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bluestjuice's review against another edition
3.0
This turned out to be a fascinating but supremely depressing read. Williams approaches the topic of breasts from a scientific angle as a journalist, beginning with the argument over their evolutionary framework and then delving into the science of breast cancer, lactation, and how breast tissue responds to environmental and internal stimuli such as hormones and chemicals. It's all very interesting, but each subsequent chapter left me feeling more and more doomed - coming to the conclusion that William reaches: that personal lifestyle choices are all very well, but aren't necessarily enough in the face of widespread systemic issues. Me and my breasts feel kind of screwed right now.
cry_k's review against another edition
5.0
I think this is an important book with information that all women should know about. I learned so many things about this important part of our anatomy...many things science is only recently coming to understand--how breasts develop, why we have them (yes, for breast-feeding, but there's a lot of cool stuff about that), how they're being affected by the environment, breast cancer, etc. The author supports her statements with the science, and writes in a very interesting and accessible way.
lolagreen's review against another edition
2.0
This book was not what I thought it was going to be. I love reading about research and what scientist have discovered about our quickly changing lifestyles and how it's impacting us in unimaginable ways. But the most frustrating thing about this book was the lack of consistency. She would write about one persons research and then turn around and use contradicting research to disprove it. I understand that it's just how science is. One big, expensive gathering of conflicting data. But if you know the research has no consensus, then why write a book on that topic? To scare your readers not to trust anything but also have no concrete reason NOT to trust it?
subtextual's review against another edition
When I was in the 7th grade, a teacher told me I was going to get skin cancer. This book is like if that experience took hundreds of pages.
oofie's review against another edition
3.0
This was honestly one of the most depressing books I've ever read (in a good way). It was incredibly informative, don't get me wrong, but man, it seems like if we don't go extinct from climate change in one way or another, we'll just go extinct from all the chemicals we're poisoning ourselves with.
ashleyholstrom's review against another edition
4.0
Every human must read this book, please and thanks. It is chock full of cultural and medical history about breasts and also you will be terrified of plastic because everything causes breast cancer, especially plastic.
modeislodis's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty technical in parts, but I changed some of my behaviors due to the information. Well researched and, duh, interesting topic!
rallisaurus's review against another edition
4.0
Well, now I'm terrified. Fascinating and disturbing.
laynescherer's review against another edition
4.0
Breasts was an eye-opening read to the world of breasts, things I have and did not think too deeply about the consequences of. It's a bit scary to think that they have been largely neglected by research, but hopefully things are moving in a good direction. Their evolutionary history, cultural impact, and interactions with the environment and overall health of women was fascinating to learn about. I would encourage anyone who has breasts or cares about people who have breasts to pick this up.