About the Book
A gripping and uplifting novel based on the true story of the Jane Collective and the brave women who worked in the shadows for our right to choose, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Paris Bookseller.
Chicago, early 1970s. Who does a woman call when she needs help? Jane.
The best-known secret in the city, Jane is an underground health clinic composed entirely of women helping women, empowering them to embrace their futures by offering reproductive counseling and safe, illegal abortions. Veronica, Jane’s founder, prides herself on the services she has provided to thousands of women, yet the price of others’ freedom is that she leads a double life. When she’s not at Jane, Veronica plays the role of a conventional housewife—a juggling act that becomes even more difficult during her own high-risk pregnancy.
Two more women in Veronica’s neighborhood are grappling with similar disconnects. Margaret, a young professor at the University of Chicago, secretly volunteers at Jane as she falls in love with a man whose attitude toward his ex-wife increasingly disturbs her. Patty, who’s long been content as a devoted wife and mother, has begun to sense that something essential is missing from her life. When her runaway younger sister, Eliza, shows up unexpectedly, Patty must come to terms with what it really means to love and support a sister.
In this historic moment, when the personal was nothing if not political, Veronica, Margaret, and Patty risk it all to help mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. With an awe-inspiring story and appealing characters, All You Have to Do Is Call celebrates the power of women coming together in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
My Review
It’s very rare I read a book and start immediately texting all my friends to read it as well – whether those friends are bookworms or not. This was one of those, in part because I’m slightly embarrassed to share I had not previously heard of The Jane Collective, and the women who sacrificed so much to help and support other women. I was in absolute awe reading about the women who took risks and who learned how to give abortions out of their homes during a time where abortions were illegal and women did not have bodily autonomy. The women who supported The Jane Collective in ways of buying supplies, spreading the word, cleaning up after procedures. The comradery that is felt the entire way through this book had me feeling so many emotions. I also felt frustrated that this part of women’s history, in my opinion, has not been given enough light. The lengths women will go for our rights, our right to choose, our right for our future, is absolutely inspiring. This novel is timely, powerful and an absolute must read.
5 stars
