Modern and Contemporary Literature

In the winter quarter we will read and discuss
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon published in 2023,
ISBN 978-0-385-54687-4. Paperback: ISBN 978-
0593312070
The year is 1789 and a New England midwife, when
midwives did more than deliver babies, is called to
investigate a dead man pulled from the ice. The book
is inspired by real life Martha Ballard, who recorded
in her diary over 27 years all the births, deaths,
murders and scandals that happened in her small
town. This 54-year-old heroine refuses to accept
anything less than justice on behalf of those no one
else would protect in a time when the justice system
was sparse before ratification of the Constitution and
the Bill of Rights. National Public Radio described
this historical novel as “a most uncozy mystery that
addresses the unbalanced power dynamics of men
and women, rich and poor.”

January 7 Book 1
January 21 Book 2
February 4 Book 3
February 18 Books 4 & 5
March 4 Book 6