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Vagina: A Re-education
Part memoir, part practical guide to the vagina, this indispensable book sifts through myths and misinformation with the aim of empowering women with vital knowledge about their own bodies.
For centuries, the vagina has been made mysterious, neglected, mutilated or mocked, and as a consequence few people know much about it. In Vagina: A Re-Education, acclaimed journalist Lynn Enright charts the story of this crucial organ, encompassing fertility and hormones, pain and arousal, sex education and more, with the goal of empowering women with vital knowledge about their bodies.
As women all over the world join together in conversations about consent and power, this investigation into the history, biology and politics of the vagina will be a valuable and urgent addition to the discussion.
For centuries, the vagina has been made mysterious, neglected, mutilated or mocked, and as a consequence few people know much about it. In Vagina: A Re-Education, acclaimed journalist Lynn Enright charts the story of this crucial organ, encompassing fertility and hormones, pain and arousal, sex education and more, with the goal of empowering women with vital knowledge about their bodies.
As women all over the world join together in conversations about consent and power, this investigation into the history, biology and politics of the vagina will be a valuable and urgent addition to the discussion.
240 pages, Paperback
First published March 7, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 204 reviews
July 28, 2022
Do I have a vagina? Yes. Do I let that define me? No.
This book is a must read for everyone, whether one has a vagina or not. Even at my current age, I'm not embarrassed to admit, that I found this book educating, and there were a few aspects that Enright discussed, that I didn't know much about. That for me, is pretty damn embarrassing, that even today, girls and women are having to turn to books instead of well-rounded open discussions, because people are too embarrassed to talk about vaginas.
We learn that many women do not know where the vulva is located, and they presume that the vagina is in fact, the entire area. This information didn't surprise me, but I did find it quite disturbing when I thought about it on the whole. Why is this happening? Why is it not talked about?
I was sickened to learn about women and young girls that put themselves through pointless surgery to achieve the designer vagina look. I mean, we already have the pressure of ensuring that our hips don't get too big, or that we don't get wrinkly skin too rapidly, but now, now we have the added pressure that our labia lips look "neat."
Enright tells us of the taboo of the clitoris, and how it isn't discussed in sex education classes. Yes, it gets a little mention, but to tell girls that the clitoris has no other function except to give pleasure? How terrible would that be? It is concerning that the male climax is regularly and openly discussed, and how his pleasure is more important, but the female climax, is quietly swept under that carpet we know so well. It needs to change, and I agree with Enright.
Enright discusses the menstruation taboo, openly and thoroughly. We have to admit, it STILL exists. I think it's sad when I see a woman at a checkout purchasing sanitary products, and she feels the need to kind of hide them, under the other groceries, just so nobody spots them. We bleed. The pain bothers me like a bitch. Life goes on.
It is as though as women, we are made to feel as though we are dirty.
I love the cover of this book, it is simple, but bold, and it made me want to read it. I appreciate Enright and her honesty in this book, and her own personal story was relatable with me, too. This has made me feel even more empowered, and prouder than ever, of me, myself and my vagina.
"We have been far taught more about shame than about our anatomy. "
This book is a must read for everyone, whether one has a vagina or not. Even at my current age, I'm not embarrassed to admit, that I found this book educating, and there were a few aspects that Enright discussed, that I didn't know much about. That for me, is pretty damn embarrassing, that even today, girls and women are having to turn to books instead of well-rounded open discussions, because people are too embarrassed to talk about vaginas.
We learn that many women do not know where the vulva is located, and they presume that the vagina is in fact, the entire area. This information didn't surprise me, but I did find it quite disturbing when I thought about it on the whole. Why is this happening? Why is it not talked about?
I was sickened to learn about women and young girls that put themselves through pointless surgery to achieve the designer vagina look. I mean, we already have the pressure of ensuring that our hips don't get too big, or that we don't get wrinkly skin too rapidly, but now, now we have the added pressure that our labia lips look "neat."
Enright tells us of the taboo of the clitoris, and how it isn't discussed in sex education classes. Yes, it gets a little mention, but to tell girls that the clitoris has no other function except to give pleasure? How terrible would that be? It is concerning that the male climax is regularly and openly discussed, and how his pleasure is more important, but the female climax, is quietly swept under that carpet we know so well. It needs to change, and I agree with Enright.
Enright discusses the menstruation taboo, openly and thoroughly. We have to admit, it STILL exists. I think it's sad when I see a woman at a checkout purchasing sanitary products, and she feels the need to kind of hide them, under the other groceries, just so nobody spots them. We bleed. The pain bothers me like a bitch. Life goes on.
It is as though as women, we are made to feel as though we are dirty.
I love the cover of this book, it is simple, but bold, and it made me want to read it. I appreciate Enright and her honesty in this book, and her own personal story was relatable with me, too. This has made me feel even more empowered, and prouder than ever, of me, myself and my vagina.
