Emily M’s Reviews > Animal Life > Status Update

“It is difficult to understand another person. But what is even more difficult to understand…what is most alien of all that is alien…is one’s self…Throughout my long life I’ve tried to find out why a man is born. I finally understand it…I feel I see it all clearly: man is boring to love.”

“I’m unable to resist asking him if he was present at his son’s birth. He says he was. I ask him if he was afraid and he says: ‘yes I was afraid.’…I tell him whales use midwives, like humans. ‘I see,’ he says…he seems to be thinking it over. Then he asks me if I’m a whale expert. I tell him I’m a midwife.”

See, this lady and Extraordinary Attorney Woo would totally be friends! “Whale talk” is NOT prohibited!

"When I lived with my grandaunt, on various occasions she would say, 'imagine, he was a naked baby once upon a time.'...the bottom line remained the same: before a man started to persecute those who didn't share his opinions, he came into the world stark naked...But the question wasn't just what had gone wrong...but also what it was that made some seek beauty and others not."

With at least two instances of “whale talk” plus the list of all the songs the narrator can think of containing the word “born”, this is kinda giving ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ (complimentary)

“In 2013, Icelanders voted for the most beautiful word in their language. They chose…the Icelandic term for midwife:ljósmóðir….the jury stated that the word is a composite of the two most beautiful words: móðir (mother) and ljós (light)”

“Midwife” comes from “with” + “woman”, from back when woman = wif and man = wer (yes, as in “werewolf”!). I love etymological rabbit holes