Nonfiction

*Woman: An Intimate Geography Natalie Angier

Wow! I learned more from this book than any book I can think of in recent years! The whole time I was reading it, I kept spouting out with, "The Natalie Angier book said this..... Oh, this so interesting; I read it in the Natalie Angier book...."

Anyway, this is a book about every aspect of being a woman, written by a scientist. It's fascinating and not difficult to understand. Believe me, I am not Science Girl, but I was really into it. I now posess more knowledge about the clitoris and orgasms and hormones and breast milk than I ever thought I would!

Paula Isabel Allende

This is a memoir of Isabelle Allende, who is one of my favorite authors ever... and it is even better than any of her works of fiction, IMO. It was started as a letter to her daughter, who was in a coma, to tell her of the family history, "So that when you wake up, you will not feel so lost." I think this is the only book I have ever read that has made me laugh out loud and cry... all on the same page.

The Body Project Joan Jacobs Brumberg

Phenomenal... this is a history of women's relationships with their bodies, from the days of the corset to the days of the waif. It confirmed many things that I had noticed AND gave me insights that would not have occurred to me.

The Menopause Industry Sandra Coney

I'm so glad this book exists. Although menopause is a few decades away, I'd heard so much about this book that I thought I should read it NOW. I'm glad I did! It tells of the many ways in which the "medical establishment exploits women" and how we're all basically just pawns of the pharmaceutical companies. The focus is clearly menopause, but it also helps you see how the medical industry is manipulating ALL women. Read it, and then pass it on to every women that you know between the ages of 35 and 50.

Adios, Barbie Orphira Edut

Hmmmm, I'm detecting a theme here... :) This is a collection of essays by women on body and identity.... more specifically "women who have chosen to ignore, subvert or redefine the dominant beauty standard in order to feel at home in their bodies." I'm glad that this book is out there... it was very reaffirming for me. An extra bonus is that is has an essay by Nomy Lamm... oh, how I love her!

* The Guerilla Girls Bedside Companion to the History o Western Art The Guerilla Girls

An essential for any art history human out there... this will both make you laugh and piss you off. Plus, it give much info on women artist who have not received enough attention. I'm embarrassed how many I hadn't heard of... and I was an Art History major!

Women as Revolutionary Agents of Change Shere Hite

Well, I can honestly say that this book changed my life. For a while, I was determined that I wouldn't date anyone else ever again who hadn't read AND agreed with it! :) Hite conducted many many surveys and her findings challenge many assumptions about women, sexuality and relationships. It helped me feel MUCH less freakish in my sexuality, and I suspect it might help many others as well!

The Curse: Confronting the Last Unmentionable Taboo: Menstruation Karen Houppert

Miki mentions ANOTHER book about menstruation? How shocking! Well, this was a pretty informative book. The first section about dioxins was the most powerful. It scared the hell out of me and I already knew about the horrors of dioxins in tampons.

The chapter on Menstruation Counterculture had me torn.. on one hand, I was glad that she wrote so much about my friend Harry at the Museum of Menstruation... on the other hand, she isn't the nicest to him and I think she misjudged him greatly... besides, she was apparently a FREAK when she visited the museum and dug through his drawers and cabinets, so I wanted to hate her... But then I was really suprised to see that she quoted my old menstruation page (on page 199) as evidence that there IS hope for the future of menstruation. My ego was patted, and I decided to love her and her book.

Failing at Fairness Myra Sadker

This is a must read for ANY teacher/education student/parent. It exposes the widespread presence of gender bias in classrooms. You'll be appalled at how bad it is!

Potential Ariel Schrag

I've read Ariel's other 2 books, "Definition" and "Awkward," and I enjoyed them all, but tis is my favorite! It's a big ol' comic book that chrnocles her junior year in highschool, dealing mostly with her coming out as a dyke, and her relationships with friends and family. I could still very much relate to it, even though I'm an old hag who has been out of highschool for almost a decade now.

* Tipping the Scales of Justice: Fighting Weight-Based DIscriminationr Sondra Solovay

This book enraged me at parts. After the first chapter, I almost threw it across the room because I was disgusted at the biases against fat people that t deals with. It's a must for any fat activist to read!

Red Flower Dena Taylor

I think this book is out of print, which sucks, since it's the best book on menstruation that I've ever read... and I've read many, let me tell you! :) If you ever had the feeling that menstruation shouldn't been seen as a dirty, shameful thing, then seek out this book!

The Passionate Mistakes and Intricate Corruption of One Girl in America Michelle Tea

I was all excited to read this, since I saw Michelle with Sister Spit at MWMF last summer... and I sat right near her at Camp Trans, so, like, I "know" her. :) Anyway, I totally and completely identified with the first half of this book, from the Catholic school.. to hanging out with the Goth kids... to coming out as bi and wanting nothing but a girlfriend, but always ending up dating some boy instead. Of course when she takes up prostitution, ummmm, I stopped identifying so much, but I figured that it's good for me to read things that challange my world view. This book is really funny and hard to put down. I was actually in the middle of reading a different book, but I skimmed the first page of this book, and I couldn't stop reading. I finished it that same day.

A Hunger So Wide and So Deep Becky Thompson

This is the most unusual (and hence, best) book that I have ever read on eating disorders. It's a cross-cultural and multiracial look at women's eating problems. Generally, they are stereotyped that the problem of middle-class, straight white girls, but Thompson does research on lesbians, women of color, and women of different socio-economic backgrounds. The links she makes between eating problems and recism, homophobia, and physical, emotional or sexual abuse were striking.

Fat!So? Marilyn Wann

Wooo hooo! A whole book on one of my most important issues.. fat oppression. This book kicks ass... gets rid of all of those fat misconceptions that we all have "But, it's SO UNHEALTHY!" and informs about fat discrimination that you might not be aware of, like the inability to get medical insurance. This book will make everyone feel better about their body. Damn, it made me excited to turn 40, when I will surely follow in the footsteps of all of the women in my family and get nice and fat. :)