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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
This was a great book. I recommend it to anyone interested in the history, science, and psychology of not only virginity, but the whys of all three and more. There are more surprises in this book than you may think. This is an especially useful resource for anyone writing fiction, romantic or not and period piece or not.
so the book is divided into 2 parts, the science of virginity and then virginity culture and not sure if it's just me but i could hardly get through the 2nd half...first half i enjoyed a lot maybe i'm just a nerd though
Interesting history and overview of American abstinence education; some analysis is redundant and obvious but the research is impressive
This is one of the most fascinating and educational books I have read/listened to in a long time. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in sexuality and sexual health.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I absolutely love this book. I find that maintains the perfect balance between scholarly research and activist theory. Not only is the book interesting and compelling, but it will change the way you think of virginity forever. It is indeed lengthy, but it's entirely worth it.
A historical and cultural overview of the concept of virginity, from prehistory through modern times. Blank's major points:
* Virginity has been an enormously important concept to many cultures throughout history, and quite often a matter of life or death.
* Virginity is a social idea that has varied from culture to culture & time period to time period, not a physical condition that can be medically verified.
Really super-interesting read.
* Virginity has been an enormously important concept to many cultures throughout history, and quite often a matter of life or death.
* Virginity is a social idea that has varied from culture to culture & time period to time period, not a physical condition that can be medically verified.
Really super-interesting read.
When I mentioned to friends that I was reading this book, one of them started railing about the fact that academia and the tenure process had caused too much research in esoteric areas of history. I sort of scoffed and said that this book was interesting and sometimes these micro-histories were fun to read.
Well, having finished this history, I am probably in agreement with my friend. This book started out with facts that were new to me and I liked the author's style. However, after awhile, I started to say to myself if this doesn't improve by the end of the chapter, I'm quitting. Then the author would seemingly throw me a bone and I would learn something new. However, I skimmed the last 50 pages because I wanted to be done. This is the second book I have finished lately that I should have just stopped.
This was not required reading for school, no one was making me learn all this history about virginity. I thought I was interested in this subject and it turned out that I was not that into it. There are too many other subjects that I want to know more about.
I recommend this history to people in gender studies or women studies. It might help one of them to get an A in their classes.
Well, having finished this history, I am probably in agreement with my friend. This book started out with facts that were new to me and I liked the author's style. However, after awhile, I started to say to myself if this doesn't improve by the end of the chapter, I'm quitting. Then the author would seemingly throw me a bone and I would learn something new. However, I skimmed the last 50 pages because I wanted to be done. This is the second book I have finished lately that I should have just stopped.
This was not required reading for school, no one was making me learn all this history about virginity. I thought I was interested in this subject and it turned out that I was not that into it. There are too many other subjects that I want to know more about.
I recommend this history to people in gender studies or women studies. It might help one of them to get an A in their classes.
I found this to be a pretty interesting cultural history. It doesn't quite have the chops for a scholarly treatment and it's not quite as fun as some pop cultural analysis books, but the topic is fascinating. While the writing is at times a little repetitive and Blank spends a lot of time talking about all the details that could fill volumes rather than, you know, actually filling this volume, she manages to hit on several really interesting revolutions in the ways that Western culture has treated the concept of virginity. The book is at its best when Blank lets a little bit of her righteous anger spill onto the page about the depredations women have suffered historically and in some cases continue to suffer today. She is at her most persuasive when describing how the label of virgin has been used to restrict women's rights and to define women only through relation to men. The book is split into halves on the physical nature of virginity and the cultural aspects. I would have preferred that the two sides be combined to see how the historical understanding of the physiological signs and signifiers of virginity were filtered through the cultural lens of the time, but I learned things in both halves of the book. A better, deeper analysis could probably be given, but this was definitely a thought-provoking work and worth a read.
LISTEN. This book is...astonishing, incredible, breathtaking—dare I say—life changing. I just finished reading this and it’s reminded me of how I felt after finishing Women, Race & Class by Angela Davis—angry, smarter, and ready to take on the world.
The sad truth is that I got lucky finding this book in the basement of the Strand earlier this summer, because it’s out of print. Which is a tragedy, because I think everyone should read this, especially if you’re a woman/girl and double especially if you were raised with abstinence only sex ed. FURTHERMORE, this book is an example of just impeccable writing—astute and concise, funny when appropriate, absolutely heart-shatteringly angry and raw when necessary. Blank has awed me, truly.
The sad truth is that I got lucky finding this book in the basement of the Strand earlier this summer, because it’s out of print. Which is a tragedy, because I think everyone should read this, especially if you’re a woman/girl and double especially if you were raised with abstinence only sex ed. FURTHERMORE, this book is an example of just impeccable writing—astute and concise, funny when appropriate, absolutely heart-shatteringly angry and raw when necessary. Blank has awed me, truly.