy but made me empathise with her and others who have been on a similar journey. You did amazing Anna, where are you now? Thankyou for sharing your memoir, an inspirational read.
April 21, 2022
An incredible book, for me it raised awareness of the struggles of women across the world who are pregnant. There are some stark moments which show how unbelievably difficult birth is for women in war torn and economically poor countries. At the same time, it made me see how even though I live in one of richest countries in the world, even here there is still so much more that could be done to help women during pregnancy and birth. That comparison of the dramatically different conditions for women, that exist on our world today was really strong and clear in Anna’s account of her life and work for MSF. This is an important book, of its time, it feels honest, bare and powerful. It’s empowering and refreshing to read an account about birth written by a woman, a mother and a midwife.
May 21, 2022
The cover of this book is quite simplistic, yet draws your eye to it. It is also good to put a “face to a name” as the image on the cover is of the author. I felt the need to read something “different” and when I saw this book and read the blurb, I felt I had to read it.
I’ll be totally honest when I first saw the book cover and book, I automatically assumed that it was going to be about a midwife working through covid! Then I read the blurb, realised it was something totally different but ended up wanting to read even more.
Anna Kent perhaps rather naively at the time signed up to work as an aid worker for MSF. Anna’s first posting is to the South Sudan, and though she feels that she is prepared for what she is going to see and have to deal with she soon realises she isn’t. Once she arrives at the area she will work, she is certainly shocked by the conditions she will have to work in, as well as those she is going to be working with. A quite matter of fact comment from the other aid worker, James, when he informs Anna, she will be solely dealing with the midwifery aspects of their job. This is sort of what sets Anna onto eventually becoming a midwife. At first Anna admits she doesn’t really like James, but after working with him, they become firm friends for life. Anna has a lot to cope with from the different culture, religions of those she is treating, their customs, superstitions, as well as the medical conditions and lack of medical supplies too. Used to having access to high tech equipment, Anna has to learn to use the more “old-fashioned” equipment that is available. I think Anna found her situations equally interesting, adventurous and horrifying too! Anna goes from being confident in what she has to do, to being in a panic she will never cope and wanting to head right back home, to ultimately not wanting to go home. Worrying about those she has helped to train and wondering how those she has treat will fair in the poor conditions they exist in.
When Anna returns to England she trains as a midwife in Nottingham and feels she is more prepared for her next “adventure” working abroad. This time she has aspirations to set up a birth centre, but she will need the co-operation of the traditions birth assistants to even get the women to enter the birth centre, let alone use it. Anna has to put up with being viewed as a “novelty” for want of a better description. When offering training to these women she is told the only reason they are actually turning up is for the food etc on offer whilst they are there. Anna does gain their respect and starts with small victories and does end up improving things for the pregnant women. Anna has highs in her career, for example providing birthing kits for the traditional birthing assistants to use meaning less risk of infections, but with highs there are also lows, some of the procedures she has to do are horrific, its no wonder she has nightmares and suffers PTSD. Another down for Anna is the fact that she, and the other aid workers live in constant fear of being kidnapped, even to the point of carrying cash to pay off potential kidnappers. At one of her jobs despite hating to do so all the aid workers have to leave the facility they work in at a certain time as their safety cannot be guaranteed after that time. Which certainly goes against the grain for Anna having to leave a patient she may be halfway through treating. At the time Anna thinks a lot of the restrictions put on aid workers are strange and even some maybe a tad unnecessary. However, after all the danger Anna sees and works in, it is a surfing accident that almost kills her. It’s only then she can see the other side of some of these rules and restrictions and the sense and reasons behind them.
Being an aid worker doesn’t just change and affect Anna’s work life and career path it also changes her personal relationships and her whole life path. Anna was once settled with a man she thought she would return after her first aid worker posting, whom she thought she would marry and have children with. All this changes, they end up being more like strangers than the partners they were before she went to the South Sudan.
The horrors at work continue for Anna on a daily basis, though she has a network of friends, mostly those she has worked with previously to talk to. She also finds some happiness amongst the daily battles with Leon a French aid worker.
To say I enjoyed reading this book doesn’t feel the right way to describe reading the book. I found it enlightening, and felt I really learnt somethings. It was certainly a glimpse into how less fortunate women are treat when pregnant. I really wanted to reach into the book and hug Anna when she went through the birth/death of her baby. Having has a late miscarriage myself and gone through giving birth to a baby, in my case that I knew would never breath made me really identify with her. It also put how those who lose babies, be they full term or not have been treat in the UK, and the improvements that still need making and put into action. I was glad to read at least Anna had her colleagues to help her through her experience. Anna really goes through a lot herself and share it in this book as well as sharing stories of women she has met, and helped over the years. Anna talks in the book about feeling she let some of the women down but after reading the book, I personally think the tragic events these women went through would have been even worse without Anna.