"We have been far taught more about shame than about our anatomy. "
March 9, 2019
(3.5) This book might be more accurately titled Vulva, as it is about the whole set of female organs (especially the external ones), but that’s maybe a more obscure/icky as well as a less evocative/provocative word. Sex education is poor and lacking in many parts of the world, Enright argues, including the Ireland she grew up in in the 1980s. We need better knowledge about gender, anatomy (including the range of what’s ‘normal’) and issues of consent, she insists. To that end, she sets out to bust myths about the hymen, clitoris, female orgasm, menstruation, gynaecological problems, infertility, pregnancy and menopause. Her just-the-facts approach is especially helpful in her rundown of the female anatomy. She encourages women not to take no for an answer from doctors who try to deny or minimize their pain.
This is a bold book sometimes marred by TMI (all in the name of openness and honesty, but still…) and repetitive writing. For me, there was too much overlap with other books I’ve read over the last five years or so: Naomi Wolf’s Vagina: A New Biography, a book that I never reviewed but that made enough of an impression on me to earn 5 stars and embolden me to read it on public transport during my London commuting days; The Wonder Down Under: A user’s guide to the vagina by two female Norwegian medical students; Gross Anatomy by Mara Altman (on waxing); and the recent Notes to Self by Emilie Pine (rape, menstruation and infertility) and the upcoming Constellations by Sinéad Gleeson (women’s pain), both of them Irish writers like Enright. Thus, after about page 50 I just skimmed this one. If you haven’t read anything like Vagina before, though, it would serve as a wonderfully comprehensive introduction.
Some favorite lines:
“With vaginas, it seems, we doubt what we know. With vaginas, we listen to the lies, more than we listen to the truth. … We perpetuate the unsureness with our silences – and with our acceptance of lies.”
“Pregnancy, abortion, miscarriage and birth are common but extraordinary – each story is unique. Women benefit when those stories are told – and listened to.”
This is a bold book sometimes marred by TMI (all in the name of openness and honesty, but still…) and repetitive writing. For me, there was too much overlap with other books I’ve read over the last five years or so: Naomi Wolf’s Vagina: A New Biography, a book that I never reviewed but that made enough of an impression on me to earn 5 stars and embolden me to read it on public transport during my London commuting days; The Wonder Down Under: A user’s guide to the vagina by two female Norwegian medical students; Gross Anatomy by Mara Altman (on waxing); and the recent Notes to Self by Emilie Pine (rape, menstruation and infertility) and the upcoming Constellations by Sinéad Gleeson (women’s pain), both of them Irish writers like Enright. Thus, after about page 50 I just skimmed this one. If you haven’t read anything like Vagina before, though, it would serve as a wonderfully comprehensive introduction.
Some favorite lines:
“With vaginas, it seems, we doubt what we know. With vaginas, we listen to the lies, more than we listen to the truth. … We perpetuate the unsureness with our silences – and with our acceptance of lies.”
“Pregnancy, abortion, miscarriage and birth are common but extraordinary – each story is unique. Women benefit when those stories are told – and listened to.”
May 16, 2019
Why should you read this book?
Vagina: A Re-Education by Lynn Enright was published last March and it’s an incredible book! I truly recommend it to everyone out there. You know I don’t say these things often but that’s how enlightening this book is!
It is a fact: we know very little about vaginas and female sexuality because we live in a patriarchal society. Women aren’t taught to discover their body, their sexuality, their pleasure, their power. They are taught shame. When we look at the male’s experience, we notice that it’s a different one. That needs to change.
Vagina: A Re-Education sheds light on a number of topics: female anatomy, the hymen and its myths, the clitoris (including issues like FGM), female orgasm and masturbation, periods, women’s health, fertility, pregnancy and menopause. It also asks you questions like ‘are you a feminist if you wax your pubic hair’? Lynn Enright uses clear language turning this into a very accessible and interesting read. I’d also like to point out the merits of this research. The writer always supports her arguments and I think that’s crucial. We were in need of this book!
I’d like to thank Atlantic Books for sending a review copy.
For more reviews, follow me on instagram: @booksturnyouon
Vagina: A Re-Education by Lynn Enright was published last March and it’s an incredible book! I truly recommend it to everyone out there. You know I don’t say these things often but that’s how enlightening this book is!
It is a fact: we know very little about vaginas and female sexuality because we live in a patriarchal society. Women aren’t taught to discover their body, their sexuality, their pleasure, their power. They are taught shame. When we look at the male’s experience, we notice that it’s a different one. That needs to change.
Vagina: A Re-Education sheds light on a number of topics: female anatomy, the hymen and its myths, the clitoris (including issues like FGM), female orgasm and masturbation, periods, women’s health, fertility, pregnancy and menopause. It also asks you questions like ‘are you a feminist if you wax your pubic hair’? Lynn Enright uses clear language turning this into a very accessible and interesting read. I’d also like to point out the merits of this research. The writer always supports her arguments and I think that’s crucial. We were in need of this book!
