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astraldylan's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Everyone needs to read this, uterus or not
ealtschuler's review
2.0
Meh. Some parts were interesting, others were ridiculous and unhelpful. Not worth the read in my opinion.
mariahistryingtoread's review
3.0
Continuing my crusade to learn more about my body. Now I’m focusing specifically on periods. This is a general guide, history and call to action all in one. I’m still ruminating on some of the concepts even now a few weeks later - like switching to cloth pads to cut down on waste for instance.
Chapter 1: covers basic definitions of periods plus terms you should know, general functionality of organs, and some menstruation disorders; explains some of the background to aspects of your period you are likely not to know
Chapter 2: briefly touches on why there's stigma around periods, why it's taboo to discuss, some discussion of cultures that actually celebrate menstruation and why that's important
Chapter 3 : historical background on period products ie the pad, menstrual cup, tampons, also explores what was used in the past ie the belt, discussed how the items came around to being popular
Chapter 4: quick history lesson on period stigma, focuses entirely on period pamphlets and how marketing from corporations is a double edged sword since periods getting more attention from them helps push period discussion forward, but it requires them to simultaneously play on period stigma to sell the products, efforts to combat period stigma such as using hashtags on social media
Chapter 5: covers period poverty > having a period when you're homeless or disenfranchised for example being in prison, how stressful and detrimental it is for menstruators to have to worry about supply and using unconventional and/or unsafe things as period products
Chapter 6: how important it is to tackle government policy on the local, state and federal level to affect real change about periods from getting rid of the period tax to making period products freely available in schools or public spaces, the importance of having women and menstruators in positions of power to advocate for us
Chapter 7: depiction of periods in different media, it used to be all one big joke at the menstruators expense but in recent times we are getting better at nuanced actually funny and/or realistic looks at periods, period ads are changing too as there are companies trying to be funny about periods or try to show some kind of reality about it over perfume ad-esque ads, discusses periods in internet culture and sports entertainment, it reflects a cultural shift regarding period discussion
Chapter 8: intersectional considerations about periods, how periods are actually an essential part of gender equality because how periods are treated can be used as an indication of how valued women are in a society since period poverty overlaps with many different facets of human rights > like education, Healthcare, employment and economic mobility and representation in politics and decision making; so when periods are taken seriously on all these fronts it will be a sign that women have achieved a measure of respect in society, discusses how periods affect menstruators who don't identify as women and how they should be included in the conversation, discusses the downsides to period products when looking at climate change and sustainability
Chapter 9: how to take action, what to say to naysayers about certain topics like what to say when they argue focusing on period equality is a waste of money or how could we afford it or that it's a slippery slope towards other 'handouts', how to use social media effectively, how school campuses can be ground zero in many ways, general advice about believing in yourself and pushing forward and stuff you can do activism wise
I’ve given a general rundown of what’s addressed so you can get a feel for if this is something you’d be into or not. It’s a pretty straightforward, thorough trek down period lane. It’s educational without feeling like a lecture or too academic. I think Nadya Okamoto has a good narrative voice and I am abundantly impressed by what she’s accomplished in such a short time at such a young age. I wish I had half of her fortitude.
Chapter 1: covers basic definitions of periods plus terms you should know, general functionality of organs, and some menstruation disorders; explains some of the background to aspects of your period you are likely not to know
Chapter 2: briefly touches on why there's stigma around periods, why it's taboo to discuss, some discussion of cultures that actually celebrate menstruation and why that's important
Chapter 3 : historical background on period products ie the pad, menstrual cup, tampons, also explores what was used in the past ie the belt, discussed how the items came around to being popular
Chapter 4: quick history lesson on period stigma, focuses entirely on period pamphlets and how marketing from corporations is a double edged sword since periods getting more attention from them helps push period discussion forward, but it requires them to simultaneously play on period stigma to sell the products, efforts to combat period stigma such as using hashtags on social media
Chapter 5: covers period poverty > having a period when you're homeless or disenfranchised for example being in prison, how stressful and detrimental it is for menstruators to have to worry about supply and using unconventional and/or unsafe things as period products
Chapter 6: how important it is to tackle government policy on the local, state and federal level to affect real change about periods from getting rid of the period tax to making period products freely available in schools or public spaces, the importance of having women and menstruators in positions of power to advocate for us
Chapter 7: depiction of periods in different media, it used to be all one big joke at the menstruators expense but in recent times we are getting better at nuanced actually funny and/or realistic looks at periods, period ads are changing too as there are companies trying to be funny about periods or try to show some kind of reality about it over perfume ad-esque ads, discusses periods in internet culture and sports entertainment, it reflects a cultural shift regarding period discussion
Chapter 8: intersectional considerations about periods, how periods are actually an essential part of gender equality because how periods are treated can be used as an indication of how valued women are in a society since period poverty overlaps with many different facets of human rights > like education, Healthcare, employment and economic mobility and representation in politics and decision making; so when periods are taken seriously on all these fronts it will be a sign that women have achieved a measure of respect in society, discusses how periods affect menstruators who don't identify as women and how they should be included in the conversation, discusses the downsides to period products when looking at climate change and sustainability
Chapter 9: how to take action, what to say to naysayers about certain topics like what to say when they argue focusing on period equality is a waste of money or how could we afford it or that it's a slippery slope towards other 'handouts', how to use social media effectively, how school campuses can be ground zero in many ways, general advice about believing in yourself and pushing forward and stuff you can do activism wise
I’ve given a general rundown of what’s addressed so you can get a feel for if this is something you’d be into or not. It’s a pretty straightforward, thorough trek down period lane. It’s educational without feeling like a lecture or too academic. I think Nadya Okamoto has a good narrative voice and I am abundantly impressed by what she’s accomplished in such a short time at such a young age. I wish I had half of her fortitude.
lillie_robinson's review against another edition
4.0
This book was unlike anything I have EVER read in the past. Most non-fiction I read is a narrative of events or science or more likely than not, both. But this was so incredibly informative and opened up my eyes to many injustices that I have never thought about because I am lucky in my situation. I talked about this book with one of my male friends and he started asking questions about the period and that was when I realized just how in the dark the average male is about this stuff.
Unfortunately, this book is written for someone about my age since the author uses slang that is popular to people our age (the author is about 5 days younger than me so I can say this with confidence) and the slang will probably be out of date in not too much longer. I can't say that if I were to give this to my mom she would understand why there are hashtags and random words in there.
Overall, this book inspired me to speak out more. Honestly, not so much about periods, although there is things I will change in my language surrounding periods, but other matters near and dear to my heart. This call to action did inspire me, just not in the way that the author probably intended.
Unfortunately, this book is written for someone about my age since the author uses slang that is popular to people our age (the author is about 5 days younger than me so I can say this with confidence) and the slang will probably be out of date in not too much longer. I can't say that if I were to give this to my mom she would understand why there are hashtags and random words in there.
Overall, this book inspired me to speak out more. Honestly, not so much about periods, although there is things I will change in my language surrounding periods, but other matters near and dear to my heart. This call to action did inspire me, just not in the way that the author probably intended.