A review by emgusk
Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History by Florence Williams

3.0

I should know better than to read a 10 year old pop science book in a field that’s constantly evolving, but it was on the shelf and it’s a subject I’m interested in. Too much about chemicals, BPAs (most of that appears to be unfounded at this time) and others and not enough about breast cancer. Yes, as the author repeated several times, only 10% of breast cancers are genetic, but why not talk about genetic cancers more? The author did a good job at weighing the pros/cons of breast feeding; even though she says she’s “granola” several times, she doesn’t claim that breast feeding is definitely superior. A few very early trial studies made it into this book that a layperson might put trust into, but findings aren’t there yet. Why the emphasis at keeping breasts? If they’re WAY more likely to kill you even if you want to feed a kid with them some day, preventative mastectomy might be your best option, you can get rid of them and move on. Weird to not include that in the book but several early trials that don’t seem to have amounted to much. This book is about breasts as they exist to feed babies. I should stick to breast cancer books!

Despite this book’s flaws, it was a well-written and quick read. I read it in a day. Journalists are good at writing books!