Rating: 
Summary: What an incredible piece of work!!!
Review: I was compelled to read The Vagina Monologues after listening to Eve Ensler speak on television about issues concerning women. She's witty and incredibly intelligent, just as The Vagina Monologues proved to be. I sat down with this book and finished in just a matter of hours. I can't say that I've ever read a book that captures the essence of womanhood more completely, in such a humorous, touching, and insightful way. Stories from real women of all ages, from all walks of life, and from such varied backgrounds make this book a real gem. I recommend this book to any man who wants to get inside the female mind, or any female who wants to recognize what a magical thing womanhood can be.
Rating:
Summary: Inspired me to perform it when in College
Review: When a friend of mine Sophomore year lent me this book, I was fascinated and surprised. I never thought someone would so boldly use the word vagina like that and at first some of the stories made me cringe. Nevertheless the more I read it, the more I loved it. Especially the idea that only by bringing out the 'vagina' to the light, will we stop letting it be abused. When we don't even want to talk about our vaginas or sexuality, that's when it's the easiest for others to exploit, abuse, or insult it. This book may be short but it's quality over quantity. I find that those who review it and react so negatively, tend to be just uncomfortable with themselves and others sexually and sensually. If you believe it's disgusting to discuss vaginas and "how to dress it, what it would say, etc", then you are not reading past the literal. This also makes one doubt that they have read the book or seen the play. A lot of colleges perform the Vagina Monologues, and I reccommend you find one near you! I wholeheartedly suggest you purchase this book, both MEN and Women!
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing, awakening
Review: I saw the play in Faribanks, AK, performed by amateurs of all ages. The auditorium was packed, and they got standing ovations. In a morally conservative society like the US performing in a play like this takes some courage. The monolgues are based on real interviews, and they give a grim, grim picture of the state of gender equality. The very existence of Eve Enslers book gives hope; someone speaks up, someone gives these oppressed women a voice. On the other hand, where are they who need to listen? We men who were there generally only need to get reminded, the men who need to learn are at the bar, or in church. Buy the book, see the play, but also spread the word.
Rating: 
Summary: Misses the mark
Review: I bought The Vagina Monologues prepared to be wowed, moved, and forever changed. After all, isn't that what happens to every woman who reads The Vagina Monologues? Well, not for me. The first problem that I had with this book is that it simply doesn't work well as a book. I didn't laugh. I didn't cry. I didn't anything. The monologues are written as performance pieces and simply don't stand up without the performance. It isn't their fault, just the nature of the thing. As a sidenote; I was able to see the monologues sometime late, which really brought home the point to me - it needs women to make it come alive. The second problem that I had with The Vagina Monologues was that I felt it missed the mark. As with so much feminist literature it mixes up freeing women/relieving oppression with a sort of 'no holds barred' abandonment of any type of morality. As a result, I have very mixed feelings about the monologues. I feel some are very important and need to be heard by more people (such as the monologue which illustrates why rape as a tactic of systematic warfare is a very bad idea). That monologue (for me) speaks to the idea of acknowledging women's suffering and seeking to do something to stop it. On the other hand, I felt that some of the monologues were in very bad taste that borders on criminal. I'm thinking specifically of a monologue which details how a grown woman makes love (I call it molests) a thirteen year old girl. I'm sorry if I seem too conservative for the times, but I don't see how it is liberating to women to be commiting pedophelia upon them. Which brings me to another point about The Vagina Monologues. The author's message of freeing women from the bonds of oppression gets all mixed up with a 'lesbians are good' message. Regardless of whether lesbians are or are not good, I feel that this muddies the waters in this book considerably. After all, if the thirteen year old girl that I mentioned in the last paragraph had been involved with a grown man, we'd all be howling from the rooftops. In summary, I feel that The Vagina Monologues have lots of potential but suffer from a clear definition of mission. The book plays fairly badly as well. Read the Vagina Monologues if you wish, better yet, attend a performance. Be prepared, however, to hold yourself back from being swept into the popular tide of thought so that you may think and judge critically, for yourself, what you find.
Rating:
Summary: Women are a Celebration
Review: At first glance, one might be put off or stunned by such a 'taboo' title for a book. I was intruiged. A friend's older brother had suggested I read it, and the next day I bought it at our local [bookstore]. I read it cover to cover the moment I opened the first page. I don't know quite what I had expected, mabye porn, but this book could never be catagorized with pornography. It is a tribute to a woman's body, soul, and her sexuality. The Vagina Monologues will take you through the pains of womanhood (menstruation, rejection, not being able to locate one's clittoris), to the beauty of finding love, knowing your body, and the incredible feat of giving birth. It is a beautiful collection of monologues that will remove the stigma woman, and all her glorious parts, have held for so long. This play is performed all over the United States to raise awareness of violence against women. I attended a performance of this play at the University in my town and was blown away. The woman who had organized the whole V-Day festivities at A&M came onstage after the last monologue and asked any member of the audience who had experienced sexual abuse, or knew a woman who had been abused to stand up. Over a hundered out of the hundered and fifty audience members stood. She told us that this is why she had organized a performance of this play and that she will continue to perform this play until every member of the audience is seated. That is what this book is about. Women are a celebration.
