Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years With a Midwife in Mali

MONIQUE AND THE MANGO RAINSTWO YEARS WITH A MIDWIFE IN MALIKris Holloway. Long Grove, Illinois: Waveland Press, INC., 2007Shayna FinkelsteinUniversity of FloridaWhile I thoroughly enjoyed reading Monique and the Mango Rains I have my doubts about its' validity as an ethnography. In the introduction I did not like Holloway as she patted herself on her back for her superior knowledge relative to the other Peace Corps volunteers. However as the story went on Kris and Monique became likeable and relatable. Holloway delves into the life of a particularly strong willed and strong-minded African mid-wife, Monique. The book divulges details of both Monique and Holloway's personal lives to the point that the book is showing you what it is like to be Monique and Holloway rather than a Malian woman. Monique can't really represent a typical Malian woman. She is educated, hard working and progressive. All of the women work hard but none as hard as Monique. She wakes up at six in the morning and doesn't rest again for more than twelve hours. While other women may have selfish husbands, her husband Francois is even more selfish than the average man.The book was descriptive and captivating. I found myself enthralled in the characters' love lives and worried about their children, including Monique's sister in law Elise's baby Karamogo. Monique is out of her husband Francois's league; she is more educated and cultured. Monique feels unappreciated by Francois and disappointed in her marriage to him. Monique works all day as a midwife and then comes home to cook for her in-laws and perform household tasks. She develops a love interest in a man named Pascal to help her cope with her unsuccessful marriage. Her relationship develops alongside Holloway's romance with her future husband John all while Monique and Kris deliver babies and put on demonstrations for the women. Monique delivers babies from several villages with only a 6th grade education and 9 months of medical training. Monique and Kris attempt to teach the women about pregnancy and child care to help increase the currently living children and future children's survival. Despite Monique's best efforts some of these women die during or after childbirth because of inadequate supplies. Holloway begins a project to build a new safer maternity ward but has to limit the "luxuries" put into it because of insufficient funding.The book frequently points out lack of resources, transportation and sanitation and its devastating effects. Usually several factors contribute to the deaths or sicknesses of people and while negligence is sometimes a factor even when a strict adherence to procedure is practiced the lack of medical services and equipment can inevitably result in death. Even if a woman is lucky enough to survive childbirth she might work herself to death soon after because of the insistence of her husband.The book has numerous examples of the imbalance of power between men and women. Monique's father in law, Louis, collects her salary and only gives her a portion. Throughout the book Holloway struggles and eventually succeeds to change this formality but must go through multiple men to enact the change.Overall the book sends the message of how hard it is to be a Malian woman but especially to be Monique. Certain supplies are needed to keep these women and children alive and time is of the essence, much like the mango rains that are necessary to bring the harvest and feed the people. If the rains come too late or if a woman cannot get to a hospital or build a maternity ward in time people will die. The women are not supposed to cry out in childbirth or when a love one dies but to bear the pain that comes with being a Malian woman. Yet the deaths of women during childbirth and the tears of Monique when Pascal dies and of Yvonne when Monique dies show us that these women do feel the pain even if they refuse to show it.

This is such a fitting tribute to a brave, strong woman that no one outside of her country would have had reason to read about if it weren't for a good friend she made in a Peace Corps volunteer. Monique was a midwife in a small African village, surrounded by a war-torn country and constantly defeated at every turn by a patriarchal society and a lack of some of the most basic resources needed to survive. She was a real-life hero, sacrificing her own happiness to do what she knew was her duty - educate women in caring for themselves and their children, educate villagers about personal health and medicine, and save lives through her own rudimentary medicinal skills. Monique made the best of what she had to work with. She found ways to increase her own knowledge, found resources where there were none to be found, and found ways to discover joys in the simple life she led.The author, Kris Holloway, tells Monique's story with such an obvious personal interest that it can't help but grab your attention and hold it. Her love for this woman, the village they worked side-by-side in, and the country that is not in any way kind to its women, seep under your skin as you read this well-written memoir. It is upbeat and optimistic, even as it has to tell the harsh realities that many of us have never had to face about life. It is matter-of-fact about things that cannot be changed, and passionate about things that must, one way or another, change for the better. It is never tiresome, boring, or whiny - in fact, it is surprisingly free of any of the negatives that can come from someone writing about a time or a person they may have romanticized, or their own role in such a story.I'm so glad of the chance to read about this woman and her fascinating culture. Sure there are many aspects that are disturbing if you read it from a western point of view, particularly if you are a woman. But there are so many beautiful elements as well. Reading it with an open mind is best, understanding how this culture works and why it works that way, and then observing what doesn't work, just as the volunteer did throughout her time in Mali.

I so enjoyed reading this book. The author made a village in Mali , Africa come alive for me, and while doing so, made me aware of the “simple” every-day luxuries I take for granted. It’s not often, but sometimes something I read changes my perspective and life. This is one of those books.

As a midwifery student, I enjoyed reading this book. Towards the end you can see the burnout that so many midwives face, more so I guess in rural communities. The work that Monique did is the kind of work I’d love to do, but with more help.

I'm not usually one to read and enjoy a nonfiction book. But this book was great. It had me laughing and crying along with them.

This was an interesting book for sure, and a reliatively quick read for me of about 2 days. Having read several similar books, I was already aware of the issues that midwives in this part of the world face, in particular around the practise of female circumcison, and hoped that this book would add to this, giving more insights. I was then disappointed that it seemed to scratch over the surface of these issues, concentrating instead on the lives of the two women involved - Monique herself and the American born author. Don't get me wrong, it was still an interesting story, and I was still shocked by much of it, particularly Monique's husband, but this book could for me at least, have been so much more. Despite this, due to the quality of the writing, I would still give it four stars.

This is a fantastic read, one which will stay with you in between your reading sessions. It is a true story, which is still ongoing. I found it totally absorbing once I got into it, and really enjoyed it. Indeed, I think I will still be thinking about it in weeks to come. Some of the proceeds generated by the sale of the book go to helping Midwifery services in Mali. So indulge yourself, get a good book, and help others by doing so. You won't regret it.

This is an interesting book and worth a read. It's not amazing, but some books aren't, but still worth reading. I love reading books about different cultures and I did enjoy this one, just not as much as some. There are not great highs or terrible low's in the story, it just ticks along, which isn't a bad thing in an 'easy read'. It's not too challenging or too boring. Just a good average read. Don't be put off, try it!

Perhaps it is me, perhaps it is where my head was when I read this, but it just didn't do it for me and I gave up half way. I am sure many people found it moving and fascinating. But it starred to bore me. I made up my mind a long time ago there are too many good books in the world to persist with ones I am not enjoying, so I didn't with this one.

But recommended it to her midwives. Some of the stories of young African mothers giving birth are quite harrowing but this is a true story and the young girl writing this book gave them a better chance than many others would have had. Remember how women in the uk were in danger of losing their lives in childbirth not so very long ago.