Thanks to my wife Carole for the following book review on The Shaming of the Strong by Sarah Williams.

This is a challenging book which looks at how one family deals with the awful knowledge that their longed for third child is severely deformed and unlikely to survive beyond birth.

Sarah and Paul Williams are initially delighted to discover that they are expecting another child. However, at the 20 week scan, their joy turns to sorrow when the baby is found to have a lethal skeletal deformity. Sarah is then faced with the heartbreaking choice of having an abortion or continuing with a difficult and at times painful pregnancy knowing that her child is severely deformed and likely to be stillborn. With her husband Paul they reach a decision – which some will no doubt disagree with. The rest of the book deals with the effect that this decision has on them, their family and friends and indeed members of the medical profession who they come into contact with.

This is a book which asks all of us to consider how we respond to the most vulnerable members of our society and to what lengths we might be prepared to go to protect those who cannot look after themselves. Ultimately the book suggests that in caring for the weak we can ourselves become stronger.