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alidao's review against another edition
3.75
It’s a very important book for women but it’s such a slow read.
lmorgen's review against another edition
3.0
Cleghorn weaves together an insightful, necessary, and compelling story about the history of how Western medicine has failed women and people with uteruses. Even though I was aware of racial and gender biases in the field of medicine in the United States before reading "Unwell Women," learning about the extent to which the voices and pain of women, particularly women of color, were diminished, ignored, or contradicted was viscerally astounding and heartbreaking.
Finishing this book now, the day after Roe v. Wade was overturned by SCOTUS, drives home for me even more how women have long been valued only for their reproductive qualities, to be seen as vessels for bearing the future generations rather than as unique human individuals with their own desires, needs, and minds, hit home particularly harshly. In the later chapters of "Unwell Women," in which Cleghorn discusses women's fight for recognition of their pain, she pays special attention to the efforts and contributions of women of color in the struggle for equality in medicine, as well as the brutal injustices women of color faced at the hands of doctors and their societies as a whole, showcasing the horrific racist and sexist rationales that have been used to justify turning deaf ears to the voices of women of color and blind eyes to the discrimination they face, as well as to their pain.
Cleghorn's own story of her experience as an unwell woman, coming at the end of her book, is especially powerful, coming after a broad chronological exploration of unwell women and their treatment at the hands of doctors and medicine. Cleghorn writes with passion and anger, making for a vivid page-turner. Although the historical element of this book—which attempts the extremely difficult task of covering thousands of years of history—is at times lacking in context and analysis of the sources (particularly in the chapters detailing premodern history, as other reviewers have noted), "Unwell Women" is nonetheless an important read for learning the broad strokes of unwell women in Western medical history.
Finishing this book now, the day after Roe v. Wade was overturned by SCOTUS, drives home for me even more how women have long been valued only for their reproductive qualities, to be seen as vessels for bearing the future generations rather than as unique human individuals with their own desires, needs, and minds, hit home particularly harshly. In the later chapters of "Unwell Women," in which Cleghorn discusses women's fight for recognition of their pain, she pays special attention to the efforts and contributions of women of color in the struggle for equality in medicine, as well as the brutal injustices women of color faced at the hands of doctors and their societies as a whole, showcasing the horrific racist and sexist rationales that have been used to justify turning deaf ears to the voices of women of color and blind eyes to the discrimination they face, as well as to their pain.
Cleghorn's own story of her experience as an unwell woman, coming at the end of her book, is especially powerful, coming after a broad chronological exploration of unwell women and their treatment at the hands of doctors and medicine. Cleghorn writes with passion and anger, making for a vivid page-turner. Although the historical element of this book—which attempts the extremely difficult task of covering thousands of years of history—is at times lacking in context and analysis of the sources (particularly in the chapters detailing premodern history, as other reviewers have noted), "Unwell Women" is nonetheless an important read for learning the broad strokes of unwell women in Western medical history.
remains_lady's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Very informative book that highlights a critical history.