Status
Checked out
Publication
St. Martin's Griffin (2009), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 288 pages
Description
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.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member thelestonian
The vintage advertising and medical writings on menstruation were interesting and sometimes funny and absurd. I was surprised to know about the lack of medical research into reasons for human menstruation, which then caused me to worry about the current pills on the market to eliminate the
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menstrual cycle. This will influence how I talk with my own daughter about menstruation when we cross that bridge. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jaie22
Fun and punchy. Finally answered some nagging questions like "How did industrial-era working women deal with this" and so on. I guess. The answer that that particular question just didn't seem right. Made me very glad for modern conveniences.
LibraryThing member Motherofthree
This was my choice for book club this month. I was a little put off at first, by the textbook appearance of the book, but soon got beyond the initial impression. It's a fascinating topic written by two women who were willing to ask forthright questions, challenge the "fem care" industry (as they
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called it). And they presented what they found with a fair amount of humourous gumption. The major premise of the book being, women's periods are still quite "taboo" to discuss in many ways. This will provide some very interesting conversation for book club this month. Show Less
LibraryThing member Aerialgrrrl
LOVED IT. Loved it. As much as towards the end it really had one simple point to make - menstruation, a natural physical process, has been totally co-opted since time immemorial...but most recently by advertisers in what they call the 'Femcare product sector.' There's some really interesting stuff
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in here but I think my favourite part was the old school ads for all kinds of bizarre contraptions. I was left with two questions - I wonder why there's never been a Keeper-type product in Australia, and don't you know someone who's womb is constantly wandering and making her hysterical? If only doctors performed that service now maybe there'd be a little less crankiness in the world. I'm only guessing. Show Less
LibraryThing member satyridae
This was a fun book, jazzed up with lots of vintage ads. The authors' bias is clearly feminist and anti-big-pharma, so I was in their court from page one. If I have a complaint about this book, it's that it skews pretty young. There's one breezy chapter covering perimenopause and beyond- and that's
Well worth reading for the historical perspective alone, but as a bonus, guaranteed to make steam come out of your ears when you read about the drug companies scheming to make women feel dirty and sick and inadequate.
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it. So the target audience is considerably younger than your intrepid reviewer, who admits to more than a passing interest in hot flashes and scary clots the size of Rhode Island. Not that this kept me from being fascinated by the rubber aprons of yesteryear, or being furious about the medicalization of perfectly ordinary reproductive processes. Well worth reading for the historical perspective alone, but as a bonus, guaranteed to make steam come out of your ears when you read about the drug companies scheming to make women feel dirty and sick and inadequate.
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LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
This book was such a brilliant idea, and the authors did a great job. I read another bloggers review about Flow and they were just had such a strong reaction to it, not positive or negative really just strong, that I thought it was definitely worth reading. Flow tells the cultural history of the
Some of the information in this book is definitely scary. It is absolutely terrifying to see how woman's bodies have been mistreated over the years due to lack of scientific study and information. While there is a lot of good explanation in this book regarding fertility and how a woman's cycle really works, the most important thing I think a woman can take away from this book is too make sure that you are well informed about exactly what it is you are doing to your body when you use medications or how you handle your period.
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period and how woman's status and health care have changed over time. It's written in a friendly, personable style. While many reviewers feel like this means the book was geared at the younger set, I think what the authors were really going for was making the book readable, and to try and make a topic that makes many people uncomfortable a little bit friendlier. The book isn't couched in a bunch of scientific jargon that most of us will never understand. Everything is in language that is respectful and completely understandable. Some of the information in this book is definitely scary. It is absolutely terrifying to see how woman's bodies have been mistreated over the years due to lack of scientific study and information. While there is a lot of good explanation in this book regarding fertility and how a woman's cycle really works, the most important thing I think a woman can take away from this book is too make sure that you are well informed about exactly what it is you are doing to your body when you use medications or how you handle your period.
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LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
This book was such a brilliant idea, and the authors did a great job. I read another bloggers review about Flow and they were just had such a strong reaction to it, not positive or negative really just strong, that I thought it was definitely worth reading. Flow tells the cultural history of the
Some of the information in this book is definitely scary. It is absolutely terrifying to see how woman's bodies have been mistreated over the years due to lack of scientific study and information. While there is a lot of good explanation in this book regarding fertility and how a woman's cycle really works, the most important thing I think a woman can take away from this book is too make sure that you are well informed about exactly what it is you are doing to your body when you use medications or how you handle your period.
Show More
period and how woman's status and health care have changed over time. It's written in a friendly, personable style. While many reviewers feel like this means the book was geared at the younger set, I think what the authors were really going for was making the book readable, and to try and make a topic that makes many people uncomfortable a little bit friendlier. The book isn't couched in a bunch of scientific jargon that most of us will never understand. Everything is in language that is respectful and completely understandable. Some of the information in this book is definitely scary. It is absolutely terrifying to see how woman's bodies have been mistreated over the years due to lack of scientific study and information. While there is a lot of good explanation in this book regarding fertility and how a woman's cycle really works, the most important thing I think a woman can take away from this book is too make sure that you are well informed about exactly what it is you are doing to your body when you use medications or how you handle your period.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
This book was such a brilliant idea, and the authors did a great job. I read another bloggers review about Flow and they were just had such a strong reaction to it, not positive or negative really just strong, that I thought it was definitely worth reading. Flow tells the cultural history of the
Some of the information in this book is definitely scary. It is absolutely terrifying to see how woman's bodies have been mistreated over the years due to lack of scientific study and information. While there is a lot of good explanation in this book regarding fertility and how a woman's cycle really works, the most important thing I think a woman can take away from this book is too make sure that you are well informed about exactly what it is you are doing to your body when you use medications or how you handle your period.