This book is an amazing read, about Anna, the perhaps more idealistic person she was at the very beginning of her career as an aid worker, how Anna dealt with things in her private life too. Then there’s the career Anna has and the differences she made in procedures and planning of health programs and facilities. This is not only a book about the work Anna has done but a look at how that work impacted her life, relationships and subsequent career.
Summing up this is an emotive memoir about a young woman becoming an aid worker, revealing what it is like for women giving birth in different areas of the world. The beginning of lives. I also found it fascinating that James has gone from being around the beginning of life to now working with those at the end of their lives. I could imagine talking to both Anna and James for hours and hours about their experiences.
I’ll be totally honest when I first saw the book cover and book, I automatically assumed that it was going to be about a midwife working through covid! Then I read the blurb, realised it was something totally different but ended up wanting to read even more.
Anna Kent perhaps rather naively at the time signed up to work as an aid worker for MSF. Anna’s first posting is to the South Sudan, and though she feels that she is prepared for what she is going to see and have to deal with she soon realises she isn’t. Once she arrives at the area she will work, she is certainly shocked by the conditions she will have to work in, as well as those she is going to be working with. A quite matter of fact comment from the other aid worker, James, when he informs Anna, she will be solely dealing with the midwifery aspects of their job. This is sort of what sets Anna onto eventually becoming a midwife. At first Anna admits she doesn’t really like James, but after working with him, they become firm friends for life. Anna has a lot to cope with from the different culture, religions of those she is treating, their customs, superstitions, as well as the medical conditions and lack of medical supplies too. Used to having access to high tech equipment, Anna has to learn to use the more “old-fashioned” equipment that is available. I think Anna found her situations equally interesting, adventurous and horrifying too! Anna goes from being confident in what she has to do, to being in a panic she will never cope and wanting to head right back home, to ultimately not wanting to go home. Worrying about those she has helped to train and wondering how those she has treat will fair in the poor conditions they exist in.
When Anna returns to England she trains as a midwife in Nottingham and feels she is more prepared for her next “adventure” working abroad. This time she has aspirations to set up a birth centre, but she will need the co-operation of the traditions birth assistants to even get the women to enter the birth centre, let alone use it. Anna has to put up with being viewed as a “novelty” for want of a better description. When offering training to these women she is told the only reason they are actually turning up is for the food etc on offer whilst they are there. Anna does gain their respect and starts with small victories and does end up improving things for the pregnant women. Anna has highs in her career, for example providing birthing kits for the traditional birthing assistants to use meaning less risk of infections, but with highs there are also lows, some of the procedures she has to do are horrific, its no wonder she has nightmares and suffers PTSD. Another down for Anna is the fact that she, and the other aid workers live in constant fear of being kidnapped, even to the point of carrying cash to pay off potential kidnappers. At one of her jobs despite hating to do so all the aid workers have to leave the facility they work in at a certain time as their safety cannot be guaranteed after that time. Which certainly goes against the grain for Anna having to leave a patient she may be halfway through treating. At the time Anna thinks a lot of the restrictions put on aid workers are strange and even some maybe a tad unnecessary. However, after all the danger Anna sees and works in, it is a surfing accident that almost kills her. It’s only then she can see the other side of some of these rules and restrictions and the sense and reasons behind them.
Being an aid worker doesn’t just change and affect Anna’s work life and career path it also changes her personal relationships and her whole life path. Anna was once settled with a man she thought she would return after her first aid worker posting, whom she thought she would marry and have children with. All this changes, they end up being more like strangers than the partners they were before she went to the South Sudan.
The horrors at work continue for Anna on a daily basis, though she has a network of friends, mostly those she has worked with previously to talk to. She also finds some happiness amongst the daily battles with Leon a French aid worker.
To say I enjoyed reading this book doesn’t feel the right way to describe reading the book. I found it enlightening, and felt I really learnt somethings. It was certainly a glimpse into how less fortunate women are treat when pregnant. I really wanted to reach into the book and hug Anna when she went through the birth/death of her baby. Having has a late miscarriage myself and gone through giving birth to a baby, in my case that I knew would never breath made me really identify with her. It also put how those who lose babies, be they full term or not have been treat in the UK, and the improvements that still need making and put into action. I was glad to read at least Anna had her colleagues to help her through her experience. Anna really goes through a lot herself and share it in this book as well as sharing stories of women she has met, and helped over the years. Anna talks in the book about feeling she let some of the women down but after reading the book, I personally think the tragic events these women went through would have been even worse without Anna.