I’d like to thank Atlantic Books for sending a review copy.
For more reviews, follow me on instagram: @booksturnyouon
January 26, 2019
I want to give a copy of this to every person in my life with a vagina. And then some. It's so informative, interesting, readable, and IMPORTANT. It reaffirmed a lot of my existing knowledge and views, but also re-educated me about a lot of things I thought I knew. I learned so much and so much made me angry. It talks about biology and science in an accessible way, backs up facts with statistics and references, but also includes personal stories and anecdotes that make it engaging and relatable. The author acknowledges their white cisgender and heterosexual perspective as not being universal and makes a conscious effort to include statistics and stories from trans and non-binary people, as well as non-Western countries and ethnic minorities within Western countries. Seriously, every person with a vagina should read this, every person teaching sex ed should read this, every person making political decisions about women's healthcare should read this.
May 31, 2020
5 stars
This is a book that all girls at the age of 16 and up should read. Had I read this book at 16, I feel I would have been much better prepared for life! It is incredibly informative about a range of issues from sex education to menopause, the female genitals to periods and fertility to orgasms. It is factual yet an easy read and if you read it and don't learn a few things then I will eat my metaphorical hat. As someone with endometriosis and other gynaecological illnesses, I have done my fair share of reading on the subject but still I learnt new things!
Women's health has been misinformed, under researched/funded and ignored for way too long. In the last few years many modern books looking into the female anatomy and health have been released and I have read the vast majority of them. They focus in more detail on specific gynaecological illness, feminism and the body and periods. This book looks into all ofnthese matters in a structured and informed manner. It isn't a scientific book but it is incredibly well written and researched book on everything that you want to know about the vagina and everything that stems from it (even quite literally!).
There are case studies, quotes from specialists, the authors own experience and information from scientific studies and polls. It is a fantastic little book that I think everyone should read, irrespective of gender. Go get your copy now...!!
Please note that I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a book that all girls at the age of 16 and up should read. Had I read this book at 16, I feel I would have been much better prepared for life! It is incredibly informative about a range of issues from sex education to menopause, the female genitals to periods and fertility to orgasms. It is factual yet an easy read and if you read it and don't learn a few things then I will eat my metaphorical hat. As someone with endometriosis and other gynaecological illnesses, I have done my fair share of reading on the subject but still I learnt new things!
Women's health has been misinformed, under researched/funded and ignored for way too long. In the last few years many modern books looking into the female anatomy and health have been released and I have read the vast majority of them. They focus in more detail on specific gynaecological illness, feminism and the body and periods. This book looks into all ofnthese matters in a structured and informed manner. It isn't a scientific book but it is incredibly well written and researched book on everything that you want to know about the vagina and everything that stems from it (even quite literally!).
There are case studies, quotes from specialists, the authors own experience and information from scientific studies and polls. It is a fantastic little book that I think everyone should read, irrespective of gender. Go get your copy now...!!
Please note that I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 17, 2021
The vagina has always been something of an unknown, not only for men but for women as well. Because of the taboo surrounding the female body and the female sexuality, the vagina has rarely been the topic of intellectual discussion, so much so, that most women don't even know what the vagina actually is.
In this book, Enright seeks to correct a lot of misconceptions surrounding the female genitalia, including the infamous hymen. She seeks to talks about the pain surrounding the female body, she talks about how doctors tend to misdiagnose women's pain because they feel women are "overly sensitive" to pain. She talks about periods, PMS, period poverty as well as how sanitary pads are contributing to the plastic waste that is increasingly contaminating the planet. She talks about menopause and how disastrous it can be for a lot of women. She talks about fertility, how it is a problem that surrounds both women and men, but since it's easier to blame the women, male infertility is usually shoved under a rug. She talks about female sexuality and how men throughout history have sought to destroy it, in one way or the other. She talks about the female body and the female experience, unfiltered.
This was a wonderful, wonderful book and I believe every single womxn should read this book to learn, unlearn and relearn how their body works, and then talk about it, discuss it, remove the stigma surrounding the female body, shout it from the streets, post it online. Because only then will you be able to learn even more; with shared experiences and shared trauma and shared pain comes harmony.
In this book, Enright seeks to correct a lot of misconceptions surrounding the female genitalia, including the infamous hymen. She seeks to talks about the pain surrounding the female body, she talks about how doctors tend to misdiagnose women's pain because they feel women are "overly sensitive" to pain. She talks about periods, PMS, period poverty as well as how sanitary pads are contributing to the plastic waste that is increasingly contaminating the planet. She talks about menopause and how disastrous it can be for a lot of women. She talks about fertility, how it is a problem that surrounds both women and men, but since it's easier to blame the women, male infertility is usually shoved under a rug. She talks about female sexuality and how men throughout history have sought to destroy it, in one way or the other. She talks about the female body and the female experience, unfiltered.
