Reviews

A truly fascinating book. A memoir that’s also a bit of a research paper in parts, it has a conversational tone while dealing with multiple systems failing the author in heartbreaking fashion. Norman has gone through much for someone so young, and her determination to continue and to help others makes for a great read. While much of the book deals with those who have let her down in so many ways, it also highlights the empathy and generosity of some and the great impact kind actions can have on others.

sanmeow's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

3.0

very glad to read a book that openly speaks on women's health, it was educational and insightful for sure. enjoyed the memoir-esque parts less than the rest of the book though but that's not much of an issue. what is an issue is the writing, maybe not writing but editing instead. some questionable sentence structures and grammatical + spelling errors. honestly feel baffled because i can't for the life of me understand how the editors didn't notice???

idk_indigo's review against another edition

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challenging informative slow-paced

4.75

I really enjoyed this book! It was very informative, very enlightening. Some of the book’s Amazon reviews are quite negative, primarily because it’s a very self-reflective book. Norman acknowledges that this book is more of a dive into her personal experience & what research she has compiled in an effort to better understand her illness & her pain. Less of a know-all about endometriosis, which we see towards the end of the book when she is in the diagnosis stages of another chronic illness. The book talks about the author’s journey with chronic illness with an implied, “This is how it was for me. Others may relate, but I am not speaking for anyone else.” I appreciated the physician aspect; most physicians are trying their best, but they are also imperfect. It is a very true phenomenon that women’s pain is taken less seriously; this rings especially true for WOC & for disabled/chronically or mentally ill women. I enjoyed this book; definitely not a medical guidebook on endometriosis, but I don’t think it was ever trying to be.

Content Warnings

dlberglund's review

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3.0

Abby's struggles with pain and the medical establishment were horrible. Doctors' refusal to listen to her symptoms and take her seriously were the norm more than 100 years ago, and it rips me part that she continues to have these experiences. The amount of research she has done on women's reproductive systems and the history of sexism in medical science is commendable and interesting. But (and you knew that was coming), that all doesn't actually make this a great science book or a great memoir. It's too disjointed (her timeline is all over the place), and the ending was completely frustrating. Spoiler ahead....It seems that she developed additional frightening symptoms while writing this book about her (very recent) past/present symptoms, and the last chapters are consumed by her trying to figure out what the new symptoms are from--and failing to do so. So this is now part medical mystery as well, and I was very frustrated by that. I'm sure she is as well-she didn't ask for new debilitating symptoms while writing a book!-- but it derailed the narrative. (It does bring home the point that doctors STILL don't listen to her. Seriously, she should consider moving to another town. Or state, but no offense, Maine.) There's so much in the book about her personal (traumatic) history, and there's a lot going on in her life besides her endometriosis. I definitely learned things, and felt empathy and sympathy and frustration for her, but overall it didn't come together for me as a coherent book.

bookwyrm_kate's review against another edition

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5.0

This book changed everything I thought I knew about my own condition. I was firmly taught that endometriosis was a disorder somehow caused by abnormal menstruation, though the mechanism hadn’t yet been pinpointed by modern science. To find out that endometriosal adhesions have been found in fetuses, and in adult males was completely new to me, and calls deeply into question my doctors’ assertions that there can be no genetic component!
As someone who has been an outspoken advocate for her own health, who has had to struggle to convince doctors that my “silent” symptoms were not silent or normal for ME, as they patted me on the head and tried to send me on my way, the circumstances in this book tapped into a simmering rage I’ve had at the patriarchal health system that killed one of my best friends (through apathy and disbelief when she sought help for her symptoms) and could have killed me too, had I trusted their smug confidence with my health. WHY are the conditions that killed Gilda Radner and countless other, less famous women, still being ignored or dismissed decades later? I hope everyone I know is able to read this book at some point. I feel it’s deeply important, even for those (actually, ESPECIALLY for those) who don’t menstruate, who don’t know much about endometriosis, or who have never even heard of endometriosis.

gay_n_depressed's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

*cries*

prideandjoybooks's review against another edition

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3.0

This was a tough read. It’s hard to take on a book that has so much individual and societal suffering. The author’s accounts of navigating the medical system as a woman are painfully accurate (no pun intended) and the history behind our collective experiences is just maddening. It’s an impressive journey and a story worth knowing, but it definitely felt draining as a reader.

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