"I cannot ignore the reality of the body, its glorious beginnings and its subtle endings," writes Cortney Davis in this intimate and startlingly original account of her work at a women's clinic. A poet and nurse-practitioner with twenty five years' experience, Davis reveals the beauty of the body's workings by unfolding the lives of four patients who struggle with its natural cycles and unexpected surprises: pregnancy and childbirth, illness and recovery, sexual dysfunction and sexual joy. An abundance of solid medical information imbues every graceful line.
Davis's eternal question to herself is: How do you help someone to not merely survive but flourish? In this compassionate and expansive book, she provides a template. I Knew a Woman will alter your perception of the humanity of medicine and the ordinary miracle of our physical selves.
"These wide-ranging narratives gave me the most lush information about the female psyche and physiognomy. Among the books one is supposed to have read on the subject, this stands out as a delight."
MARY KARR, AUTHOR OF CHERRY AND THE LIARS' CLUB "Extremely well wrought and unflinching."
RICHARD SELZER, AUTHOR OF LETTERS TO A YOUNG DOCTOR AND THE DOCTOR STORIES