This was a wonderful, wonderful book and I believe every single womxn should read this book to learn, unlearn and relearn how their body works, and then talk about it, discuss it, remove the stigma surrounding the female body, shout it from the streets, post it online. Because only then will you be able to learn even more; with shared experiences and shared trauma and shared pain comes harmony.
April 4, 2021
An Empowering, Informative & Eye opening book that I think every woman should read, infact EVERYONE should read it! This book is beautifully sectioned honestly the author covers so many areas that I cannot be more grateful for the layout! This book will take you on a journey through menopause, lack of sex education/incorrect information, genital mutilation, period poverty and the fact there’s so much further to go in normalising women and their bodies, the lack of care for women with Endometriosis is so scary and needs to change!
Nobody should ever have to feel ashamed about their vulva or vagina and when women are concerned they should absolutely feel listened to! I think this book is a must read and I am very glad that I read it! I would recommend 5 ⭐️
Nobody should ever have to feel ashamed about their vulva or vagina and when women are concerned they should absolutely feel listened to! I think this book is a must read and I am very glad that I read it! I would recommend 5 ⭐️
October 6, 2020
Great read, very informative and also highly readable. It helpfully highlighted a number of things I had failed to considered, for example the intentional invisibility of menopause in mainstream films, television and media. While in some regards it left me wanting more information, I also think it is a book I will turn to again over the years to come.
May 5, 2021
The looks of discomfort and embarrassment exhibited by several female family members upon reading the title of "Vagina: A Re-education" proved to me, in an almost comical fashion, the vital importance of Enright's accessible, passionate and wholly personal push for a greater understanding of our bodies. In her book, Enright stresses how the mortification, misunderstanding and myths surrounding female genitals lead to both severe emotional consequences such as: women avoiding doctor appointments, accepting painful sex and even resorting to cosmetic surgery as a means of achieving a porn perfect vagina.
For me, it is the biological basis of Enright's polemic that gives her book the power to break it's readers out of this vicious cycle of shame, confusion and pain. Enright's accessibly written scientific and statistical prose, with its’s accurate, labelled diagrams, deals frankly with the female anatomy in a fashion I had not yet come across in a book other than the puberty guide "What's happening to me" I read at 14.
Instead, prior to reading 'Vagina', when seeking out my own vaginal self-love I relied wholly on the artistic abstractions of anatomy within visual feminist art. For example, the vagina centric art of Stephanie Sarley, and Janelle Monàe’s music video PYNK both offered a tribute to 'pussy power' that work to diminish body shame by empowering female sexuality and their genitals. For example, the neon pink silks of Monàe’s video reimagine the vagina, enshrouded in shame and disgust, as something beautiful to be celebrated. Artistic celebration of genitals goes a long way to dismantle the stigma surrounding our vaginas; counteracting the general consensus that we should be squeamish and ashamed of our genitals. However, Monàe’s silky labia and Sarley’s grapefruit vulva don’t quite hold the informative and thus, in my opinion, life changing revolutionary power of Enright’s factual and biological discussion of the vagina. The culture of ambivalence and commodification that enshrouds vaginas needs a clear and accesible fact check that Enright’s books offers in bucketloads but abstract art does not. Moreover, whilst artistic symbolic can be empowering, it can also be confused with commodification and inconography therefore taking away it’s ability to revolutionise. Meanwhile, Enright’s frank and factual has one clear goal, to educate people with vaginas and thus allow them to do the work themselves to carve their own self-empowerment.
Enright's multiple interviews with gynecologists/doctors/psychologists, factual discussions of menopause and endometriosis, personal anecdotes of abortion and detailed anatomical diagrams offer a deep re-learning that holds the power to shift our cultural landscape for the better. Enright's re-educative book empowers her readers to take small but revolutionary steps in dismantling the current cultural crisis surrounding the vagina. As more women learn about their vagina, more will go to see a doctor, discuss the issue painful sex with a partner, teach their daughters about endometriosis, learn to love their uneven labia, talk about infertility and understand menopause. And, as people are able to become more in touch with and in control of their own bodies, they will find their own empowerment within.
For me, it is the biological basis of Enright's polemic that gives her book the power to break it's readers out of this vicious cycle of shame, confusion and pain. Enright's accessibly written scientific and statistical prose, with its’s accurate, labelled diagrams, deals frankly with the female anatomy in a fashion I had not yet come across in a book other than the puberty guide "What's happening to me" I read at 14.