This book is an amazing read, about Anna, the perhaps more idealistic person she was at the very beginning of her career as an aid worker, how Anna dealt with things in her private life too. Then there’s the career Anna has and the differences she made in procedures and planning of health programs and facilities. This is not only a book about the work Anna has done but a look at how that work impacted her life, relationships and subsequent career.
Summing up this is an emotive memoir about a young woman becoming an aid worker, revealing what it is like for women giving birth in different areas of the world. The beginning of lives. I also found it fascinating that James has gone from being around the beginning of life to now working with those at the end of their lives. I could imagine talking to both Anna and James for hours and hours about their experiences.
August 24, 2022
This is a phenomenal book and one of my favourites of 2022, without a doubt.
Frontline Midwife is an account of Anna Kent's time as a midwife in South Sudan, Bangladesh and the UK. It is an honest and powerful account of her humanitarian work, she does not hold back. Kent also shares her own experiences of childbirth, struggles and losses. The author writes about extremely difficult topics, describing awful events, with the ultimate respect for all those involved.
The stories of the women she cared for will stay with me forever. There are some really stark, heart-wrenching moments which show how the lack of maternity care in war torn, economically poor countries directly impacts women and childbirth. There is one particular story that I read with tears in my eyes.
Frontline Midwife is such a powerful and important book. It made me cry, but I was also angry. Angry at the lack of maternity care, sanitation and immunisation access in deprived countries. Even in the UK, we have so much more to do.
I would absolutely recommend this book - if you only read one this year, make it this one.
CW | Childbirth, Birth Trauma, Baby Loss - graphic descriptions of events.
Frontline Midwife is an account of Anna Kent's time as a midwife in South Sudan, Bangladesh and the UK. It is an honest and powerful account of her humanitarian work, she does not hold back. Kent also shares her own experiences of childbirth, struggles and losses. The author writes about extremely difficult topics, describing awful events, with the ultimate respect for all those involved.
The stories of the women she cared for will stay with me forever. There are some really stark, heart-wrenching moments which show how the lack of maternity care in war torn, economically poor countries directly impacts women and childbirth. There is one particular story that I read with tears in my eyes.
Frontline Midwife is such a powerful and important book. It made me cry, but I was also angry. Angry at the lack of maternity care, sanitation and immunisation access in deprived countries. Even in the UK, we have so much more to do.
I would absolutely recommend this book - if you only read one this year, make it this one.
CW | Childbirth, Birth Trauma, Baby Loss - graphic descriptions of events.
April 6, 2022
This was such an emotive and powerful read. well written and compelling in a way that I felt like we were sat down with a cup of tea and she was telling me everything in the book personally to me. So many amazing and heart wrenching experiences that affected her on a personal level, I just wanted to give her a hug. An amazing read.
April 15, 2025
Oh my GOD this was beautiful amazing gut wrenching rollercoaster cray cray insane. Every time I talk about this book to my family I just start crying. AMAZING BOOK!!!!
Want to read
April 23, 2022This is a powerful and important book. Anna Kent not only lays bare her own struggles and losses but those of the pregnant women and babies she cares for in some of the world's most deprived places.
It will make you cry, but more importantly it should make you angry. Angry at the ongoing horrific loss of life and the disability causes by a lack of midwifery care and basics such as clean water, sanitation, food and immunisations.
Read it and complain to your MP, MS and MSP to increase the humanitarian aid budget, particularly for the hidden crises that are not reported.
Disclaimer: I worked with Anna Kent and can confirm the accurracy of her account as well as her compassion and expertise.
It will make you cry, but more importantly it should make you angry. Angry at the ongoing horrific loss of life and the disability causes by a lack of midwifery care and basics such as clean water, sanitation, food and immunisations.
Read it and complain to your MP, MS and MSP to increase the humanitarian aid budget, particularly for the hidden crises that are not reported.
Disclaimer: I worked with Anna Kent and can confirm the accurracy of her account as well as her compassion and expertise.
April 23, 2023
This book was hard to get through. It had me staying up at night and reflecting on my own practice in Healthcare. Anna is an amazing writer and generous with sharing her trauma with the world. The experiences she has had and shared are humbling to read as a privileged human on this Earth! Highly recommend to all.
May 15, 2022
I knew ‘Frontline Midwife’ would be a terrific book ever since Anna, who I once met in Bangladesh, told me she was writing it. What I didn’t think to expect was that it would be such a good book both for experienced aid workers and those who have not witnessed the contexts she has worked in. I can’t think of another book that achieves that so well.
Anna’s writing has the power to shock without hyperbole (although there might be some hyperbole at her most blissful moments!). Anna doesn’t mince words but mainly leads the reader to draw their own conclusions about injustice – mainly poverty and misogyny – from the stories of those who survive and do not survive.
