LiterariLeigh

Is there an age that a woman becomes too old to have a child? There are hundreds of records of women in their 50s, 60s, and even some early 70s who have carried and given birth to babies, some naturally and some through in-vitro fertilization. These women face health risks and complications to themselves and their baby at a much higher degree than younger pregnant women. So perhaps the question is not so much can it be done, but should it?

This question is at the heart of Ann Patchett's book State of Wonder. After the disappearance of a staff member in the Amazon jungle, research scientist Marina Singh is given a mission to go to Brazil and find the group he was with, headed by her former mentor Dr. Annick Swenson. Swenson has gone off the grid doing her own secret research and the company that's funding her wants to know what exactly is going on.

After an arduous journey, Marina discovers Dr. Swenson and her team living among the Lakashi, a tribe in which the women are able to bear children well into old age. Obsessed with finding a way to develop the Lakashi secret into a drug that could help older women world wide become pregnant, Swenson will not share or walk away from her work.

The book is a wonder in itself, depicting the awe-inspiring and harsh environment of the jungle, and presenting both sides of a never ending, controversial debate about human reproduction. This is a great title for a book discussion as there is much to question and discuss (based on my own book group).