The Pill: A Biography of the Drug That Changed the World [Hardcover]

Bernard Asbell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 23, 1995

With as many twists and turns as a thriller, this biography of the birth control pill tells the story of the committed people--Margaret Sanger, Katharine McCormick, and Dr. Gregory Pincus, among others--who pioneered the its development, as well as the two scientists who defied the law to advance its research. Photos.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This is a complex and riveting tale involving eccentric scientists, the power of the Catholic church and a group of women and activists who would not take "no" for an answer. Rather than assign a "father" of the pill, Asbell credits two women as its mothers. Created in an era when women struggled to control family size by such horrific methods as Lysol douches, the pill changed women's lives forever in ways far more reaching than sexual freedom.

From Publishers Weekly

Asbell's riveting account of the development of the oral contraceptive pill and its liberating impact for millions of women is a remarkable tale of scientific discovery, fortuitous progress, dogged persistence and moral dilemmas over reproductive choices. In 1950, birth-control crusader Margaret Sanger, then 71, and feminist philanthropist Katharine McCormick, 75, commissioned ex-Harvard biologist Gregory Pincus to develop an oral contraceptive. Pincus's collaboration with Harvard gynecologist John Rock led to FDA approval of "the Pill" in 1961, a feat made possible by the work of at least two predecessors?reclusive chemist Russell Marker, who synthesized progesterone in Mexico from locally grown plants in 1949, and Carl Djerassi, a refugee chemist from Nazi-occupied Vienna. Asbell (The Senate Nobody Knows) reveals the medical profession's and the big pharmaceutical companies' initial hostility to the pill's development; they were skeptical of its efficacy or marketability and skittish about potential lawsuits. He also explores the schism within the Vatican and among Roman Catholics over the pill, and assesses recent developments such as the Norplant contraceptive implant, which is inserted under a woman's arm; the search for a Pill for males; and the French abortion-inducing drug RU 486, used as a "morning-after" contraceptive. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Random House; Updated edition (May 23, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679411003
• ISBN-13: 978-0679411000
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #566,887 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Pill- an extremely interesting and entertaining read, July 17, 2006

By 

Diana Fleischman "graduate student in evoluti... (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pill: A Biography of the Drug That Changed the World (Hardcover)

I almost couldn't put this book down and read it in a few days. Asbell does a really good job of making the story of the Pill at once comprehensive and entertaining. He develops all the various characters involved in the story: priests, scientists, activists, doctors, funders of research and ordinary citizens in a way that makes gives you a sense of familiarity with their personalities and psychologies. He shows how risk taking, serendipity, and passion led some to succeed and left others virtually anonymous. He gives fair treatment to many of scientific disputes that went on during the invention of the pill and introduces us to the future of contraception. The way he describes science is very accessible and also honest; he does not idolize scientists or science and shows the pitfalls involved in research.
I don't think I fully appreciated how revolutionary the Pill was before I read this book. It has made me much more grateful and informed about the options I can now make. He presents the story with the gravity it deserves.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Hobo Philosopher, September 5, 2007

By 

Richard E. Noble (Florida Panhandle) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pill: A Biography of the Drug That Changed the World (Hardcover)

Pliny (23-79 AD.) "If a man makes water upon a dog's urine he will become disinclined to copulation." (Yeah, but what about the Dog?) He also suggests that; "If a woman's loins are rubbed with blood taken from the ticks upon the back of a black wild bull, she will be inspired with an aversion to sexual intercourse. (Yes, and so too, the tick gatherer, and tick blood spreader - I would imagine.)
This book The Pill by Bernard Asbell besides being full of useful and energizing information is more than interesting. It is a social as well as a religious experience. One thing is for certain - trying not to have babies has been going on for centuries; thank God.

Richard Edward Noble - The Hobo Philosopher author of:

"The Eastpointer" Selections from award winning column.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars capitvating read, February 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Pill: A Biography of the Drug That Changed the World (Hardcover)

A wonderful account of the scientific, medical, political and social contexts surrounding the research and development of the oral contraceptive pill...something I realize that we take for granted and revolutionized our view of ourselves and our way of looking at the future.