Instead, prior to reading 'Vagina', when seeking out my own vaginal self-love I relied wholly on the artistic abstractions of anatomy within visual feminist art. For example, the vagina centric art of Stephanie Sarley, and Janelle Monàe’s music video PYNK both offered a tribute to 'pussy power' that work to diminish body shame by empowering female sexuality and their genitals. For example, the neon pink silks of Monàe’s video reimagine the vagina, enshrouded in shame and disgust, as something beautiful to be celebrated. Artistic celebration of genitals goes a long way to dismantle the stigma surrounding our vaginas; counteracting the general consensus that we should be squeamish and ashamed of our genitals. However, Monàe’s silky labia and Sarley’s grapefruit vulva don’t quite hold the informative and thus, in my opinion, life changing revolutionary power of Enright’s factual and biological discussion of the vagina. The culture of ambivalence and commodification that enshrouds vaginas needs a clear and accesible fact check that Enright’s books offers in bucketloads but abstract art does not. Moreover, whilst artistic symbolic can be empowering, it can also be confused with commodification and inconography therefore taking away it’s ability to revolutionise. Meanwhile, Enright’s frank and factual has one clear goal, to educate people with vaginas and thus allow them to do the work themselves to carve their own self-empowerment.
Enright's multiple interviews with gynecologists/doctors/psychologists, factual discussions of menopause and endometriosis, personal anecdotes of abortion and detailed anatomical diagrams offer a deep re-learning that holds the power to shift our cultural landscape for the better. Enright's re-educative book empowers her readers to take small but revolutionary steps in dismantling the current cultural crisis surrounding the vagina. As more women learn about their vagina, more will go to see a doctor, discuss the issue painful sex with a partner, teach their daughters about endometriosis, learn to love their uneven labia, talk about infertility and understand menopause. And, as people are able to become more in touch with and in control of their own bodies, they will find their own empowerment within.
August 3, 2022
I bought this book after having read 'Come as you are' by Emily Nagoski. The two books complement each other perfectly.
While Come as you are is focusing mostly about sex, desire, and arousal, Vagina: A Re-education is more about reproductional health and how the whole topic is handled in society.
Vagina: A Re-education is at times also a very personal book. Lynn Enright tells us readers her story with all it's ups and downs.
While Come as you are is focusing mostly about sex, desire, and arousal, Vagina: A Re-education is more about reproductional health and how the whole topic is handled in society.
Vagina: A Re-education is at times also a very personal book. Lynn Enright tells us readers her story with all it's ups and downs.
September 26, 2019
vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital vital
August 17, 2019
Originally gave this a 4... but i keep talking about it to everyone ! The sex education and fertility stuff in particular. It really is mindblowing how little we know about our own bodies once your eyes are opened to it.
July 9, 2021
4.5 stars
Very informative and accessible read. Get your hands on a copy asap.
Very informative and accessible read. Get your hands on a copy asap.
February 13, 2019
An ARC ebook copy of this book was provided by Atlantic Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
An absolutely must-read for anyone who has a vagina, and I would go as far as recommending it to anyone who is open-minded and in a close intimate relationship with someone who has a vagina. I learnt so much, it is outrageous thinking that I have lived 23 years of my life not knowing the basics of what having a vagina implies. It is tremendously enriching, surprising and empowering.
The only problem I found in the book is that in some sections the balance between historical facts, scientific and biological facts, feminist theory/claims and the author's experiences is lost. At some points it felt like the author hadn't found enough feminist critics talking about certain topics, and specially around the 20% of the book I felt more feminist responses were needed. Nevertheless, in the rest of the book the balance is adjusted according to the needs of each chapter and topic.
However, the book does an amazing job at putting out there a lot of information that usually is not within reach. I - a 23 year old woman that is not planning to have children any time soon and has her period regularly - still enjoyed reading the "pregnancy" and "menopause" parts. They were extremely enlightening and made me reconsider many things about the effects and consequences of having a vagina and its implications.
All in all, please, read it - specially if you have a vagina.
An absolutely must-read for anyone who has a vagina, and I would go as far as recommending it to anyone who is open-minded and in a close intimate relationship with someone who has a vagina. I learnt so much, it is outrageous thinking that I have lived 23 years of my life not knowing the basics of what having a vagina implies. It is tremendously enriching, surprising and empowering.
The only problem I found in the book is that in some sections the balance between historical facts, scientific and biological facts, feminist theory/claims and the author's experiences is lost. At some points it felt like the author hadn't found enough feminist critics talking about certain topics, and specially around the 20% of the book I felt more feminist responses were needed. Nevertheless, in the rest of the book the balance is adjusted according to the needs of each chapter and topic.
However, the book does an amazing job at putting out there a lot of information that usually is not within reach. I - a 23 year old woman that is not planning to have children any time soon and has her period regularly - still enjoyed reading the "pregnancy" and "menopause" parts. They were extremely enlightening and made me reconsider many things about the effects and consequences of having a vagina and its implications.
All in all, please, read it - specially if you have a vagina.
