Our Bodies, Ourselves for the New Century: A Book by and for Women

Rating:
Summary: THE one book I would recommend to my colleagues and clients
Review: If I could only recommend one book on women's health to my colleagues and clients, this would be it. Unlike other women's health books, this one recognizes that health and well-being is more than simply the presence or absence of illness or physical conditions. It's time that women learn about their bodies and health in the context of their lives and not just out of a medical textbook. I applaud the authors for their appreciation of women's diversity, both in bodies and lifestyles, and the personal uniqueness that each of us can learn to cherish. Every woman should have this book.

Rating:
Summary: Women are people? Huh?
Review: The authors write as if women are people, as if women are not all the same but in fact have a wide range of biological and behavioral variability, as if each woman is unique and, not only that, is entitled to living as she very well pleases. It's a disgrace. They show women naked who don't look like fashion models but could be just you or me. They write as if it's a good idea for women to be healthy in mind as well as in body. As if this wasn't enough, they go on to suggest that the quality of health care has anything to do with the medical establishment, that women should actually be informed correctly of the risks of medical procedures and alternatives available and, lo and behold, make the choice themselves, that the medical establishment is often not a wonderful haven for women who are poor or outside the cultural mainstream, as in for example when they are members of minority groups, that a woman's sex life and relationships may be influenced by power structures in the society she lives in, and other such far-fetched stuff. In reality, we all know that all women have 28-day periods, get menopausal at 48, are all heterossexual, are all white (most other books agree at least on this one point), are all fairly pretty, all get married, all want children, and that health has nothing to do with anything else in the world out there. No wonder one reader complained that this book, supposed to be about health, is also political. A disgrace indeed.

Rating:
Summary: Too political: sexism, lesbianism-what about health issues?
Review: The previous edition of this book came highly recommended to me as highly informative about the many health issues facing women - the physical problems/changes women of all ages might expect to face, their symptoms and treatments. Instead, social and political essays on such topics as sexism, harassment in the workplace, lesbianism, the politics of women's health and medical care, racism and the environment, etc. have crowded out many of the subjects and the information that I, and probably most women, are seeking in a book purportedly about women's health. While political and social matters like those raised in the book are certainly valid and of interest to many, they don't belong in a book that should be dealing with women's health issues. The title itself is very misleading, and I was extremely disappointed in the book. Because of the inadequate coverage of facts and information in this edition, I am searching for another book that will provide the answers to the! many questions that were not answered by Our Bodies, Ourselves.

Rating:
Summary: The Revision isn't an improvement if you're under 30
Review: When this book came out in the 70's it was incredible. I loved it. It taught me so much about my own body!
Now that I'm looking to give that same resource to my children, I went straight for this book -- only to find that the revision has changed its focus toward menopause and politics and away from some of the basic stuff that I needed a good resource for when _I_ was 13, and my daughter needs now. I had hoped to use it as a backup/supplement to our "big talk", but am looking for a better alternative.
The new stuff would be fine, if it were ADDED to, instead of replacing some of the old stuff.