Mercy Street

pick

I love Jennifer Haigh. She manages to center her stories around timely social issues and imbues her characters with such humanity. While this wasn‘t my favorite of hers, I did unfortunately recognize so many of the tactics of the anti-abortion protesters. We used to live in an apartment next door to Planned Parenthood and these gross old men would stand outside every Wednesday morning and harass EVERYONE reserving their most vile tactics for…

MicheleinPhilly the people attempting to enter the clinic. It was a disgusting thing to witness and I‘m proud to say that I got Philly on them MANY times. Anywho, I do think this would have benefitted from being longer as I wanted to spend more time with Claudia and less with Victor. 2y

Amiable As someone who has been volunteering as a patient escort at a local Planned Parenthood clinic for the past 5 years, I applaud your actions. I wish more supporters would go Philly on all of the gross old men who make up 90% of the protesters outside the clinics. 2y

MicheleinPhilly @Amiable Good for you! Thank you for your service! 👊🏼 2y

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AlaMich “Going Philly” on someone makes me think of Melissa from Abbott Elementary. I have never been to Philadelphia but Melissa helps me picture what going Philly must look like. 😂 2y

MicheleinPhilly @AlaMich 🎯 I recently took a “Which Abbott Elementary Character Are You?” quiz and got Melissa. 😂 2y

AlaMich @MicheleinPhilly That‘s awesome! I love her! 2y

TrishB We have similar on campus…. 2y

LeahBergen What‘s Little Miss Neighbourhood Watch up to? 😆 2y

SamAnne @MicheleinPhilly @Amiable I used to volunteer as a clinic escort as well. It got rough sometimes! Great news in my city—-Planned Parenthood sued the “church” harassing patients and they have to fork over close to a million dollars in fines and legal fees. About damn time! 2y

MicheleinPhilly @LeahBergen She was fuming over being deceived by the sunshine. She thought it would be pleasant outside. NOPE! 🥶 2y

Amiable @SamAnne Excellent! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 2y

Suet624 @SamAnne that‘s fantastic! 2y

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DocBrown

Mercy Street | Jennifer Haigh

pick

Our local abortion clinic is the site of a pop-up church, & across the street from the Salvation Army. I drive past it every morning in my UPS truck. The protestors I see are usually older (white) people, mostly men. I wanted this book to shed more light on those folks but it felt like the author couldn‘t quite get inside their heads/hearts. More heat than light here (see what I did there?) But an interesting story overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️-1-2

Tamra This pic engenders a lot of conflicting emotions for me. 2y

SamAnne Another Litten in my city! I thought, wow I drive by a really similar looking PP....oh it's the same one! I am a big believer in free speech. And reproductive rights. But the way our police department has not reined in the yelling and disruption for patients walking in the door is infuriating. There have been many times in my life where PP was the only health care I could afford, and I've run that awful gauntlet. Stacked. 2y

DocBrown @Tamra, would love to hear more if you're willing. @SamAnne, SO COOL! I've been inside the new facility only once to deliver a package. Felt like a warm and bright sanctuary from all the din outside. 2y

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SamAnne I‘ve not found a fiction book that captured the complexities of the perspectives on this issue. I really disliked Joyce Carol Oates‘ novel American Martyr that featured only a caricature of the anti-abortion activist. 2y

DocBrown Yeah @SamAnne, I felt a little that way with this book. But the character development overall was good, and they intersected in interesting ways. Worth a read, I think. 2y

DocBrown BTW @Tamra and @SamAnne, I HIGHLY recommend Jessica Valenti's daily newsletter/podcast Abortion, Every Day . It's usually about 10-15 minutes of audio, and a GREAT way to stay current on all the latest developments. 2y

Tamra As @SamAnne said, I too am a strong supporter of free reproductive choice & freedom of expression & religion. Nonetheless I feel for all patients who are subjected to the expression entering & exiting the clinic. It‘s one of those grey uncomfortable zones in life where differing moral beliefs and legal rights can clash. It makes for intellectually stimulating thought though. 2y

Tamra @DocBrown thanks for the tip! 2y

DocBrown Thanks for sharing @Tamra! A fraught and provocative issue if ever there was one! Jessica Valenti signs off every day with 'I hope you talk with someone about abortion today, and I'll be back to talk with you about abortion tomorrow.' I love that! We need more conversations and more dialogue on this of all topics! 2y

Amiable I have been a volunteer escort at a local PP clinic for almost 7 years. We are stationed in the parking lot and on the sidewalk to greet patients and walk them into the building so they don‘t have to walk through/past a gauntlet of protesters screaming in their faces on what may be one of the most difficult and emotional days of their lives. And you are right—the overwhelming majority of the protesters are old white men. What does THAT say? (edited) 2y

Amiable It comes across as misogyny, as men attempting to control women‘s lives and choices. The frustration that I have with them is that they don‘t offer alternatives. I once walked in a patient who was in tears —she told me that she and her boyfriend were homeless and living in their car. How did the protesters think she should bring a baby into that, she wanted to know? “Give it up to a family that wants it !” is the party line. Do you know how many (edited) 2y

