Non-Fiction Review: Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation by Elissa Stein and Susan Kim

Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation

by Elissa Stein and Susan Kim

St. Martin's Press

http://www.flowthebook.com

ISBN: 9780312379964

Release Date: November 10, 2009

from the publisher's site: 

In this hip, hilarious and truly eye-opening cultural history, menstruation is talked about as never before.Flow spans its fascinating, occasionally wacky and sometimes downright scary story: from mikvahs (ritual cleansing baths) to menopause, hysteria to hysterectomies—not to mention the Pill, cramps, the history of underwear, and the movie about puberty they showed you in 5th grade. 

 

Flow answers such questions as: What’s the point of getting a period? What did women do before pads and tampons? What about new drugs that promise to end periods—a hot idea or not? Sex during your period: gross or a turn-on? And what’s normal, anyway?  With color reproductions of (campy) historical ads and early (excruciating) femcare devices, it also provides a fascinating (and mind-boggling) gallery of this complex, personal and uniquely female process.

As irreverent as it is informative, Flow gives an everyday occurrence its true props – and eradicates the stigma placed on it for centuries.

my thoughts: 

You have to read this book! I'm going to say it again, just for emphasis, you have to read this book! I was hooked from the first page and finished it in only two sittings (I could have done it in one, but had to sleep). Flow is not only informative, but it is fascinating and funny. My poor boyfriend...every other paragraph I was shouting out some new tidbit of information that I'd just picked up. Because I've taken a women's history class not all of the information was new to me, but so much of it was. 

Reading Flow was a truly eye-opening experience for me and it has made me think a lot more about that little visitor and how I really feel about the whole process. Read this book, I can't recommend it highly enough.