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

Kris Holloway

Jul 2006 · Waveland Press

About this ebook

In a remote corner of West Africa, Monique Dembele saved lives and dispensed hope every day in a place where childbirth is a life-and-death matter. Monique and the Mango Rains is the compelling story of the authors decade-long friendship with Monique, an extraordinary midwife in rural Mali. It is a tale of Moniques unquenchable passion to better the lives of women and children in the face of poverty, unhappy marriages, and endless backbreaking work, as well as her tragic and ironic death. In the course of this deeply personal narrative, as readers immerse in village life and learn firsthand the rhythms of Moniques world, they come to know her as a friend, as a mother, and as an inspired woman who struggled to find her place in a male-dominated world.

Ratings and reviews

The writing was average, with some cringe-worthy passages, and the plot line was just adequate, but what brought the book alive was Monique as a character. The rare book where the character I felt most attached to was not the white Western author but a villager, Monique. Worth it for the unique perspective.

I expected a dry documentary with overwhelming facts and social analysis. Instead I found a beautiful story of life, love and friendship.