This book is about obstetrics, heroic women, humanitarian workers, appalling contexts, mental health, and Anna Kent. It was bound to be.
Despite the many glorious moments in her story, tissues are recommended.
Anna’s writing has the power to shock without hyperbole (although there might be some hyperbole at her most blissful moments!). Anna doesn’t mince words but mainly leads the reader to draw their own conclusions about injustice – mainly poverty and misogyny – from the stories of those who survive and do not survive.
This book is about obstetrics, heroic women, humanitarian workers, appalling contexts, mental health, and Anna Kent. It was bound to be.
Despite the many glorious moments in her story, tissues are recommended.
December 5, 2022
This is Anna Kent’s testimony in which she has written journey and experiences.Raw and honest writing convinced, silence helps no one and taboos kills. Anna Kent is humanitarian aid worker after finishing master degree from Nottingham,she completed diploma from London and joined “Medicines Sans Frontiers,she worked in South Sudan,Haiti, Bangladesh and UK.
In this book, along with her own journey, Anna has also written the story of those women who sometimes suffer from malnutrition at home, and sometimes due to lack of medicines, they put their child's life in danger as well. Anna’s pangs and endeavour must be acknowledged in maternal healthcare. Each and every character in this book gives hope towards the life.
This book heads you so close to life and death with the thread of hope that numerous paragraphs will make you cry. You have many characters in life whom you do not want to let go no matter what the situation is. This book can be read many times if there is something to see or peep beyond the wall of society and life.
In this book, along with her own journey, Anna has also written the story of those women who sometimes suffer from malnutrition at home, and sometimes due to lack of medicines, they put their child's life in danger as well. Anna’s pangs and endeavour must be acknowledged in maternal healthcare. Each and every character in this book gives hope towards the life.
This book heads you so close to life and death with the thread of hope that numerous paragraphs will make you cry. You have many characters in life whom you do not want to let go no matter what the situation is. This book can be read many times if there is something to see or peep beyond the wall of society and life.
October 16, 2023
She was very brave to write this, not only exposing the horrors of the world but also her own soul.
People in the UK still think too little about other’s suffering and think there’s nothing wrong out there just because they have all they need. They’re keeping their heads in the sand to their shame.
Thank you Anna Kent for writing your story and making us aware that we are a long way from getting status for women around the world. I wish you a relaxed and happy future.
People in the UK still think too little about other’s suffering and think there’s nothing wrong out there just because they have all they need. They’re keeping their heads in the sand to their shame.
Thank you Anna Kent for writing your story and making us aware that we are a long way from getting status for women around the world. I wish you a relaxed and happy future.
April 9, 2025
That was actually an incredible read. So heartbreaking to realise the state of health/ maternity care and women’s rights in other countries outside of Australia. The authors experiences were raw and real and I loved it
May 17, 2025
This was both incredible and heart wrenching. Not only does Anna describe her intense work as a humanitarian aid worker, she also describes her own experience with pregnancy, child loss and grief. This is something every midwife should read
October 2, 2022
Still feeling a bit shell shocked by this one. Anna Kent's ambition and work as a frontline Midwife reflects ambitions I have as a nurse. And then her detail of the reality and physical feelings of living with PTSD was very close the home. For me it resulted in a very important but hard to swallow book, and some serious reflection on my career goals.
February 3, 2023
To all my midwife friends a great read. Emotional and full of highs and lows I literally could not put it down.
October 20, 2023
Beautifully horrifying and inspirational. Love Anna’s raw nature and honesty. Would recommend if you aren’t squeamish.
January 1, 2025
I’m scarred…in a good way
September 4, 2022
This is one of those stories that leaves you in speechless awe… so eye opening and inspirational. A real life super hero. If you’re a health care professional looking for inspiration, this is ur book.
December 20, 2023
One of the best books I’ve ever read. I felt heartbroken, filled with joy, inspired, outraged. Highly recommend and could read over and over again
May 8, 2022
Days after finishing this book I find my thoughts returning to it time and again. The searing honesty in which Anna tells her raw and brutal story is simply breathtaking.
Highlighting the side of aid work that you don't hear about: the pain, frustration, anger and trauma that these wonderful human beings go through was heartwrenching to read. Though the massive impact and the difference these people make is joyous.
Anna's need to keep other women safe, no matter the personal impact, is what runs deep throughout.
Beautifully written, this memoir is powerful, wonderful, yet devastating all rolled into one. Not an easy read, but an extremely important story to tell.
Here's to Anna finding the peace and happiness she truly deserves.
What a woman- incredible.
Highlighting the side of aid work that you don't hear about: the pain, frustration, anger and trauma that these wonderful human beings go through was heartwrenching to read. Though the massive impact and the difference these people make is joyous.
