In 1898, a group of schoolboys in Bridgeport, Connecticut, discovered gruesome packages under a bridge holding the dismembered remains of a young woman.
Finding that the dead woman had just undergone an abortion, prosecutors raced to establish her identity and assign blame for her death. Suspicion fell on Nancy Guilford, half of a married pair of “doctors” well known to police throughout New England.
A fascinated public followed the suspect’s intercontinental flight from justice, with many rooting for the fugitive. The Disquieting Death of Emma Gill takes a close look not only at the Guilfords but also at the cultural shifts and social compacts that allowed their practice to flourish while abortion was both illegal and unregulated.
Focusing on the women at the heart of the story—both victim and perpetrator— Marcia Biederman reexamines this slice of history through a feminist lens and reminds us of the very real lives at stake when a woman’s body and choices are controlled by others.
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Marcia Biederman has contributed more than 150 articles to the New York Times. She was a staff reporter for Crain’s New York Business and her work has appeared in New York magazine, the New York Observer, and Newsday. She is also the author of Popovers and Candlelight: Patricia Murphy and the Rise and Fall of a Restaurant Empire. She lives in New York.
Elisabeth Rodgers is an actress and AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. After graduating from Princeton University, she completed a two-year program at William Esper Studio, where she studied with Maggie Flanigan. Her audiobook narration training came from Robin Miles, who has also directed her in several productions. She has recorded dozens of books for a multitude of publishers.