barbaraz@tektools.UUCP (Barbara Zanzig) (04/04/85)
I'd like to recommend a book. It's "The NEW Our Bodies, Our Selves",
by the Boston Women's Health Book Collective, pub. Simon & Schuster,
and available in many bookstores including B. Dalton. It's been out
for about a month.
The book is an update and expansion of "Our Bodies, Our Selves", first
published in 1971. The new edition is about two-thirds revised, and
unlike the first one, includes many social topics in addition to
women's sexuality. I include the Table of Contents at the end of this
message.
WARNING: This book is about *empowering women*. Men are considered,
especially as they relate to women's lives, but the book is, as it says
on the cover, "By and For Women". If you are a man, it will make you angry.
Hell, it makes *me* angry, though not about women per se - more about
societal attitudes.
It has many references and resources, and although it has a truly feminist
perspective, it documents research conclusions, often from some surprising
sources (The Journal of Radical Therapy, for example.) It will challenge
your assumptions about women, whether you are a man or a woman. It will
teach you, however much you want to learn, as long as you want to learn
about women and women's relationship to men and society.
I love this book - I loved the first one too, and it helped me through some
very hard times both for myself, and providing resources to a loved one
who was considering abortion (no flames please.) As I said, it makes me
angry, and I've already had an argument based on its contents - I've had
it two weeks. I look at what is going on in net.singles and net.women,
and I want to quote it incessantly. I would like it to be a background
text for everyone posting to these newsgroups - a pipe dream, I know, but
I can hope...I don't necessarily agree with everything it says, but it
provides a well-reasoned context for discussion.
I'd be glad to discuss the contents of the book, but I won't respond to
flames about it or about women.
Barbara Zanzig
tektronix!tektools!barbaraz
THE NEW OUR BODIES, OUR SELVES
The Boston Women's Health Book Collective
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Taking Care of Ourselves
Introduction
1. Body Image
2. Food
3. Alcohol, Mood-Altering Drugs and Smoking
4. Women in Motion
5. Health and Healing: Alternatives to Medical Care
6. Psychotherapy
7. Environmental and Occupational Health
8. Violence Against Women
II. Relationships and Sexuality
9. Working Toward Mutuality: Our Relationships with Men
10. Loving Women: Lesbian Life and Relationships
11. Sexuality
III. Controlling Our Fertility
12. Anatomy and Physiology of Sexuality and Reproduction
13. Birth Control
14. Sexually Transmitted Diseases
15. If You Think You Are Pregnant: Finding Out and Deciding What to Do
16. Abortion
17. New Reproductive Technologies
IV. Childbearing
18. Pregnancy
19. Childbirth
20. Postpartum
21. Infertility and Pregnancy Loss
V. Women Growing Older
22. Women Growing Older
VI. Some Common and Uncommon Health and Medical Problems
23. ditto
VII. Women and the Medical System
24. The Politics of Women and Medical Care
25. Organizing for Change: U.S.A.
26. Developing an International Awareness