Cycle Savvy: The Smart Teen's Guide to the Mysteries of Her Body

by Toni Weschler

Paperback, 2006

Status

Available

Genres

Health & Wellness

Nonfiction

Publication

William Morrow Paperbacks (2006), Edition: 1, 240 pages

Description

Should I be concerned if my cycles are rarely 28 days? Why do I often feel so emotional before my period? And how can I know when my period's really going to start?! If you're a teenage girl, you've probably asked yourself these questions and many more. Now Cycle Savvy has the answers that will help you understand what is really happening with your body on a day-to-day basis. It's the first book specifically designed to teach young women about the practical benefits of charting their cycles. Explore the fascinating world of ovulation, fertility, and why you even have periods at all! And learn all about the body signals, mood changes, and other signs that accompany your cycle. With charming illustrations, fun brainteasers, confidence builders, sample charts, and first-person tales of experiences that every girl can relate to, Cycle Savvy takes the mystery out of your amazing body.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member csoki637

This book is a good explanation of how the menstrual cycle works and how individuals can understand their own through cervical mucus, body temperature, and other signs. The writing and explanations are clear and understandable, and the sample charts and review quizzes are useful. Directed to teen

girls 14 to 18, it does come off a little condescending — at the very least, trying too hard to be witty and accessible. Less easy to forgive are some messages the author slips in in the chapter on sex. I was disturbed by the victim-blaming in Weschler's advice to girls to try to "prevent" their own date rapes. Need I point out that no one ever wants or chooses to be raped, and that the one responsible for rape is the rapist? Furthermore, the take-home message in the chapter on sex is that a girl's "first time" is a crucial and life-changing moment that must be done with the right person or it will cause regrets forever, and the discussion of sexually transmitted infections regurgitates the stereotype that STIs are caused by, and serve as the punishment for, promiscuity (or, as Weschler would put it, women who don't "respect" themselves). It's unfortunate and disappointing that Weschler's book, particularly one for teens, contains such blatantly sexist and shaming messages, especially as Weschler does a great job encouraging women to love their bodies and feel empowered by them. Overall, it's a useful resource for learning about menstrual cycles and cycle-charting, but the other sections are best avoided.

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