We’re halfway through the 2013 One Book, One Philadelphia season! How many events have you made it to so far?

This week’s edition of “Chatting One Book” focuses on the section “Babies.” Like “First Night,” this is also a very short section, juxtaposed against the longer section preceding it. Also like “First Night,” the section describes an intimate, physical experience—in this case, birth. Why do you think Julie Otsuka chose to keep these two sections deliberately short? To me, it seems like their brevity almost mirrors the way in which we often experience moments like these. Not to say that birth is a brief experience by any stretch, but in comparison to the day-in, day-out toil of daily life, intimate, physical moments often serve to punctuate the monotony of our routines.

What did you take away from “Babies”? Share your thoughts in the comments!