December 16, 2021
I bought this book the first time and forgot it on a plane before I'd finished reading the first chapter. I can only assume the person who found it needed its wisdom more than I did--I hope it was a man.
I bought it again and read it cover to cover in a few hours. I learned so much about anatomy, linguistic history, and more reasons than I had already to fear childbirth. I love that it was straightforward with the facts and didn't spend too much time editorializing. Everyone who has a vagina or knows someone with one should read it. Knowledge is power!!!
I bought it again and read it cover to cover in a few hours. I learned so much about anatomy, linguistic history, and more reasons than I had already to fear childbirth. I love that it was straightforward with the facts and didn't spend too much time editorializing. Everyone who has a vagina or knows someone with one should read it. Knowledge is power!!!
January 30, 2021
Wish I had read this book as a child. Such an insightful, honest read about our bodies and what work still needs to be done in educating everyone about them.
Read
February 3, 2022Toto sa skvelo dopĺňa s "Bez hanby o ohanbí". Autorka sa niekedy opiera o iné štúdie, takže to nie je úplne totožné s ohanbím. Výsledky zo štúdií potvrdzuje, alebo poukazuje na výnimky, z vlastného života - či už vlastné skúsenosti, alebo z okolia. (Aj preto to nehodnotím, keďže to nie je len náučné, ale zároveň je to trochu autobiografia.) Druhá polovica bola pre mňa menej zaujímavá, pretože tehotenstvo a menopauza sa ma netýkajú - ani v blízkej budúcnosti, takže pre mňa zatiaľ nepodstatné informácie. Prvá polovica obsahuje o niečo podrobnejšie spracované veci, ktoré v ohanbí chýbali, ale čo nie je v jednej, nájdeme v druhej a naopak.
January 9, 2021
I initially was only going to read one specific chapter of this for something I’m doing for work but I ended up going back and reading the whole thing. This book was accessible, easy to understand, honest, and very importantly, trans-inclusive. A really good read for anyone who wants to know more about the need for better comprehensive sex education and misconceptions and myths surrounding the vagina.
June 4, 2019
I was lucky enough to win this in a Facebook competition run by the publishers (along with a pretty awesome tote bag). Enright covers various vagina related topics such as basic biology, sex, menstruation and childbirth. She also discusses personal stories about her own experiences and how women's bodies are and have always been controlled by men and the patriarchy. I found this very well-written and quite informative. It's certainly a book worth reading.
January 17, 2021
Trigger warning: description of a rape scenario and description (in details) of a surgical screening.
I recommend this to everyone who has a vagina (or rather vulva) and to people who don’t have one, you can learn a great deal too :)
So okay, I wouldn’t say that this is the most fun read, but a necessary one! It has lot of facts, I didn’t knew some of them and sections of personal stories and experiences.
The selling point for me was that she spoke in detail about the hymen and straightened up the facts, because I never heard it like this talked about in school.
She criticizes a lot about sex ed in schools (mainly in the UK).
Some things were rather uncomfortable to read. Like when she describes her period pains, because most of us can relate. Here people who have no vulva can learn a great deal and hopefully be more respectful and empathetic when encountering people (on their periods).
The author is very inclusive and mentions race disparities and LGBTQ+ issues surrounding this topic and also includes one chapter solely to transgenders.
If you think you already know everything or you think you don’t or if it was a while ago when you went to school and you want to refresh your knowledge you might get something out of this book either way.
I recommend this to everyone who has a vagina (or rather vulva) and to people who don’t have one, you can learn a great deal too :)
So okay, I wouldn’t say that this is the most fun read, but a necessary one! It has lot of facts, I didn’t knew some of them and sections of personal stories and experiences.
The selling point for me was that she spoke in detail about the hymen and straightened up the facts, because I never heard it like this talked about in school.
She criticizes a lot about sex ed in schools (mainly in the UK).
Some things were rather uncomfortable to read. Like when she describes her period pains, because most of us can relate. Here people who have no vulva can learn a great deal and hopefully be more respectful and empathetic when encountering people (on their periods).
The author is very inclusive and mentions race disparities and LGBTQ+ issues surrounding this topic and also includes one chapter solely to transgenders.
If you think you already know everything or you think you don’t or if it was a while ago when you went to school and you want to refresh your knowledge you might get something out of this book either way.
March 7, 2019
Enright's book on the vagina (and the vulva, as they are not one and the same despite most people using the term vagina for the whole area) looks at why it is that so many people don't know anatomical detail or what a healthy and normal vulva looks like, and why women's health and sexual satisfaction seem to be afterthoughts. From the coy naming of the parts through the hiding or downplaying of menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause, this book spells it all out, but Enright also reiterates that we are more than our reproductive organs.
