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rosemarygiles's review
informative
sad
slow-paced
5.0
I have been looking forward to reading Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World for a long time, and I'm so pleased that it didn't disappoint. Cleghorn traces women's health, disease, illness, and wellness throughout history in an effort to connect patterns of poor treatment to current issues with women's healthcare. She compellingly makes her argument and shows that so many 'women's issues' have been incorrectly attributed to their sex with other issues being dismissed. She also, however, tackles issues which are distinctly female to show how this has been handled by predominantly male physicians. I think that this should be a must-read for any future physicians as it does a wonderful job of painting the horrifying, devastating, and intriguing history of women's health in the Western World.
syddieff's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
3.5
eye opening yet unsurprising.
the_sunken_library's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
I found this to be a fascinating conversation and exploration, albeit not a deep dive, into women's health throughout the ages. Cleghorn's writing style is very accessible and compelling, making for an easier read.
As someone who has suffered chronic back pain and had it take 10 years to be offered a solution (late enough to guarantee further health complications), as well as repeatedly suffered the indignation of being ignored, belittled and dismissed in the doctors office - by both male and female medical professionals - it's a relief and also a complete tragedy to appreciate how widely sexism effects female health. How indoctrinated it is alongside racism.
My main point of contention is the choice to not include trans women. This is addressed very briefly and unsatisfactorily at the start. Non binary is briefly touched upon in the narrative, so I am unsure why there wasn't more inclusion. I have also seen others criticise the author's representation of certain diseases, and some claims to be provenly false - I cannot speak to those things but they must be considered, alongside the fact Cleghorn's background isn't in medicine. This is a book spurred on by her own health as opposed to an academic pursuit - nothing wrong with that, but it does mean a bias comes into play throughout the narrative of this book.
As someone who has suffered chronic back pain and had it take 10 years to be offered a solution (late enough to guarantee further health complications), as well as repeatedly suffered the indignation of being ignored, belittled and dismissed in the doctors office - by both male and female medical professionals - it's a relief and also a complete tragedy to appreciate how widely sexism effects female health. How indoctrinated it is alongside racism.
My main point of contention is the choice to not include trans women. This is addressed very briefly and unsatisfactorily at the start. Non binary is briefly touched upon in the narrative, so I am unsure why there wasn't more inclusion. I have also seen others criticise the author's representation of certain diseases, and some claims to be provenly false - I cannot speak to those things but they must be considered, alongside the fact Cleghorn's background isn't in medicine. This is a book spurred on by her own health as opposed to an academic pursuit - nothing wrong with that, but it does mean a bias comes into play throughout the narrative of this book.
agenderangel's review against another edition
3.0
I honestly don't know how to organize my thoughts about this book. I was really looking forward to reading it (having an undiagnosed chronic illness of my own), but unfortunately, it left me underwhelmed and disappointed — to the point where I began to dread opening it each day.
Cleghorn isn't a nonfiction author, and it shows. I still don't know if unwell women is poorly written or just poorly edited. I often felt like I was reading the same sentences over and over again. Cleghorn doesn't hesitate to redundantly remind the reader about previously established facts and points at every turn of the page. I agree with her general thesis, but the writing is inefficient, and doesn't strengthen her claims. Rather, it distracts. I frequently found myself frustrated and thinking up seemingly simple changes that would have improved her argument. In an ideal world, this book would have been shorter, and better for it.
Much is said about the work of “feminist health advocates”. Yet, the author doesn’t use the term “disability activists” once, nor does she mention their advancements. I was struck with surprise at Cleghorn’s failure to address disability theory in general. While she contends with the legacy of eugenics, she neglects to discuss its implications. I was hoping for and expecting more from a book about the history of chronic illness, albeit limited to exclusively cis women.
Unwell women’s handling of gender also left something to be desired. Its language is narrow, despite denouncing bioessentialism and trans-exclusionary radical feminism. There were questionable word choices throughout, but including the phrase “biological females” in one of the very last paragraphs left an impression. In the introduction, Cleghorn insists upon her belief that transgender people exist and can experience womanhood and medical sexism, but stops there. Unwell women is, by the author’s own admission, a narrative about cis women in the western world. Though she waxes poetic about intersectionality, her analysis and criticism remain shallow.
Cleghorn isn't a nonfiction author, and it shows. I still don't know if unwell women is poorly written or just poorly edited. I often felt like I was reading the same sentences over and over again. Cleghorn doesn't hesitate to redundantly remind the reader about previously established facts and points at every turn of the page. I agree with her general thesis, but the writing is inefficient, and doesn't strengthen her claims. Rather, it distracts. I frequently found myself frustrated and thinking up seemingly simple changes that would have improved her argument. In an ideal world, this book would have been shorter, and better for it.
Much is said about the work of “feminist health advocates”. Yet, the author doesn’t use the term “disability activists” once, nor does she mention their advancements. I was struck with surprise at Cleghorn’s failure to address disability theory in general. While she contends with the legacy of eugenics, she neglects to discuss its implications. I was hoping for and expecting more from a book about the history of chronic illness, albeit limited to exclusively cis women.
Unwell women’s handling of gender also left something to be desired. Its language is narrow, despite denouncing bioessentialism and trans-exclusionary radical feminism. There were questionable word choices throughout, but including the phrase “biological females” in one of the very last paragraphs left an impression. In the introduction, Cleghorn insists upon her belief that transgender people exist and can experience womanhood and medical sexism, but stops there. Unwell women is, by the author’s own admission, a narrative about cis women in the western world. Though she waxes poetic about intersectionality, her analysis and criticism remain shallow.
issylapearson's review against another edition
3.5
Not my favorite women's health book I've read but still interesting!