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ignatzv's review against another edition
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Unwell Women is an in-depth analysis and historical retelling of sexism in the medical field since the age of ancient Greece, as well as the formulation of certain feminist sub-movements concerning concepts like abortion and birth control. This book also discusses transgender identity and the importance of separating biological determinism from feminism. I think this book is a great introduction to how marginalized groups have been and still are negatively impacted by the medical field.
laurenbanks's review against another edition
4.0
This took me soooo long to finish but it was so fascinating - the history of women’s health is incredible and thank you to all the activists who came before who allowed us to reclaim our bodies
laksha_'s review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
carolin_wendt's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
melanierae's review
Amazing!!! Learned so much new stuff, I didn’t realize the focus was almost entirely history but felt absolutely necessary
rusereviews's review
5.0
Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World by Elinor Cleghorn, the author's debut, is an in-depth history of women's health published earlier this year by Dutton Books. I was happy to see that in the introduction, the author notes that not all people who menstruate are women, and that not all women have a uterus. This bode well for the rest of the book, which points out outdated terms of the past and how we view them today.
The first section of this book includes a history of women's health, starting in ancient Greece with wandering wombs, and then take us through the middle ages with plague and witchcraft. Before reading this book, I was unaware that doctors in the late Victorian era in England were using clitoridectomies as a medical procedure to prevent "hysteria" amongst other "diseases" (like masturbation).
It is very easy to see how well-researched Cleghorn is on this topic, with endless interesting examples and tons of primary sources cited. I originally borrowed the audiobook version from my local library, but I liked this book so much that I ordered a physical copy for myself as well.
The first section of this book includes a history of women's health, starting in ancient Greece with wandering wombs, and then take us through the middle ages with plague and witchcraft. Before reading this book, I was unaware that doctors in the late Victorian era in England were using clitoridectomies as a medical procedure to prevent "hysteria" amongst other "diseases" (like masturbation).
It is very easy to see how well-researched Cleghorn is on this topic, with endless interesting examples and tons of primary sources cited. I originally borrowed the audiobook version from my local library, but I liked this book so much that I ordered a physical copy for myself as well.
bookishcompass's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.0