It will annoy you that girls are made to feel they need plastic surgery on their genitals to look "normal", that it takes years of pain to get a diagnosis of endometriosis, and that fertility issues are automatically assumed to be on the woman's part even though it's not always the case. This is an inclusive no-nonsense guide for anyone with a vulva and vagina who wants to know more. I really wish this book had been around when I was in my early teens.
Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Atlantic Books / Allen & Unwin, for the opportunity to review an ARC.
It will annoy you that girls are made to feel they need plastic surgery on their genitals to look "normal", that it takes years of pain to get a diagnosis of endometriosis, and that fertility issues are automatically assumed to be on the woman's part even though it's not always the case. This is an inclusive no-nonsense guide for anyone with a vulva and vagina who wants to know more. I really wish this book had been around when I was in my early teens.
Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Atlantic Books / Allen & Unwin, for the opportunity to review an ARC.
November 3, 2020
I cannot stress enough how good and important this book was to me. I had no idea how little I knew about the vagina but also the surrounding topics of what it means to have one, like periods, orgasms, pain, pregnancy & menopause. This book covers a lot of ground and I have been singing praise of it to every single women I speak to.
Enright's writing style is superb, she blends personal accounts, with history and scientific research so well that you are thoroughly invested & entertained whilst learning more about your own body than you ever probably had a chance to. I genuinely can't tell you anything bad about this book. And since I've been reading it, it has opened me up to so many conversations with my friends that I wouldn't have had before about orgasms and what kind of sex education we had in school.
The only thing I would say is that I did find the book a bit less interesting once we got into the fertility and pregnancy chapters but that's more to do with the fact that I am not that interested in having a baby, than Enright's writing. At the same time it's good to know about it anyway so I'm not mad.
Honestly, if you have a vagina read this book!
Enright's writing style is superb, she blends personal accounts, with history and scientific research so well that you are thoroughly invested & entertained whilst learning more about your own body than you ever probably had a chance to. I genuinely can't tell you anything bad about this book. And since I've been reading it, it has opened me up to so many conversations with my friends that I wouldn't have had before about orgasms and what kind of sex education we had in school.
The only thing I would say is that I did find the book a bit less interesting once we got into the fertility and pregnancy chapters but that's more to do with the fact that I am not that interested in having a baby, than Enright's writing. At the same time it's good to know about it anyway so I'm not mad.
Honestly, if you have a vagina read this book!
July 10, 2022
“Regret is not a tool that allows us to rearrange history and tinker with our timelines.”
This was a really great read by a curious author. Content warning for graphic descriptions of rape, female genital mutilation, miscarriage and traumatic childbirth.
Enright has a lovely open voice - you can tell she is quietly seething with fury, but she patiently explains aspects of the lesser studied genitalia and what it means for people who have them.
I’m a self-confessed sexuality nerd and I learnt a lot from this. For one, the amount of intersex people is about the same as the amount of people with red hair!
I was shocked but not surprised at the suggestion that we use “vagina” instead of “vulva” because vaginas are mostly where periods happen, intercourse happens and babies come out of - but vulva encompasses all of it including the pleasure parts (basically, clit erasure).
I learnt so much about infertility, about “biological clocks” and menopause, about the “fertility awareness method” of contraception. I particularly loved how this ended on trans women and men with vulvas.
Would certainly recommend this one if you are looking for a guidebook that has it all.
This was a really great read by a curious author. Content warning for graphic descriptions of rape, female genital mutilation, miscarriage and traumatic childbirth.
Enright has a lovely open voice - you can tell she is quietly seething with fury, but she patiently explains aspects of the lesser studied genitalia and what it means for people who have them.
I’m a self-confessed sexuality nerd and I learnt a lot from this. For one, the amount of intersex people is about the same as the amount of people with red hair!
I was shocked but not surprised at the suggestion that we use “vagina” instead of “vulva” because vaginas are mostly where periods happen, intercourse happens and babies come out of - but vulva encompasses all of it including the pleasure parts (basically, clit erasure).
I learnt so much about infertility, about “biological clocks” and menopause, about the “fertility awareness method” of contraception. I particularly loved how this ended on trans women and men with vulvas.
Would certainly recommend this one if you are looking for a guidebook that has it all.
May 7, 2021
This should be mandatory reading for EVERYONE. I see this slim book as the touchstone guide that every woman - young and old - should reference to understand their own body. As a person who works in the medical field with a special interest and (fairly extensive) knowledge of women's health, I can say that this author's explanations on the pathophysiology, medical conditions, and societal issues as it relates to womanhood are clearly written and impressively accurate. While she is an UK writer and therefore writes from the perspective of a white, cisgendered female navigating life within the UK NHS, the information and personal stories she writes are still widely applicable and relevant. She also strives to be as inclusive as possible for non-binary people and men where data are available or topics are relevant (eg. the chapter on infertility). I would and will be recommending this book to all the women in my life (esp those outside the medical profession) and the men who loves and cares for them too.
