Belly Woman

Winner of the Moore Prize for Human Rights Writing in 2023

'This book will stay with me for years.' ADAM KAY, author of This is Going to Hurt

'Black puts a human and profoundly humane face on what it's like to be a doctor.' FORBES

'A brilliant, painful and honest book. Read it.' MARY HARPER, BBC Africa Editor

'Benjamin Black has the most amazing gift for telling a story. I could not put the book down.' VICTORIA MACDONALD, Channel 4 News

Courage meets crisis in a doctor's extraordinary true account on the frontlines of maternal healthcare during a deadly epidemic in Sierra Leone.

In May 2014, as the country grapples with the highest maternal mortality rate globally, a new, invisible threat emerges: Ebola.

Dr Benjamin Black finds himself at the centre of the outbreak. From the life-and-death decisions on the maternity ward to moral dilemmas in the Ebola Treatment Centres, every moment is a crossroads at which a single choice could tip the balance between survival and catastrophe. The tension is palpable, and the stakes are unimaginably high. One mistake, one error of judgment, could spell disaster.

Belly Woman is a powerful piece of reportage and advocacy that draws parallels between two global outbreaks of infectious diseases: Ebola and COVID-19. Black's firsthand experience on the frontlines of a global health crisis bears witness to the raw emotions, tough decisions, such as the need to carry out medically-mandated abortions to save lives, and the unwavering dedication that defines the lives of those who step up when the world needs them most.

Compelling for readers with an interest in medical memoirs, social justice and humanitarianism, as well as healthcare professionals and maternal health caregivers.



Dr Benjamin Black is a descendent of Iranian, Jewish and British roots. His family heritage of persecution and forced migration led him to a career in medical humanitarian relief. He is a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist based in London and a specialist advisor to international aid organisations, including Medecins Sans Frontieres, government departments, academic institutions and UN bodies. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic he provided frontline healthcare to pregnant women and supported the development of international guidelines. Benjamin teaches medical teams around the world on improving sexual and reproductive health care to the most vulnerable people in the most challenging of environments.



'Moving, kind, eye-opening, terrifying and inspirational - this book will stay with me for years.'



'Belly Woman is a must-read for our times. It is riveting, illuminating and humbling.'



'This is an inspirational story of compassion and dedication in the face of a brutal epidemic, and Benjamin Black is the one to tell it.'



'Brave, moving, and vital. A unique account of battling the Ebola outbreak while providing maternity care in Sierra Leone, and of the incredible women, families, and health workers Dr Black encountered. Read it.'



'Belly Woman is a jaw-dropping, mind-expanding read, a work of vast compassion and delicate insight into the bracing reality of giving birth in today's Africa. At times it's hard to read on without wanting to weep – at the mistakes made and the sheer implacability of death. But like the author himself, you never become numbed or unaffected by the women we encounter, such is their courage and the vividness of Black's writing in capturing their experiences.'



'Connecting individual patients and their caregivers to pandemics and the uncertain landscape of twenty-first century humanitarianism, Black shares with us how he seeks to understand the complexities at work in our world as he fights for new and existing lives. Written with clarity and compassion, and sometimes a challenging, graphic urgency, readers will be reminded of the essential truth that no matter where human beings live or under what particular circumstances, babies will be born, and that they and their mothers will need help with survival and future health. Even if it is from a distance, it is up to all of us to take care of each other.'



'I was gripped from the first page. May we all be humbled by this book.'