The Call the midwife trilogy is comprised of Call the midwife : a memoir of birth, joy, and hard times (this book), Shadows of the workhouse (c2005), and Farewell to the East End (c2009). Together, this series chronicles Jennifer Worth's career as a midwife from start to finish, from her arrival in the war-scarred Docklands as a wide-eyed trainee, to the demolition of the tenements and subsequent closure of Nonnatus House. It provides a fascinating snapshot of social history, documenting the East End in the days when there was a real sense of community, when times were tough but there was plenty of good humour and neighbourly support to help the inhabitants through the harsh economic climate.

Originally published: Twickenham [England] : Merton, 2002. Previously issued by Penguin, 2009, under title: The midwife : a memoir of birth, joy, and hard times.