2026 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence Longlist
2026 Oregon Book Awards Finalist

“Based on a decade of work as a reporter, Grant offers an immensely readable and deeply researched history, equal parts enraging and moving. Access interweaves profiles of activists around the world with deftly narrated context on science, politics, and history. We move from antebellum New York to 1960s Chicago, from Mexico in the 2000s to pharmacies in India, from the internet to an ‘undisclosed location in the American South’ just before and after the Supreme Court drastically changed the legal landscape with its decision in Dobbs. . . . Grant’s book should be required reading for every American.” —New Republic

“Journalist Rebecca Grant, in her riveting, sweeping new book, tells the epic tale of women’s struggle to obtain their bodily sovereignty. Through her daring reporting and copious research, Grant has written a monumental masterpiece of feminist outrage, ingenuity, and perseverance. . . . Regardless of geography, class, religion, or political system, the theme of men seeking to dominate women’s bodies is hauntingly universal. Yet women, Grant proves, will find a way to control their reproductive lives. They always have and they always will.” —Air Mail

“[A] clear and compelling blend of history and journalism . . . [Grant’s] interest lies firmly in the above- and underground efforts to provide access to abortion rather than the slower, less reliable march towards enshrining reproductive rights in law. . . .Those seeking a well-researched, galvanizing narrative about abortion access should look no further than this engrossing account.” —Booklist (starred review)

“A defiant history . . . With an inspiring focus on ordinary people who risk their livelihoods, freedom, and safety to help others, this rivets. . . . A roving, keenly reported account.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Praise for Birth

“An important book . . . Grant is a good storyteller, subtle and compassionate.” —The New York Times Book Review

“An auspicious debut . . . Throughout, Grant maintains a sense of intimacy while contextualizing each woman’s experiences with analysis of medical, legal, and cultural matters. . . . An enlightening and accessible portrait of maternal healthcare in America.” —Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

“A much-needed perspective on childbirth.” —Porchlight, Editor’s Choice

“The author skillfully interweaves the personal stories of her subjects and their families with a clear and engaging history of American childbirth practices over the years. . . . A significant and compelling sociological investigation.” —Kirkus Reviews

“As we navigate an endless number of crises, Rebecca Grant’s thorough reporting about one such issue—reproductive health in all its facets—is lighting a pathway forward. Birth is a testament to Grant’s impeccable reporting and storytelling skills, pulling back the curtain on pregnancy in America while also pushing us to understand what the stakes are and what it will take to move forward.” —Evette Dionne, author of Weightless

“A true feat of intimate, illuminating reporting, Birth is a profound examination of the deeply personal and structural forces that shape life-defining choices, experiences, dreams, and futures.” —Rainesford Stauffer, author of An Ordinary Age and All the Gold Stars