Amiable kids are already in foster care? A LOT. Where are these old white men for those kids? Nowhere to be found. And the hypocrisy! Say that woman decides to continue her pregnancy. Who is paying for her healthcare? And when the baby arrives, who pays for the next 18 years? If the mother needs assistance, the right-wingers label her a welfare queen and rail about government handouts. They are pro-birth. Not pro-life. 2y

Amiable Because once the baby is here, they don‘t want to support any programs that may give financial, educational or emotional assistance to the mom or baby. Especially if the mom and baby are people of color. 2y

Amiable Plus, it‘s really simple biology. Don‘t like abortion? Then you should be devoting your energy to programs and services that prevent unwanted pregnancies. That‘s literally what PLANNED Parenthood does. It‘s right there in the name. They should be throwing money at PP, not blocking the sidewalks and threatening violence on the staff who are treating patients. Because—yes. That happens as well. We volunteers have been threatened, too. (edited) 2y

DocBrown Thank you so much for sharing @Amiable. Abortion would disappear tomorrow if men took more responsibility when it comes to sex and birth control.

Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way to Think About Abortion

Ephemera This is BS. These people are trying to cram their religious feelings down the throats of others. Holier than thou prigs who would never ever think of adopting a baby that would otherwise be unwanted. These are the same people who say birth control shouldn‘t be taught in schools, only abstinence, when we all know that abstinence doesn‘t prevent pregnancy. 2y

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JenniferEgnor

Mercy Street | Jennifer Haigh

I can‘t help but wonder, why this book was discarded. It‘s a brand new book, published this year (2022). This is an early copy that has multiple grammatical errors in it. A friend of mine found it in the free section at a local library. Why? Is it because of what it‘s about? Does the library fear its content, fear the anti-abortion laws being passed? This is not a banned book, yet. But they don‘t want us to talk about abortion, at all.

JenniferEgnor But guess what bitches. We are. We will talk about it. We will say the word abortion and we will do it without shame. We will continue to have abortions, we will help others get them too. We will aid & abet! 2y

bibliothecarivs That would be censorship and librarians are usually on the front lines fighting censorship. It's more likely that the library discarded it for any number of professional reasons. Is this the Dorchester Co Library in SC? If so, I see in their catalog that they still have 14 copies of the book. They probably discarded your copy when demand dropped off. I'm a public librarian and that's a normal thing. 2y

JenniferEgnor @bibliothecarivs thank you so much for the clarification. Yes, it is Dorchester library. I guess you already know that SC politicians are forcing fights with censorship here just like everywhere else. I‘m not sure how how their latest attack on abortion care speech is going to play out, either… 2y

13 likes3 comments

JenniferEgnor

Mercy Street | Jennifer Haigh

so-so

This book wasn‘t quite I was expecting it to be but it wasn‘t bad. I wanted to know more about Claudia, her work, her drive. I felt that too much time and detail was spent on Victor, but I do like how fake clinics are mentioned, because they cause real harm. Victor reminds me very much of David, one of our local protestors. The similarities were sickening. David isn‘t Catholic, but he hates womxn just as much as Victor. The threads of

JenniferEgnor violence and misogyny that connect them were so familiar to me. Rape, pedophilia, punishment, murder, racism, anti-Blackness. I have heard David talk about all of these things. The photo shown is of him: David Benrexi. He is wearing an anti-abortion, racist shirt that is supposed to connect to Harriet Tubman—who he gladly would have enslaved, and committed acts of violence upon. 2y

JenniferEgnor I want all of you to know that clinic violence exists. Fake clinics exist and are very harmful in multiple ways. Protestors/anti-abortion activists exist and are very dangerous. Please, please speak up for abortion care access, for inclusive, intersectional reproductive care, for queer folx, for peoplx of color. The threat is very real and it kills. This is not a game. 2y

JenniferEgnor Please support your local abortion funds and get involved. Volunteer at clinics, get educated, have conversations. Call your legislators and demand we all of access to full spectrum care with dignity and respect. Vote. Help others register to vote and get to the polls together. Join teams of clinic defense and fight back against the harm that protestors cause outside of clinics. Check on your friends and family clinic workers. Get trauma 2y

JenniferEgnor informed. Tell stories, encourage story telling—it is one of the most powerful ways to end stigma. Remember that this work is done with love, above all else. AID & ABET. 2y

JenniferEgnor One last note which I forgot to mention earlier: in the book, photos are taken of patients. This is a very real thing that happens and it is not okay. We use umbrellas to block this from happening as best we can. Ask yourself, at what other medical facilities do you see this happening? It is unacceptable. Period. 2y

13 likes5 comments

JenniferEgnor

Mercy Street | Jennifer Haigh

On page 138 I learned there is a Catholic Saint who is patroness of incest survivors, depression, anxiety, neurological disorders.

