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A review by the_chaotic_witch
Vagina: A Re-education by Lynn Enright
informative
medium-paced
4.5
by Lynn Enright; 230 pages; 2019; non-fiction; 4/5 stars; 8.43 CAWPILE
[structure, sourcing, writing, learning, intrigue, logic, enjoyment; SSWLILE]
I found this book looking for an easy-going feminist book to get me going into the conversation. And while this is no feminist book, it helped me a great deal in that aspect, too.
Now, the title almost says it all. This is a work about the re-education about vulvas, of what utter crap we are taught in school and what we are not taught. While this book mainly focuses on the western world, there are also some excursions into other cultures with different views on virginity, a woman's place in the world, and sexuality.
For me, personally, who so far has never really been interested in anything sexual, this book opened my eyes. Since sexuality - biologically and as in who you're attracted to - is such an individual topic, I can only talk about my own experiences here! But the schools in Germany did (and I very much believe still does) not go deeper into the matter of the vulva, strongly shies away from talking and teaching about pleasure, consent, sexual illnesses and conditions, the risks and realities of child-birth, and does not open up a place for debate on fertility and self-agency, I found this book mind-blowing. To understand the actual functions of my body better opened me up for experimentation, for acceptance, and I honestly believe it showed me a whole new confidence and feeling of comfort in my own body that I haven't felt before.
It is well structured, and while I cannot say anything on the sourcing, since I've listened to the audiobook, it is intriguingly written, logically concise and not only informational for people with vulvas but also helps those without understand them better and educates on health risks and natural conditions as well as dispelling stereotypes and harmful myths.
[structure, sourcing, writing, learning, intrigue, logic, enjoyment; SSWLILE]
I found this book looking for an easy-going feminist book to get me going into the conversation. And while this is no feminist book, it helped me a great deal in that aspect, too.
Now, the title almost says it all. This is a work about the re-education about vulvas, of what utter crap we are taught in school and what we are not taught. While this book mainly focuses on the western world, there are also some excursions into other cultures with different views on virginity, a woman's place in the world, and sexuality.
For me, personally, who so far has never really been interested in anything sexual, this book opened my eyes. Since sexuality - biologically and as in who you're attracted to - is such an individual topic, I can only talk about my own experiences here! But the schools in Germany did (and I very much believe still does) not go deeper into the matter of the vulva, strongly shies away from talking and teaching about pleasure, consent, sexual illnesses and conditions, the risks and realities of child-birth, and does not open up a place for debate on fertility and self-agency, I found this book mind-blowing. To understand the actual functions of my body better opened me up for experimentation, for acceptance, and I honestly believe it showed me a whole new confidence and feeling of comfort in my own body that I haven't felt before.
It is well structured, and while I cannot say anything on the sourcing, since I've listened to the audiobook, it is intriguingly written, logically concise and not only informational for people with vulvas but also helps those without understand them better and educates on health risks and natural conditions as well as dispelling stereotypes and harmful myths.