Anna's need to keep other women safe, no matter the personal impact, is what runs deep throughout.
Beautifully written, this memoir is powerful, wonderful, yet devastating all rolled into one. Not an easy read, but an extremely important story to tell.
Here's to Anna finding the peace and happiness she truly deserves.
What a woman- incredible.
February 22, 2023
Could not have asked for more in a memoir. Immediately engaging with excellent pace. Beautiful storytelling of harrowing content. Extremely eye opening and while a difficult read at times it was thoughtful and did justice to important lives and stories.
April 20, 2022
This searing memoir of the brutality of pregnancy and birth in the developing world, through the eyes of an impassioned but initially naive, midwife is a wonderful read. As a midwife myself, I was completely caught-up in the narrative but its also a coming of age tale, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes inspiring and always fascinating. Anna's writing is the proverbial, "breath of fresh air".
July 23, 2023
There are two quotes that really stick in my brain having read this book one was from a local in Sudan saying “a pregnant woman has one foot in the grave “ which comes early on in the book, which focuses on the career of a nurse/midwife in war-torn Sudan, and subsequently in Bangladesh
The other quote is in a section towards the end, where the author is trying to reconcile her experience of working in first world countries with all the difficulties and dangerous women faced getting pregnant and delivering compared to her own difficult experiences of childbirth in the UK. “We invoke the women who have come before us mothers midwives wise women “ I rather like this invocation, showing the strength of women
Before I had read this memoir I thought that the people that worked for MSF were somehow extraordinary people and reading this novel absolutely confirmed this.
The memoir is brutal and honest. The author really bears her soul, and I imagine that writing this book must be quite must’ve been quite cathartic . The affects that working in such a hostile environment with life-and-death decisions constantly left up to her clearly caused a huge amount of mental distress. She is quite open about this and it was refreshing to read of her struggles with her mental health.
The medical details in the book also offering shocking and raw and some of them will stay with me for sometime
There is a heartbreaking section in the was the end when she herself has to become the patient and has a baby with severe congenital abnormalities which needed to be induced prematurely. Life is so incredibly unfair sometimes and this confirm this to me.
I love the hopeful optimistic part at the end however, with her daughter on the beach it’s really was very emotional and made me cry. And the desire for a child is for many women so elemental to their lives and this doesn’t change whether you live in Nottingham or Sudan. Knowing that you may die in childbirth, is part of the experience for women in so many parts of the world, and Although many of these deaths are unavoidable simple things, like providing a clean way to cut the umbilical cord to prevent neonatal tetanus make a huge difference.
I’ve always wondered how people were able to write stories about their clinical work. In this case, I suppose it was somewhat easier in that she was unable to seek consent from her historic patients as she had no way of contacting them. I’m glad that some of the details have been changed. I’ve always thought it was worrying that you may to read about yourself in a book.
Anna’s writing style is clear and flowing and a pleasure to read. I rarely read memoirs, but I am very glad that I have read this one .
I was sent a copy, of this book to review as part of a book blog tour for Random Things Tours.
The book was 1st published published in the UK in the UK on in 2022, and has been re-published in paperback, by Bloomsbury publishing in 2023
This review would appear on Goodreads and my book blog, bionicsarahsbooks.wordpress.com
The other quote is in a section towards the end, where the author is trying to reconcile her experience of working in first world countries with all the difficulties and dangerous women faced getting pregnant and delivering compared to her own difficult experiences of childbirth in the UK. “We invoke the women who have come before us mothers midwives wise women “ I rather like this invocation, showing the strength of women
Before I had read this memoir I thought that the people that worked for MSF were somehow extraordinary people and reading this novel absolutely confirmed this.
The memoir is brutal and honest. The author really bears her soul, and I imagine that writing this book must be quite must’ve been quite cathartic . The affects that working in such a hostile environment with life-and-death decisions constantly left up to her clearly caused a huge amount of mental distress. She is quite open about this and it was refreshing to read of her struggles with her mental health.
The medical details in the book also offering shocking and raw and some of them will stay with me for sometime
There is a heartbreaking section in the was the end when she herself has to become the patient and has a baby with severe congenital abnormalities which needed to be induced prematurely. Life is so incredibly unfair sometimes and this confirm this to me.
I love the hopeful optimistic part at the end however, with her daughter on the beach it’s really was very emotional and made me cry. And the desire for a child is for many women so elemental to their lives and this doesn’t change whether you live in Nottingham or Sudan. Knowing that you may die in childbirth, is part of the experience for women in so many parts of the world, and Although many of these deaths are unavoidable simple things, like providing a clean way to cut the umbilical cord to prevent neonatal tetanus make a huge difference.