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August 11, 2022This was a very informative book! A quick read that taught me some things I actually wasn't aware of previously. For example, the clitoris actually consists of many parts, even 2 cruras (arms), not just one bundle of nerves.
I didn't really relate to the childbirth parts (not sure if I will ever understand) but all of the book is written well and I learned a lot.
I just wish feminists and other people writing books about social issues would use contractions more and vary the tone of their writing a little.
Completely agree that social media and the news are not doing a good job of letting people see women's (and other minority groups') perspectives, but are driving different groups of people further apart.
I didn't really relate to the childbirth parts (not sure if I will ever understand) but all of the book is written well and I learned a lot.
I just wish feminists and other people writing books about social issues would use contractions more and vary the tone of their writing a little.
Completely agree that social media and the news are not doing a good job of letting people see women's (and other minority groups') perspectives, but are driving different groups of people further apart.
June 13, 2021
I’ve read a LOT of books about vaginas + feminism so I assumed I’d enjoy the book but maybe it wouldn’t teach me a lot that I didn’t already know. However I was very wrong, and the second half of the book, with chapters on conversations and society’s view on fertility, pregnancy and the menopause were all parts of my own anatomy and living that I hadn’t read too deep into before so I did really enjoy this book!
February 28, 2021
A timely and well written book that dispelled so many myths around the vagina and vulva. The author tries her best to center voices from around the world but I do wish there were more examples from around the globe to truly make the book intersectional. That said, I learned new things and it was an eye-opener especially on the topic of FGM.
August 28, 2024
everyone should read this. tackles topics surrounding different parts of the vulva, the orgasm, fertility, and menopause. it definitely takes on a cis, het viewpoint however the author acknowledges this and does discuss some other experiences that she doesn’t personally experience herself in the last chapter.
January 2, 2021
A great debut non fiction.
May 13, 2019
ma arvasin, et kui on üks asi, millest ma elus palju tean, siis see on naine-olemine. esialgu tundus siit raamatust, et teangi kõike, mis teada on... no peaaegu kõike... aga siis jõudsin menopausi peatükini ja sain aru, et sellest, mis veel ees, ei tea ma siiski absoluutselt mitte midagi. lisaks pidin mitu sõna sõnaraamatust järele vaatama igaks juhuks. "vagina" on eesti keeles tupp ja "vulva" on häbe, pole tänu väärt.
raamat ise, hoolimata pealkirjast, räägib häbemest vähemalt sama palju kui tupest. ja siis kõigest, mis nende kehaosadega seondub - menstruatsioonist, seksist, orgasmist, rasedusest, sellest hoidumisest, viljatusest, endometrioosist jne, kuni menopausi ja transseksuaalsuseni välja. seda kõike meeldivalt lihtsaltloetaval moel, autori isiklikud kogemused vahelduvad teooria ja statistikaga, iga peatükk on konkreetse fookuse ja mõistliku pikkusega. tähtsamaid kontseptsioone toetavad skemaatilised illustratsioonid. lõpus on viited, enamus küll mitte otse teadusuuringutele, vaid pigem neid kajastavatele artiklitele meedias.
keegi võiks selle raamatu eesti keeles kirjutada, sest päris palju auru kulub seal ära briti haridussüsteemi (või seksuaalkasvatuse osa selles) kritiseerimisele ja ma loeks nüüd meeleldi ka selle kohta, mida eesti lastele sel teemal õpetatakse ja kui palju eesti täiskasvanud naise keha toimimise kohta tegelikult teavad. ja mismoodi eesti arstid menopausi haldavad, vot see muutub ka järjest põnevamaks teemaks :)
raamat ise, hoolimata pealkirjast, räägib häbemest vähemalt sama palju kui tupest. ja siis kõigest, mis nende kehaosadega seondub - menstruatsioonist, seksist, orgasmist, rasedusest, sellest hoidumisest, viljatusest, endometrioosist jne, kuni menopausi ja transseksuaalsuseni välja. seda kõike meeldivalt lihtsaltloetaval moel, autori isiklikud kogemused vahelduvad teooria ja statistikaga, iga peatükk on konkreetse fookuse ja mõistliku pikkusega. tähtsamaid kontseptsioone toetavad skemaatilised illustratsioonid. lõpus on viited, enamus küll mitte otse teadusuuringutele, vaid pigem neid kajastavatele artiklitele meedias.
keegi võiks selle raamatu eesti keeles kirjutada, sest päris palju auru kulub seal ära briti haridussüsteemi (või seksuaalkasvatuse osa selles) kritiseerimisele ja ma loeks nüüd meeleldi ka selle kohta, mida eesti lastele sel teemal õpetatakse ja kui palju eesti täiskasvanud naise keha toimimise kohta tegelikult teavad. ja mismoodi eesti arstid menopausi haldavad, vot see muutub ka järjest põnevamaks teemaks :)
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