Vagina
A Re-Education
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
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 country 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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Irish journalist Enright dispels cultural taboos and breaks commonly held silences about women's bodies and experiences in this galvanizing debut. In addition to offering basic information about the vagina and other physical structures of the female reproductive system, Enright also delves into such topics as menstruation, fertility, pregnancy, and menopause. Throughout, she highlights the power of self-knowledge and the danger of ignorance, dismantling such pervasive myths as the idea that bleeding during a first sexual experience is a reliable sign of virginity. Enright also shows how much still remains scientifically unknown or debated about women's bodies, including the existence of the G-spot, the biology of the female orgasm, and the reasons for painful conditions such as vulvodynia and vaginismus. Her survey of how female genitalia are cut and altered in conformity with cultural practices includes an overview of customs in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, as well as the history of clitoridectomy and women's genital surgery in the U.S. and the U.K. Enright also incorporates her own experiences of sexual assault and fertility struggles, and includes the perspectives of trans and intersex people. The result is an illuminating, inclusive, and wide-ranging call for better education and more free and open discourse about the female body.