I’ve always wondered how people were able to write stories about their clinical work. In this case, I suppose it was somewhat easier in that she was unable to seek consent from her historic patients as she had no way of contacting them. I’m glad that some of the details have been changed. I’ve always thought it was worrying that you may to read about yourself in a book.
Anna’s writing style is clear and flowing and a pleasure to read. I rarely read memoirs, but I am very glad that I have read this one .
I was sent a copy, of this book to review as part of a book blog tour for Random Things Tours.
The book was 1st published published in the UK in the UK on in 2022, and has been re-published in paperback, by Bloomsbury publishing in 2023
This review would appear on Goodreads and my book blog, bionicsarahsbooks.wordpress.com
July 25, 2023
It's my stop today on the Random Things Blog tour. I was blown away by this book. It is so raw and honest, and I couldn't put it down. Should they choose to have children, childbirth should be one of the most liberating and empowering moments of a woman's life. Yet Anna shows us a darker side. Her accounts are not for the faint hearted, and there are very graphic descriptions of what happens when things go wrong. All because Anna is nursing in war-torn and poor countries where resources are minimal and what we might see as simple complications in the UK can be fatal in those conditions. We hear about women in South Sudan, Haiti and the Rohingya in Bangladesh. These terrible tales are not easy to shake off, and I am acutely aware that I am only reading about them. For Anna, these experiences stay with her, haunt her and colour her life choices.
For Anna's tale is a very personal one, and I don't want to share too much here in case you want to read it. I recognised parallels with Life and Death Decisions by Dr Lachlan McIver, a doctor who like Anna finds himself working in medicine in countries with huge issues. Like Anna he had a personal reason for being drawn to, and finding solace in, emergency care and alcohol. Anna and Lachlan both write very honestly, even brutally at times.
Anna's enduring connections with her friends James and Anita are touching. Compare this with the fleeting connections she has with the women she treats, trying to cut through politics, patriarchal society and personal doubt to help the women and their babies. It doesn't always work out but her care and determination in such circumstances shines through. It is inspiring to hear how Anna and the women she cares for move forward in the most desperate of situations. Anna's life is a rollercoaster, and I hope the book was a cathartic process for her. She says in her acknowledgements she has started to heal some very old wounds. I don't think I am spoiling anything by saying I was relieved to find her in a better place at the end of the book.
This is a great book for anyone embarking in medical studies or a career in aid. It's also a great read for anyone who, like me, enjoys making sense of the world. Comparing my safe, secure world to the brutal world many others face every day is helpful to me. It helps me to face my own challenges with a sense of perspective.
Be aware the book does come with trigger warnings around baby loss, gender-based violence, birth-related injuries and maternal death. Reading it won't be right for everyone.
For Anna's tale is a very personal one, and I don't want to share too much here in case you want to read it. I recognised parallels with Life and Death Decisions by Dr Lachlan McIver, a doctor who like Anna finds himself working in medicine in countries with huge issues. Like Anna he had a personal reason for being drawn to, and finding solace in, emergency care and alcohol. Anna and Lachlan both write very honestly, even brutally at times.
Anna's enduring connections with her friends James and Anita are touching. Compare this with the fleeting connections she has with the women she treats, trying to cut through politics, patriarchal society and personal doubt to help the women and their babies. It doesn't always work out but her care and determination in such circumstances shines through. It is inspiring to hear how Anna and the women she cares for move forward in the most desperate of situations. Anna's life is a rollercoaster, and I hope the book was a cathartic process for her. She says in her acknowledgements she has started to heal some very old wounds. I don't think I am spoiling anything by saying I was relieved to find her in a better place at the end of the book.
This is a great book for anyone embarking in medical studies or a career in aid. It's also a great read for anyone who, like me, enjoys making sense of the world. Comparing my safe, secure world to the brutal world many others face every day is helpful to me. It helps me to face my own challenges with a sense of perspective.
Be aware the book does come with trigger warnings around baby loss, gender-based violence, birth-related injuries and maternal death. Reading it won't be right for everyone.
September 12, 2022
I hadn’t heard of Anna until I saw her speak at the Hay Festival earlier this summer. I was immediately drawn to her very calm presence and how she talked to honestly and openly about her life and career. I immediately went to the bookshop to purchase her book and I will say I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
This is honestly one of the best books I have ever read. From start to finish I couldn’t put it down. I was so excited each day to read it ! Anna’s story is so inspiring. What I love about it is that she’s so raw and honest. She recognises her privileges, setbacks and naivety in each story or event she talks about. She doesn’t shy away from the tragedies or setbacks she’s had to experience.
She has such a mature and positive outlook. I really thought the stories that Anna chose to tell were written in such an engaging and interesting way. I felt very privileged to read them.
Obviously, a lot of the stories are very hard-hitting emotionally to read, so this book obviously comes with a bit of a trigger warning.
