All You Have to Do Is Call

July 15, 2023
An underground abortion ring provides support for women in pre-Roe v. Wade Chicago in a novel based loosely on the real-life Jane network. In the spring of 1969, on the cusp of divorce from her husband, Gabe, Siobhan Johnson is blindfolded and taken to an undisclosed location to have a back-alley abortion, supported by her friend Veronica Stillwell. Two years later, Siobhan and Veronica have founded Jane, a thriving underground network offering safe, sanitary, and very much illegal abortions. Amid a delightful cast of supporting characters, Maher centers the story around three women: Veronica is a wife and mother who works tirelessly to balance her double life and whose previous miscarriage amps up her anxiety about her current pregnancy; Patty Buford is a friend of Veronica's who knows nothing about Jane and who spends her days being the perfect housewife--never mind her distant husband, who may be having an affair; and Margaret Jones is an English professor and new volunteer who becomes increasingly aware that her boyfriend, Gabe--yes, that Gabe--isn't the dreamboat she'd hoped he'd be. Rather than delivering an action-packed tale of heroics in the fight for justice, Maher makes a feast of ordinary morsels. After all, real advocacy, as Siobhan says, mostly "involves hundreds of mundane tasks. But it all adds up to a remarkable, liberating act." As tensions creep in--from Veronica's risky pregnancy to the near-constant police presence outside Jane's various locations and the reappearance of Patty's wayward sister, Eliza--interpersonal conflicts are refreshingly resolved with healthy adult communication. Race and class struggles are given ample focus--Black patients, who make up the majority, are at greater risk of arrest than white patients, something Black volunteer Phyllis Williams is all too happy to point out to her privileged white peers. When the women of Jane are faced with arrest, the looming passage of Roe v. Wade is their salvation and a heartbreaking reminder of what women have since lost. A character-rich story of risky, remarkable activism that resonates more strongly than ever.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 24, 2023
The impressive latest from Maher (The Paris Bookseller) is a vivid fictionalized account of the women behind Jane, an abortion counseling service and “the safest open secret in Chicago.” After her own harrowing back-alley abortion in 1969, painter Siobhan Johnson and her friend, Veronica Stillwell, join forces and found Jane, a referral service for women seeking an abortion in the years before Roe. By 1971, Veronica and Siobhan have moved from referrals to performing “safe, clean, illegal abortions” in support of “equality, autonomy, and freedom for women.” As word spreads and Jane struggles to keep up with demand, Veronica feels pressure to stop working as she’s about to have a baby, and Siobhan’s co-parenting issues with her ex-husband escalate as her painting career takes off. Maher also explores the story’s feminist themes through her other characters: Margaret Jones is an English professor dealing with misogyny from colleagues and doctors and is also dating Siobhan’s ex-husband, Gabe, and Patty Buford is a stay-at-home mom and childhood friend of Veronica’s who begins to question whether she’s content in her traditional role as a wife and mother. As the police bear down on the organization, each woman must decide what risks she’s willing to take. Maher evocatively explores what remains a timely topic in American history, showing the strength that women wield in helping each other achieve bodily autonomy.

Starred review from August 1, 2023
This powerful story is fact-based fiction set during the turbulent late 1960s and early 1970s, when many women were reticent or ignorant about their bodies and sex, abortions were illegal and dangerous, and birth control difficult to obtain. Maher's book is based on a real-life, underground organization, "Jane," which was established in Chicago to help desperate women find doctors who would agree to illegally terminate their pregnancies. Although the organization was secretly supported by lawyers, policemen, gangsters, and even priests, the threat of arrest and imprisonment for those involved was constant. "Call Jane" became a byword for women--often poor, unmarried, and Black--who badly needed help. The three fictional characters in Maher's story are Veronica, Patty, and Siobhan, with each taking on some aspects of real-life Jane members. Each woman has her own personal issues, but by the end of the book, each has taken control of her life and grown more powerful and confident. The book shows the solidarity and bravery of Jane members in the face of great risk, the immense changes that took place during those troubled times, and the impact of "women's lib" and Roe v. Wade. An eye-opening, informative book that's well worth reading.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 22, 2023

Maher (The Paris Bookseller) imagines a group of women based on the Jane Collective of 1970s Chicago. The real Jane Collective was a group who assisted people with access to reproductive care and abortions in Chicago before Roe v. Wade was decided. Here Maher narrows her focus to three women near to and within the Hyde Park neighborhood and while the history of the time and the Jane Collective is correct, the characters are hers alone. Veronica plays the role of suburban wife and mother but in reality has become an activist who not only believes in women's right to choose but is actively providing abortions. Patty is a lifelong friend of Veronica's who has fully accepted the more conservative role for women but has begun to worry that there are cracks in her perfect life. Margaret, a junior professor at the University of Chicago, is sure that there is more that she could be doing, but a new relationship complicates her choices. As the three women navigate the personal and political, their choices will have lifelong impact. VERDICT Maher's well-researched novel explores pressing issues without sounding too didactic. Historical-fiction readers who are looking to stretch beyond World War II will find a lot to enjoy here.--Jane Jorgenson

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