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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
Recommended read for all women, and men who can handle the truth about what we go through! Honest, funny, sad, informative, hopeful.
funny
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Sexism, Blood
Minor: Abortion
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This is a good read for anyone who is interested in learning more about periods and about destigmatising them.
Things I liked:
- very interesting discussion of the role capitalism is playing in the public perception of periods (adverts for period products etc)
- I learnt a lot about efforts that have been made to include periods in politics (and how these efforts have often failed or not been taken seriously)
- the author sharing how people including colleagues did not take her seriously for writing a book about periods rather than about something "serious" like Brexit, which says a lot about how periods and discussions around them are treated
Things I didn't like:
- the lack of inclusivity. Throughout the whole book periods are referred to as something that is experienced solely by women and that no men experience, which is excluding the experiences of trans people (as well as plenty of cis women who do not menstruate). I also found that the book pushed the narrative that menstruating makes one a woman, especially towards the start, which I find very harmful. The only exception to this is one chapter in which the author includes the experience of one trans non binary person. There is also an entire chapter about period sex which is incredibly cisheteronormative, only discussing sex between cisgender women and cisgender men and making no mention of any other possibilities eg queer women, whose input would have been valuable I'm sure.
- there were several jokes about tampon being superior to pads. I can understand if this is the author's personal opinion but they felt a bit mean especially as they failed to acknowledge that some people may use pads because they find tampons/cups uncomfortable, rather that purely by choice
Things I liked:
- very interesting discussion of the role capitalism is playing in the public perception of periods (adverts for period products etc)
- I learnt a lot about efforts that have been made to include periods in politics (and how these efforts have often failed or not been taken seriously)
- the author sharing how people including colleagues did not take her seriously for writing a book about periods rather than about something "serious" like Brexit, which says a lot about how periods and discussions around them are treated
Things I didn't like:
- the lack of inclusivity. Throughout the whole book periods are referred to as something that is experienced solely by women and that no men experience, which is excluding the experiences of trans people (as well as plenty of cis women who do not menstruate). I also found that the book pushed the narrative that menstruating makes one a woman, especially towards the start, which I find very harmful. The only exception to this is one chapter in which the author includes the experience of one trans non binary person. There is also an entire chapter about period sex which is incredibly cisheteronormative, only discussing sex between cisgender women and cisgender men and making no mention of any other possibilities eg queer women, whose input would have been valuable I'm sure.
- there were several jokes about tampon being superior to pads. I can understand if this is the author's personal opinion but they felt a bit mean especially as they failed to acknowledge that some people may use pads because they find tampons/cups uncomfortable, rather that purely by choice
informative
reflective
slow-paced
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
I've been wanting to read more accesible and entertaining non-fiction, and this was a great one to start with for the year! Emma makes her discussion about periods funny and relatable, but simultaneously very timely and interesting. Since stopping hormonal contraceptives, making the change to a menstrual cup, and tracking my cycle using apps, I've started to get more in touch with my body and my period in the last year, and this book was the perfect companion to that journey I've been on. It gave me so much more to think about as well that I hadn't really considered, like the inclusion of stories from trans women, and women who feel like they miss out on the normalcy of periods.
This book was informative without being boring, feminist without being preachy, and overall empowering and encouraging, and definitely one I'll be recommending!
This book was informative without being boring, feminist without being preachy, and overall empowering and encouraging, and definitely one I'll be recommending!
An informative, humorous and compelling call-to-arms to normalise the word ‘period’ and every discussion associated with the bloody thing! I’m thinking of reviewing this in more detail on my blog, because it deserves it. Best non-fiction book I’ve read in a long time.