I can tell that Anna put a lot of thought into telling them in a dignified way and used detail when it was necessary. You can tell she really cares about her patients and profession and this shines through in the way she tells her stories.
Anna tells stories of her time working as a nurse with MSF in South Sudan, then later on working as a qualified midwife in Bangladesh and Haiti, and some mention of her time as a midwife in the NHS. It is not an easy read - some of the stories are quite difficult to read and graphic, especially the first woman on the plane, the story of a destructive delivery in Bangladesh and Anna’s own story about the death of her baby. However, I think these graphic stories are needed in the book to really show the importance of midwifery and care in underdeveloped countries. I think it was so brave of Anna to tell her personal stories about her journey in motherhood too, in such an honest way. I can’t recommend this book enough. I certainly cried reading most of it and really felt like I could connect with the people in the book. I also liked how Anna draws on her experience to give little nuggets of wisdom to the reader. However, Anna writes in such an engaging way, so even the difficult parts of the book weave very nicely into the overall narrative to make it a very interesting book to read.
I can’t stop talking about this book! I have already leant it out to so many people. I hope it gets the recognition it deserves and Anna does too. Amazing!
September 18, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Five Stars.
Frontline Midwife is Anna Kent's memoir about her experiences as a humanitarian aid worker and midwife, detailing her work with vulnerable women in crisis zones like war-torn countries and refugee camps, and her eventual return to the NHS in the UK, highlighting the challenges of providing safe birth care in extreme and everyday settings. The book provides a compassionate and often harrowing account of global healthcare challenges, particularly for women and newborns, and underscores the vital role of midwives.
Anna Kent is an incredibly inspiring woman. What struck me most about this book perhaps was her willingness to be herself. She showed such vulnerability and honesty when writing this too, which to me shows incredible courage. So many times I have read memoirs etc and the author always portrays themselves and their actions and choices in the best possible light. That always annoys me. No one is perfect, and it’s not believable for people to portray themselves that way. Anna Kent shows the true version of herself, bad choices, impulsivity, flaws and warts and all. To me this just shines an even brighter light on all the other incredible things about her. She is flawed and real and strong. That’s why to me she is such an inspiration. She doesn’t hide those aspects of herself and she is so god damned relatable. Her story is such an incredible one. Anna put herself out there for others, and admitted also needing to run from things in her personal life. I absolutely devoured this book, and checked to see if she had written anything else because if she had I wanted to read that too. I don’t have anything bad to say about this book. Of course, some parts are hard to read. Some of the things she sees and also experiences are so tough. There are definitely some triggers in here. But to me, reading this and fronting up to something that is hard to read about is holding space for the people who are actually going through these things. I have experienced one of the things that Anna has gone through (trigger warning…..
She lost a baby in really difficult circumstances. I lost two. Not in such a traumatic way, but still. Anyway, I won’t say too much about this amazing story, but if you have some time and strength, read this. You won’t regret it.
Five Stars.
Frontline Midwife is Anna Kent's memoir about her experiences as a humanitarian aid worker and midwife, detailing her work with vulnerable women in crisis zones like war-torn countries and refugee camps, and her eventual return to the NHS in the UK, highlighting the challenges of providing safe birth care in extreme and everyday settings. The book provides a compassionate and often harrowing account of global healthcare challenges, particularly for women and newborns, and underscores the vital role of midwives.
Anna Kent is an incredibly inspiring woman. What struck me most about this book perhaps was her willingness to be herself. She showed such vulnerability and honesty when writing this too, which to me shows incredible courage. So many times I have read memoirs etc and the author always portrays themselves and their actions and choices in the best possible light. That always annoys me. No one is perfect, and it’s not believable for people to portray themselves that way. Anna Kent shows the true version of herself, bad choices, impulsivity, flaws and warts and all. To me this just shines an even brighter light on all the other incredible things about her. She is flawed and real and strong. That’s why to me she is such an inspiration. She doesn’t hide those aspects of herself and she is so god damned relatable. Her story is such an incredible one. Anna put herself out there for others, and admitted also needing to run from things in her personal life. I absolutely devoured this book, and checked to see if she had written anything else because if she had I wanted to read that too. I don’t have anything bad to say about this book. Of course, some parts are hard to read. Some of the things she sees and also experiences are so tough. There are definitely some triggers in here. But to me, reading this and fronting up to something that is hard to read about is holding space for the people who are actually going through these things. I have experienced one of the things that Anna has gone through (trigger warning…..
She lost a baby in really difficult circumstances. I lost two. Not in such a traumatic way, but still. Anyway, I won’t say too much about this amazing story, but if you have some time and strength, read this. You won’t regret it.
