THE BIRTH OF THE PILL

Jonathan Eig

In the early 1950s, a young scientist named Gregory Pincus invented a pill that transformed society. The American journalist Jonathan Eig tells the story of how the birth-control pill was developed and how it radically changed sexual behaviour and reproductive rights. His narrative focuses on Pincus, along with Margaret Sanger, a feminist activist; Katherine McCormick, a philanthropist who funded the research; and John Rock, a charismatic Catholic doctor who battled the Catholic church to win public approval for the new drug.

Pan Macmillan, 400 pages, Rs 499