How A Book Changed the Course of My Life || An Interview with Lynn Mallinson

If you’re reading this story, chances are you’re a library fan. We library fans love libraries for all that they bring us, and for many of us, that means books, so many books! We get library cards and take out those books, which can be for pleasure, information, research, cooking, crafting, etc. Sometimes we know just what we want. Sometimes we are searching for something specific. Sometimes we randomly find a book that captures our interest. And sometimes, a book you happen upon will change your life. That’s what happened to Lynn Mallinson.

Lynn grew up on a farm in central New York. “I don't remember a lot of books,” she recalls. “The library was far away, everything was miles away. We were in the middle of nowhere. I read books but wasn't a huge reader.”

She had a few favorite books growing up, including Ann Likes Red, by Dorothy Seymour, when she was quite young. She also remembers liking Atlas Shrugged as a teen, and enjoying Stephen King novels as a young adult. But there would be a book in her future that would change her life, even though she didn’t even know it existed. It sat on a shelf, because some librarian thought it was worthwhile to purchase, and Lynn happened to visit that library looking for information.

After college Lynn was working as a CPA and traveling a lot. She and her husband settled in

Macedon as it was equidistant from both of their jobs. She didn’t know a lot of people, and when she became pregnant with her first child, she got a recommendation for an ob/gyn from a co-worker. Her older sister was also pregnant with her second child and they were now on similar paths.

“So I was just going along, so very traditional,” says Lynn. She had never felt she was out of the mainstream, but she did want more information, so she went to the library.

This was 1990, before the internet. Lynn went to the Macedon library, found the pre-natal and birthing sections, and happened upon a book, A Wise Birth: Bringing Together the Best of Natural Childbirth with Modern Medicine by Penny Armstrong and Sheryl Feldman.

Lynn started reading and realized, “OK this is different. It spoke to me and it felt like this is how it’s supposed to be, and I just knew that this was what I wanted.”

The book discussed natural childbirth and the advantages of using midwives.

From Barnes & Noble’s website’s explanation of the book: This work is an informative exploration of the politics behind modern child-birthing strategies. This thoroughly researched and well written volume explores the multitude of issues that can influence the way women give birth in modern society. "A Wise Birth" makes a detailed examination of all the main areas of influence, from different cultural backgrounds, medical histories, psychology, and relationships, to technology and modern medicines.

She didn’t know exactly what she wanted, but she felt so drawn to the ideas in this book, she

was motivated to try to do something different. But she didn’t know what to do next.

Lynn notes that she had been going to the obstetrician and it was very formal. “Literally the first time I think he said, ‘yeah you're pregnant.’ Then he shook my hand and said ‘see you next time.’”

She knew she wanted something different, but didn’t know where to look. But the stirrings she felt, after being introduced to the thinking of natural childbirth pushed her to start looking.

Again, this was 20th century, before the internet. The book did reference a doctor in Rochester so she called his office to talk to him but that was not allowed, so she kept on looking.

The book had planted a seed, and that was enough to push her forward. Then Lynn found a

pre-natal yoga class with a heavy emphasis on preparing for labor and childbirth, and, as it turns out, many of the participants were using midwives. She got connected, and made the switch.

So the arc of Lynn’s life began to take a turn. She had her first son in the hospital, fully

supported by a midwife, and she also became interested in homebirth. “I was talking to a co-worker about homebirths, and he said he knew someone who had had a

homebirth, and he connected me with her.”

She met more women who had given birth at home. With the support of her midwife, she had her second and third sons at home. She learned that you can gather your own information. She also learned that she was in charge of her own health.

“It was so empowering!” she recalls.

She went on to homeschool her three sons, and this also made her confident about other

decisions. Her family was involved in a co-housing community for a number of years that she

found life-affirming and deeply resonant with her values. She also gained information and

knowledge about home funerals, and has assisted a number of people through that journey.

Spurred by her own positive experiences of childbirth with a midwife, Lynn was also trained as a doula, to support women in childbirth.

The library continued to be a source of information and support to Lynn through the years. She notes how vital the library was to homeschooling, in the years before the internet.

“We were in the library all the time. The kids were happy there, and we would run into friends there.” They often visited many different libraries.

Her oldest son became a voracious reader, and went on to volunteer, and then work at the

Penfield Library. When she bought an electric car, there were not always chargers around, so

she would go to the Penfield Library to charge her car, and go sit by the fireplace and read. “It was so beautiful and peaceful.”

It was definitely more work to take the path she took, but in the years since she notes that “the decisions I’ve made were well thought out.” She learned to gather information, gather people, and crafted the life that her heart wanted.

And in many ways, that journey began with a book, from the public library.