May 20, 2022
What a gripping read. I cannot wait for Anna Kent's memoir to be turned into a film. It's a true story that is intense, shocking and touching. It takes you on an emotional journey that may leave you exploring your own inner world, motivations and choices.
I could not put it down once I started it. I am a midwife and I am in awe of Anna. I experience her writing as completely authentic - she has seen things that many of us will only ever hear or read about - but she maintains respect and compassion for the women and girls whose lives are made even more precarious as a result of senseless conflicts.
Anna's honesty about her own life, her flaws and her struggles opens a window to her inner conflicts and pain. This is heartbreaking to read at times but you cannot turn away because you fall in love with Anna and want her to come through it all in one piece.
Anna also comes across as smart and funny and there are parts in the books where you will laugh out loud at some of the absurd scenarios she encounters. Gosh I absolutely loved reading about her friendship with James - what a lovely bloke he is!
I have given the book to two of my non-female family and they loved it too. They said it's not the kind if book they'd normally read but have been blown away by it.
I just can't recommend it enough.
I could not put it down once I started it. I am a midwife and I am in awe of Anna. I experience her writing as completely authentic - she has seen things that many of us will only ever hear or read about - but she maintains respect and compassion for the women and girls whose lives are made even more precarious as a result of senseless conflicts.
Anna's honesty about her own life, her flaws and her struggles opens a window to her inner conflicts and pain. This is heartbreaking to read at times but you cannot turn away because you fall in love with Anna and want her to come through it all in one piece.
Anna also comes across as smart and funny and there are parts in the books where you will laugh out loud at some of the absurd scenarios she encounters. Gosh I absolutely loved reading about her friendship with James - what a lovely bloke he is!
I have given the book to two of my non-female family and they loved it too. They said it's not the kind if book they'd normally read but have been blown away by it.
I just can't recommend it enough.
May 12, 2023
I have so much respect and love for midwives - especially the two who helped bring my three children safely into the world. It’s such a special relationship.
My eldest daughter training to be a midwife - I actually read her parts of this book out loud. It’s been awhile since I’ve read her a bedtime story!
To be honest, I thought this would be a book with lots of birth stories (which I love), and Kent’s experiences as a midwife. In my head, I was thinking of something along the lines of “This is Going to Hurt”
This book is not for the faint hearted. It is largely about Kent’s experiences as a midwife in South Sudan and Bangladesh as an aid worker. Bloody harrowing stuff. It’s also as much about Kent’s own struggles and personal life. I won’t say too much because I don’t want to spoil it. I will say that I cried my little eyes out. You should definitely check the trigger warnings.
If you want a book about happily ever after birth stories, this is not the book for you. If you want to learn more about what women experience in other parts of the world, even though it will hurt your heart, this is the book for you.
It’s beautifully written. Hard to put down. Heart breaking 💔 #readitandweep
This book will stay with me
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5 stars from me 🥹
My eldest daughter training to be a midwife - I actually read her parts of this book out loud. It’s been awhile since I’ve read her a bedtime story!
To be honest, I thought this would be a book with lots of birth stories (which I love), and Kent’s experiences as a midwife. In my head, I was thinking of something along the lines of “This is Going to Hurt”
This book is not for the faint hearted. It is largely about Kent’s experiences as a midwife in South Sudan and Bangladesh as an aid worker. Bloody harrowing stuff. It’s also as much about Kent’s own struggles and personal life. I won’t say too much because I don’t want to spoil it. I will say that I cried my little eyes out. You should definitely check the trigger warnings.
If you want a book about happily ever after birth stories, this is not the book for you. If you want to learn more about what women experience in other parts of the world, even though it will hurt your heart, this is the book for you.
It’s beautifully written. Hard to put down. Heart breaking 💔 #readitandweep
This book will stay with me
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5 stars from me 🥹
July 12, 2022
As a mum and midwife myself, I could not put this book down. Anna writes with searing honesty that is without self-pity or sensationalism and perfectly charts her growth as a woman, a medical practitioner and a truly dedicated humanitarian. I also learnt a lot about the work of MSF (Médecin sans frontières) and am in awe of the men and women from all over the world who give a piece of their hearts and minds to try and relieve the suffering and shocking conditions of others. I cried a lot reading Anna’s experiences but also smiled at her ability to find love, friendship and humour where she could in the bleakest of circumstances. I loved her characterisation of James and other co-workers and the descriptions of her relationships with the people she was trying to help keep safe were truly heart-rending. For me, this book stimulated lots of questions and reflection on so many levels and left me thoughtful and in awe. I think it should be made into a film by someone decent (Jed Mercurio?) and the world’s injustices explored through Anna’s beautiful eyes. Well done. You have made a difference. Little Aisha is one incredibly blessed little girl.
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