All You Have to Do Is Call

A dramatic and inspiring novel based on the true story of the Jane Collective and the brave women who fought for our right to choose, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Paris Bookseller.

Chicago, early 1970s Who does a woman call when she needs help? Jane.

The best-known secret in the city, Jane is an underground women's health organization composed entirely of women helping women, empowering them to live lives free from the expectations of society by offering reproductive counseling and safe, illegal abortions. Veronica, Jane's founder, prides herself on the services she has provided to thousands of women, yet the price of others' freedom is that she leads a double life. When she's not at Jane, Veronica plays the role of a conventional housewife--which becomes even more difficult during her own high-risk pregnancy.

Two more women in Veronica's neighborhood are grappling with similar disconnects. Margaret, a young professor at the University of Chicago, secretly volunteers at Jane as she falls in love with a man whose attitude toward his ex-wife increasingly disturbs her. Patty, who's long been content as a devoted wife and mother, has begun to sense that something essential is missing from her life. When her runaway younger sister Eliza shows up unexpectedly, Patty is forced to come to terms with what it really means to love and support a sister.

In this historic moment when the personal was nothing if not political, when television, movies, and commercials told women they'd "come a long way, baby," Veronica, Margaret, and Patty must make choices that will change the course of their lives forever.
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368 pages

Average rating: 8.38

8 RATINGS

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1 REVIEW

Community Reviews

jenlynerickson
Feb 08, 2024
10/10 stars
“TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF MY LIFE…that summed up everything the Service stood for…This room was the vault of female secrets and sovereignty, with none of the shame or apologies that came from asking for what they wanted the moment they stepped outside.” Veronica “was the leader of Jane, the city’s underground womens’ lib organization that provided safe, clean, illegal abortions to any woman who needed one…Which was the whole point ...read more

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