Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Ask Me About My Uterus: A Quest to Make Doctors Believe in Women's Pain by Abby Norman

3 reviews

idk_indigo's review

challenging informative slow-paced

4.75

I really enjoyed this book! It was very informative, very enlightening. Some of the book’s Amazon reviews are quite negative, primarily because it’s a very self-reflective book. Norman acknowledges that this book is more of a dive into her personal experience & what research she has compiled in an effort to better understand her illness & her pain. Less of a know-all about endometriosis, which we see towards the end of the book when she is in the diagnosis stages of another chronic illness. The book talks about the author’s journey with chronic illness with an implied, “This is how it was for me. Others may relate, but I am not speaking for anyone else.” I appreciated the physician aspect; most physicians are trying their best, but they are also imperfect. It is a very true phenomenon that women’s pain is taken less seriously; this rings especially true for WOC & for disabled/chronically or mentally ill women. I enjoyed this book; definitely not a medical guidebook on endometriosis, but I don’t think it was ever trying to be. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Ableism, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Eating disorder, Medical content, Sexism, Excrement, and Grief

Minor: Vomit, Infertility, Abandonment, and Child abuse

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

 - Part memoir and part history of doctors dismissing "female problems," ASK ME ABOUT MY UTERUS is gripping and enraging. I'd wager that even if you don't have endometriosis in particular, you'll see your own experiences with the medical system reflected here (me. I did, it's me).
- Norman doesn't shy away from describing exactly what her pain - physical and emotional - feels like. This book is a tough read but I think many will find it cathartic to be seen on the page.
- Norman is careful to point out that not only women deal with uterine pain and illness, and also that not all women have uteruses, and the extra layer of fear and frustration this can add to trying to get diagnosis and treatment. She's also up front about how being straight, white, and cisgender framed her whole situation and afforded her more privilege throughout this process than others (and the flip side of that, of how being a traditionally feminine woman led to instances of dismissal).
- It's in the content warnings listed below, but I want to point it out here as well since it's not obvious from the summary - major content warnings for child neglect, eating disorders and suicide particularly in the chapters discussing Norman's childhood. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Infertility, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Vomit

hollandvk's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Medical content, Sexism, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Vomit, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Infertility, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Cancer