Show More
period and how woman's status and health care have changed over time. It's written in a friendly, personable style. While many reviewers feel like this means the book was geared at the younger set, I think what the authors were really going for was making the book readable, and to try and make a topic that makes many people uncomfortable a little bit friendlier. The book isn't couched in a bunch of scientific jargon that most of us will never understand. Everything is in language that is respectful and completely understandable. Some of the information in this book is definitely scary. It is absolutely terrifying to see how woman's bodies have been mistreated over the years due to lack of scientific study and information. While there is a lot of good explanation in this book regarding fertility and how a woman's cycle really works, the most important thing I think a woman can take away from this book is too make sure that you are well informed about exactly what it is you are doing to your body when you use medications or how you handle your period.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
This book was such a brilliant idea, and the authors did a great job. I read another bloggers review about Flow and they were just had such a strong reaction to it, not positive or negative really just strong, that I thought it was definitely worth reading. Flow tells the cultural history of the
Some of the information in this book is definitely scary. It is absolutely terrifying to see how woman's bodies have been mistreated over the years due to lack of scientific study and information. While there is a lot of good explanation in this book regarding fertility and how a woman's cycle really works, the most important thing I think a woman can take away from this book is too make sure that you are well informed about exactly what it is you are doing to your body when you use medications or how you handle your period.
Show More
period and how woman's status and health care have changed over time. It's written in a friendly, personable style. While many reviewers feel like this means the book was geared at the younger set, I think what the authors were really going for was making the book readable, and to try and make a topic that makes many people uncomfortable a little bit friendlier. The book isn't couched in a bunch of scientific jargon that most of us will never understand. Everything is in language that is respectful and completely understandable. Some of the information in this book is definitely scary. It is absolutely terrifying to see how woman's bodies have been mistreated over the years due to lack of scientific study and information. While there is a lot of good explanation in this book regarding fertility and how a woman's cycle really works, the most important thing I think a woman can take away from this book is too make sure that you are well informed about exactly what it is you are doing to your body when you use medications or how you handle your period.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SylviaC
Very interesting. The influences of the feminine hygiene and drug industries are frustrating, but we wouldn't want to do without their products, either. My only complaint about the book is that the tone is excessively breezy at times.
LibraryThing member bnbooklady
This book is thoroughly research, thoughtfully organized, fun, informative, and IMPORTANT! Stein and Kim have seized on an opportunity to reshape the way we talk about and think about menstruation, and if we can succeed in doing that, then the sky is the limit. I loved every minute I spent with
Flow is a gift of a book (and I’ll be giving it as a gift to just about everyone I know), and I can’t recommend it highly enough. To everyone. Because you shouldn’t have to be progressive, liberal, feminist, or even female to see the value in understanding something that essentially affects all of us.
Read my full review at The Book Lady's Blog.
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Flow. I laughed, I cringed, I nodded in agreement, and I underlined like crazy. I learned all kinds of things I didn’t know before, and I revisited formative lessons from my women’s studies education. I reveled in the fun of reading this book in public and telling perfect strangers that yes, my book WAS about periods, and no, it wasn’t boring!Flow is a gift of a book (and I’ll be giving it as a gift to just about everyone I know), and I can’t recommend it highly enough. To everyone. Because you shouldn’t have to be progressive, liberal, feminist, or even female to see the value in understanding something that essentially affects all of us.
Read my full review at The Book Lady's Blog.
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LibraryThing member JessicaReadsThings
This book has produced interesting feelings for me. On the one hand, I'm so glad someone has decided to write an entire damn book about menstruation and it's cultural history. That's fantastic. And it's presented in a way that might invite those who are not strident feminists to pick it up. On the
This book feels to me more like a collection of opinion essays more than a historical look at period culture. This is most evident in the early chapters where the authors talk about period experiences with the apparent assumption that most women bleed for four days, experience a few minor aches, pains, and bloating, and go on with their lives. I don't like this assumption because I feel that it invalidates the experiences of women whose periods are not nice and tidy. I'm sure this is not the authors' intent, but it is off-putting. The chapter where they discuss alternatives to disposable femcare also irked me. Mainly the feeling of closed-mindedness relating to these products. I get that it's something they were testing and something that takes most a while to get used to. But their reactions seemed so out of character with the rest of the book.
Overall, I think this is a great book for someone who is just beginning to dip a toe into feminist waters. It's cute, friendly, and ultimately non-threatening.
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other hand, the joke-y tone and the lack of deeply researched content, kind of put me off. That and the fact that they sort of write off the fact that periods do cause some amount of suffering for a lot of women, more than mere inconvenience. This book feels to me more like a collection of opinion essays more than a historical look at period culture. This is most evident in the early chapters where the authors talk about period experiences with the apparent assumption that most women bleed for four days, experience a few minor aches, pains, and bloating, and go on with their lives. I don't like this assumption because I feel that it invalidates the experiences of women whose periods are not nice and tidy. I'm sure this is not the authors' intent, but it is off-putting. The chapter where they discuss alternatives to disposable femcare also irked me. Mainly the feeling of closed-mindedness relating to these products. I get that it's something they were testing and something that takes most a while to get used to. But their reactions seemed so out of character with the rest of the book.
Overall, I think this is a great book for someone who is just beginning to dip a toe into feminist waters. It's cute, friendly, and ultimately non-threatening.
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LibraryThing member Moshepit20
It was a fascinating story but the book could have been significantly shorter.
Awards
Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books (Social Sciences — 2009)
Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18 (Selection — 2011)
Original publication date
2009
Physical description
288 p.; 7.28 inches
ISBN
031237996X / 9780312379964
Local notes
health/ aging
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