Incest. Why am I not surprised, that they have a Saint to pray to for this but they do nothing to stop it in their church. 🙄

https://catholicsaintmedals.com/saints/st-dymphna/

Erinsuereads That's a hot take... I enjoy Catholics as a general case study for what not to do. 2y

JenniferEgnor @ErinSueMreads I never thought of it like that before! I agree 100%!!! Run far, run fast! 2y

bibliothecarivs I'm not Catholic (I'm a secular humanist) but, in my experience, there's a saint for nearly everything. The saints associations are just a reflection of general humanity. 2y

JenniferEgnor @bibliothecarivs I am a secular humanist too. I have learned that yes, there is a Saint for everything. I just don‘t understand why the church doesn‘t do anything about the issues. 2y

8 likes4 comments

Kazzie

Mercy Street | Jennifer Haigh

so-so

I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, I didn‘t find any of the characters particularly sympathetic. I think we were supposed to be interested in the ultra conservative character‘s backstory - insights into why he is how he is, but I just found him disgusting. The logistical aspects of abortions were interesting. And I liked the cannabis dealer, but that‘s it in the end.

3 likes

JoyBlue

Mercy Street | Jennifer Haigh

bailed

bailed at 35%—wish I hadn't spent so much time on it

24 likes

Sophronisba

Mercy Street | Jennifer Haigh

It's hard to know, ever, where a story begins. We touch down in a world fully inhabited by others, a drama already in progress. By the time we make our entrance -- incontinent and screaming, like dirty bombs detonating -- the climax is a distant memory. Our arrival is not the beginning; it is a consequence. #FridayReads #FirstLineFridays

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Megabooks

Mercy Street | Jennifer Haigh

so-so

This allegory was a bit much for me. There was nuance to the good characters, but the anti-abortion characters were so stereotypically comical.

Claudia works on the help hotline of an abortion clinic in Boston. The book goes through the difficulties faced by people working at these in the US. (And I agree there are many!) On the other side, there‘s a redneck incel gathering pictures of women entering clinics on the web. The relationship ⬇️

Cinfhen

Megabooks ⬆️ between the two characters was pretty tenuous. The book just didn‘t make sense as a whole. The disparate strands of the characters weren‘t brought together in the end, so the book felt unfinished. Only the #audiobook narration saved this from being a pan. 3y

Amiable I haven‘t read this book so I can‘t comment on the specific characters. But I volunteer as a patient escort at a Planned Parenthood clinic. Every week there is an anti-abortion protester who records the license plates of patients and staff who enter the parking lot. Another one films the patients walking into the clinic and livestreams it into social media. So the behavior being described here doesn‘t sound far-fetched to me at all. (edited) 3y

Megabooks @Amiable I didn‘t say, nor do I think, that behavior is far fetched. I said the character was very stereotypical. She took every negative stereotype of an anti-abortion person and put it into a character, and that didn‘t give the book any nuance or insight, which I think makes reading fiction interesting. I am 💯 pro-choice but I also 💯 want insightful, interesting fiction, which this wasn‘t. 3y

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Cinfhen Wow @Amiable 😳I totally hear what you‘re saying Meg about certain tropes or caricatures that sometimes manifest in fiction. Disappointing since this is an author who‘s written some VERY STRONG fiction. I think I‘ll pass for now. Love and appreciate your insightful reviews 💜💜💜 3y

Megabooks @Cinfhen yeah, I have enjoyed other books by her as well. Idk, this was just missing something. It‘s like she had an idea for the characters and had an idea of the message she wanted to get across, but the meeting of the two ideas was mediocre imo. Just a disappointment. This was a hard review to write because I wasn‘t sure how to get my feelings about it across. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 3y

Amiable I didn't say that you said the behavior is farfetched. I was offering my own perspective about said behaviors based on my own personal experience, as one often does in response to a review. My point was that what sounds like an unrealistic stereotype of an antiabortion protestor to one reader might sound exactly like Joe (the guy who blocks the driveway with his body every week) to another reader (i.e. me). I want to read this book now and see. 3y

Amiable Although I too hate when the strands of characters or the plot don't come together in the end, so that will likely annoy me as well! 3y

Megabooks @Amiable it‘s interesting. Sometimes I don‘t know how I feel until I sit down to write my review on litsy. As a pro-abortion person, I had an emotional reaction to the story. I sympathized with the danger faced by Claudia and the stories of the women she helped. How messy her personal life was. But as a reader, I felt it would‘ve been better to further expand the goings on at the clinic instead of giving this stereotypical anti-abortion ⬇️ 3y

Megabooks @Amiable character so much airtime. I‘m still processing my feelings about this, even though it wasn‘t my favorite book, probably because of the subject matter. But giving that guy so much plot-time was pretty useless. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 3y

Megabooks @Amiable interested to see what you end up thinking!! 3y

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LMJenkins

Mercy Street | Jennifer Haigh

Looking forward to this! #ARC

26 likes

Well-ReadNeck

Mercy Street | Jennifer Haigh

so-so

Mercy Street is an abortion clinic in Boston and this novel dives deep into the life of Claudia, a worker at the clinic and the stress and pressure she faces on the job, the counter abortion nasty tactics and the struggles of the women seeking abortions. These depictions are the crowning glory of this novel, but other plot points do at times clutter the narrative, while attempting to be a unifying focus characters. #ARC #Netgalley

bnp Interesting take. I liked Baker Towers & News from heaven, Faith was OK, Heat & light not so much. 3y

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