Monique and the Mango Rains

Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway was a book club selection.  One, that in all honesty, I probably would have never chosen on my own. Kris Holloway served in the Peace Corps for two years.  She was assigned to a remote village in Mali to assist midwife, Monique Dembele.

At twenty-four, Monique was quite young to be a midwife.  She was the only medical personnel for the village of Nampossela.  Mali has one of the highest fertility rates in sub-Saharan Africa - 6.8 children.  The maternity mortality rate is among the top ten in the world.  Less than 6% of the women use any form of birth control and over 96% of the women have some form of genital mutilation.  All of the statistics make the job of midwifery extremely challenging.  Yet, this is what Monique does.  Quite successfully.

This tiny village has no electricity or running water and extremely limited medical supplies.  But for all the things the village lacks, it is an extremely tight-knit community.  Kris, who is given the name Fatumata Dembele, is quickly accepted by the villagers.  She and Monique, her hostess and mentor, form a quick and lasting friendship.

This book follows Kris's two-year adventure in Mali, as well as, the years that follow.  But more than Kris's adventure, this story is about Monique.  It is about Monique's life and her calling.  While I would never dream of joining the Peace Corp, nor visiting such a remote location, I was enthralled with the story.  I had a cesarean section when I gave birth to my daughter, so I do not know what it is like to experience contractions or the immense work of labor and delivery.  Reading Holloway's powerful descriptions of the births she and Dembele assist was amazing.  The strength of the women to birth in little more than a mud hut with a table and then to leave hours later to work in the fields or attend their other children was startling.

Following the trials and tribulations of Monique's marriage made me realize how fortunate I am to have the freedom and power of choice in my life.  The vast resources we have available made my heart hurt for the sick and dying children of the village, many who do not live past the age of five because of malnutrition.  Linked to the title of the novel is a website created by Kris Holloway and her husband John Bidwell, whom she met in Mali.  Through this website you can donate funds to help continue Monique's powerful work at a clinic created in her honor.