Born, Heather Birrell
Born, Heather Birrell
List: $21.99 | Sale: $15.39
Club: $10.99

Born

Author: Heather Birrell

Narrator: Heather Birrell

Unabridged: 6 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: ECW Press

Published: 07/08/2025


Synopsis

What happens when an English teacher goes into labour during a Toronto high school lockdown? High school English teacher Elise loves teaching Shakespeare. She is also very pregnant. She’s trapped in a classroom with her Grade 12 students during a lockdown. Anthony, the cause of the lockdown, is roaming the halls with a knife in search of some solace, consumed by thoughts of his best friend Samantha, who is in peril. Maria, the school's counselor, is second-guessing her decision to turn him in. As the lockdown drags on, Elise can no longer deny that she’s going into labour. And she’ll have to rely on the students to get her through: Shai-Anna and Faduma end up acting as midwives, and the others do what they can. In the same way the self shatters and sharpens when one is doing the hard work of giving birth, so does the narrative of the novel, with various people in the school picking up the threads of the story. With infinite empathy for all involved, Born explores the myriad pitfalls and utopian possibilities of the school system, motherhood, and caregiving, and the sometimes fraught, sometimes transcendent nature of the student-teacher relationship.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Makenna on July 01, 2025

super weird. felt a bit cringy at times. i wish the book had more panic during the situation the kids were in as opposed to the calm that was happening. it didn’t feel realistic at all. idk if i would reccomend this book but if you want something super strange to read then this is right up your alle......more

Goodreads review by Eileen on May 03, 2025

Interesting story of what happens in a classroom full of teenagers when a teacher goes into labor during a lockdown. the students seemed either too capable or too uninterested for their reactions to be real. I guess a book club might have topics to discuss, but unless you've taught HS kids, you migh......more

Goodreads review by Catherine on July 13, 2025

Ooof that was not a light read. I do love a story told from many perspectives. An intense and lovely read.......more