The Selector of Souls

About this book

The Selector of Souls begins with a scene that is terrifying harrowing and yet strangely tender: were in the mid ranges of the Himalayas as a young woman gives birth to her third child with the help of her mother Damini. The birth brings no joy just a horrible accounting and the act that follows--the huge sacrifice made by Damini out of love of her daughter--haunts the novel. In Shauna Singh Baldwins enthralling novel two fascinating strong-willed women must deal with the relentless logic forced upon them by survival: Damini a Hindu midwife and Anu who flees an abusive marriage for the sanctuary of the Catholic church. When Sister Anu comes to Daminis home village to open a clinic their paths cross and each are certain they are doing whats best for women. What do health justice education and equality mean for women when India is marching toward prosperity growth and becoming a nuclear power? If the baby girls and women around them are to survive Damini and Anu must find creative ways to break with tradition and help this community change from within.