Rating:
Summary: Eve's words made me think
Review: Eve wanted to empower and release women and she has succeeded at her mission. Read this book. Think about the women she interviewed. Think about their stories, their lives. Try to NOT be moved by their words. I was in a performance of The Vagina Monologues. I had a minor role, but was empowered by the experience. Anytime I pick this book up, I remember the three performances I was in and it brings a smile to my face. Other reviewers complained that the book isn't the same as the performance. Yes, that's right. What you read and interpret is different than what you see and have interpreted for you.
Rating:
Summary: I wear my "V" pin with pride!!
Review: I laughed, cried, and wished I could find a bathing suit to fit my coochie snorcher while reading the book. My eyes welled-up when my best grrrl saw the NY performance and Queen Latifah sang UNITY after the Bosnian woman's piece(there wasn't a dry eye in the house, then everyone just went crazy cheering U N I T Y). I laughed, cried, and held my boyfriend's hand while seeing a performance at the college I attended. I long to take my young cousin to the play and hope it will be something she'll treasure forever. How anyone could say such horrible things about Eve and the monologues is beyond me! #1, Eve didn't "write" the 'logues, she compiled the "stories" from interviews with hundreds of women. #2, the inception of the plays and the book were to increase awareness of vioence against women and raise money to support organizations to ensure safety to these women. #3, the story of the "pedifile" was not told by the 24-year-old, but rather the 13-year-old. #4, the only "gross" piece was the one about rape BECAUSE IT WAS ABOUT A WOMAN WHO WAS RAPED.
Rating: 
Summary: Just not as good as a live performance
Review: I think the book really misses a lot in the "translation" because seeing Eve Ensler perform the monologues brings the visual and audio inflections that make so many of the pieces work so damn well. The book doesn't allow the reader to hear the long moans and cries of celebration, or the quiet hushed sad tones, or the hand gestures. If at all possible watch her HBO special and if possible buy the HBO tape when it is available. The most meaningful monologue of me had to do with Bosnia women and the issue of rape. I also like the monologue of the young mother (her daughter in law) giving birth. And the Bob monologue. But I agree 100% with tammyl84 about the monologue about the thirteen year old girl and the adult 24 year old woman who have sex. If this had been a male 24 yr old we would hear (rightly so) demands to prosecute and punish. And yet, the author in her HBO production went out of her way to speak of and to women who had been sexually abused, raped and taken advantage of by adult men, and that wasn't Ok, yet an adult woman taking sexual advantage of a child was? I wish that monologue had not been included.
Rating:
Summary: Vagina! Vagina! Vagina!
Review: If Eve Ensler's vagina got dressed, it would wear a sign shouting "I Have Empowered Women Around the World and Started a New Wave of Feminism!"
I couldn't put the VM down: There were several outstanding monologues in it, including a collection of women's stories about getting their period for the first time, and one with a grandmother who shyed away from her vagina most of her life. I also enjoyed reading Ensler's commentary on the pieces. To be sure, the book made me more conscious of my feminist side and I felt a sheer sense of pride in being a woman after reading it. However, the content wasn't top-notch. There were surprisingly few segments and not each of them was great. I thought Ensler definitely could have expanded on the pieces themselves and done a lot more with her subject matter.
If one wants to judge the book by its actual writing and content, I wouldn't recommend it in particular. But I think that Ensler's real goal was to get women to understand about their femininity, their sexual sides, and, above all, their vaginas. And if that was what Ensler was aiming to accomplish, I would readily say that she achieved it in me and many others.
(I would love to see it performed live, too, whether by Ensler or others.)
Rating:
Summary: This is a great book but younger people should wait
Review: The Vagina Monologues is a beautiful book. It breaks the boundaries of convservative aspects. It shows women in a more different light because sometimes, we can't help but be stereotyped. It also goes into topics that we try to avoid. Like the vulva and such. Although it is a very unique book, I believe that it would be much appreciated as a play because the text is emphasized by the acting of women. I also think that you would appreciate the book if you are older. I'm still a teenager and I've read the book. I didn't understand some of the parts because I haven't experienced it. Like sex and orgasms. It's not easy to relate with it if you are still ignorant of the facts. I do appreciate the effort put upon the making of this book. It really shows what women are thinking. Let's face it. We all believe that vaginas smell like roses. We watch movies and read other books. Unfortunately, these kinds of sources sometimes exaggerate. The content in The Vagina Monologues comes from real women with unmasked thoughts. I rated it a four because you have to know something about what the book is talking about. If you're still a kid, you won't understand 40% of the content. Don't tell me, "Why did you read it then?" I read it because it is a celebration of women and not all of it is something I don't know. I didn't know a lot about female genital mutilation or circumcision before I've read this book. This book is great but I advise younger readers to wait for some years before you indulge the material.
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