5 Bloody books on menstruation that are the perfect manifestation of period power and Modern feminism
1. Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement By Nadya Okamoto
Summary:
PERIOD founder and Harvard College student Nadya Okamoto offers a manifesto on menstruation and why we can no longer silence those who bleed — and how to engage in youth activism.
Throughout history, periods have been hidden from the public. They’re taboo. They’re embarrassing. They’re gross. And due to a crumbling or nonexistent national sex-ed program, they are misunderstood. Because of these stigmas, a status quo has been established to exclude people who menstruate from the seat at the decision-making table, creating discriminations like the tampon tax, medicines that favor male biology, and more.
Period Power aims to explain what menstruation is, shed light on the stigmas and resulting biases, and create a strategy to end the silence and prompt conversation about periods.
About Author:
Nadya Okamoto grew up in Portland and currently attends Harvard College. She is the founder and executive director of PERIOD (Period.org), an organization she founded at the age of sixteen, which is now the largest youth-run NGO in women’s health, and one of the fastest growing ones here in the United States. She is also the cofounder and spokesperson of Next Fellows (NextFellows.org). In 2017, Nadya ran for office in Cambridge, Massachusetts. While she did not win, her campaign team made historic waves in mobilizing young people on the ground and at polls.
Reviews:
“A must-read for anyone who wants to make change at the state and national levels.”
― Mashable
“If you’re looking for a way to turn your anger about gender inequality into action, this book is a must read. You’ll learn a great deal about menstrual inequities and the intersectional impacts created because of our failure to address them. This is a how-to handbook on what you can do to change that.”
― Former state Senator Wendy Davis
“Period Power, much like it’s author Nadya Okamoto, is insightful and impossible to ignore. I’ve found empowerment in her prose, and inspiration in her lack of shame. This book teaches adults and youths alike to be unapologetically proud to bleed. If someone you love has a vagina then Period Power is required reading.”
― Whitney Bell, activist and founder of Kidd Bell
“[T]ruly intersectional and…a useful guide for activists inspired by this work…A smart, honest, and comprehensive education on movement building and menstrual rights.”
― Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Okamoto intends to end menstrual stigma and taboo — full stop. This book is a game-changer for anyone who has ever had a period — or knows anyone who has had or will have one.”
— Alma Gottlieb, co-author of Blood Magic: The Anthropology of Menstruation
“A true manifesto, Period Power is the book my fourteen-year-old self wished for and the one my adult self desperately needed.”
— Ally Maki, actress and star of TBS’s Wrecked
“Nadya Okamoto has written a quintessential manifesto for the leader in all of us. Her infectious passion, wit, and piercing intelligence will inspire you to rise into your bravest self. Moreover, this book and her voice have the power to help us learn self-love and respect, in a deep, authentic, lasting way. Not only will this book change your life, it will change the world. Nadya Okamoto is a revolution.”
— Reema Zaman, author of I Am Yours
2. Period Power: Harness Your Hormones and Get Your Cycle Working For You
About Author:
Maisie Hill is a highly qualified and sought-after menstrual health expert with over 15 years of experience as a practitioner, coach, and birth doula. Maisie knows the power of working with the menstrual cycle and believes that our hormones are there to serve us and help us get what we want out of life.
In the growing trend for women to get a handle on their menstrual cycle and hormones, Maisie is a go-to authority and is quoted in publications from The Guardian to Grazia. Her first book, Period Power, came out May 2nd 2019, and became an instant bestseller, reaching the Top 50 of all books on Amazon.
Her much-anticipated second book, Perimenopause Power was published on March 4th, 2020.
Summary
Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt personally victimized by your period. (And if you appreciate that Mean Girls reference!) The bleeding, bloating, and cramping are terrible, but that pain is minimal compared to the casua; invalidation that women experience on an almost daily basis. “She’s probably just on her period!” has been used to invalidate female emotions for centuries with hormones being cited as a justification for dismissing any display of emotion from a woman. If you are genuinely upset about someone’s behavior or attempting to communicate that something is not okay, many people — most notably men — are quick to blame your distress on your hormones and use PMS as an excuse to call every woman crazy.
Similarly, the excuse that “women are too emotional” to be in any position of power is frequently touted as a justification for sexism. And once again, periods are named as the culprit. These are only a few of the reasons why periods — and the stigma that surrounds them — are so painful to live with. But over the course of this summary, we’ll explore why your periods can actually be a source of power and strength.
Credit: Summary by Alyssa Burnette
Review
Thank GOODNESS for Maisie Hill! Flipping open the lid on a vital conversation. It’s about time we claimed the power of our periods!
― Gemma Cairney, broadcaster & co-founder of Boom Shakalaka Productions
This is such an important book. Maisie’s insights and cycle strategy have changed my life and my cycle. Period Power is written with such intelligence, humour and a deep understanding of women’s health. If you have a period you need to read this book.
― Anna Jones, author of The Modern Cook’s Year
Maisie Hill has written a bloody brilliant book (pun intended). Everything you need to know about periods and how they affect you and your life is here. It’s revolutionary.
― Miranda Sawyer
I absolutely loved it. Really informative but also super easy to read. Totally riveting. Would recommend!
― Anniki Sommerville
Period Power reveals a new way of being for people who menstruate. Based in fact and articulated with both love and humour, Maisie Hill’s strategy — to work with our cycles rather than against them — is life-changing.
― Lisa Williams, The Hotbed Collective
A detailed guide to what happens to our bodies as part of the monthly cycle, and how to cope with whatever feelings or sensations arise. An essential bible.
― The Scotsman magazine
Maisie Hill helps you understand the changes in your body and psyche during the lead-up to menopause and how to handle symptoms.
― Top Sante
3. Period: Twelve Voices Tell the Bloody Truth
About Authors:
In this collection, writers of various ages and across racial, cultural, and gender identities share stories about the period. Each of our twelve authors brings an individual perspective and sensibility. They write about homeless periods, nonexistent periods, male periods, political periods, and more. Told with warmth and humor, these essays celebrate all kinds of period experiences. Periods are a fact of life — they’re in the news, they’re in our conversations, and they affect half the population. It’s time to talk about them. With contributors Arisleyda Dilone, Ann Friedman, Kiran Gandhi, Santina Muha, Ingrid Nilsen, Wiley Reading, Ashley Reese, Kylyssa Shay, Aminatou Sow, Emma Straub, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, and Elizabeth Yuko.
Summary:
Twelve contributors discuss their personal experiences with and thoughts about menstruation. The essays frequently address the continued stigma attached to periods, as well as the strides being made to erase, as Farrell describes in an introduction, “the culture of secrecy and shame surrounding them.” The essays are unified in their focus on a topic that crosses social, economic, and cultural boundaries, but the contributors also broaden the content by integrating their own singular perspectives. Santina Muha writes about what it’s like to have her period “as a girl in a wheelchair,” while Ashley Reese reflects on how the statistical likelihood of black girls starting their periods earlier may help propagate negative stereotypes — many that she grappled with as a girl: “I’m struck by how I viewed my early period as a true curse, passed from mother to daughter. More specifically, black mother to black daughter.” With refreshing candor, humor, and eloquence, the authors address menstruation as it’s perceived, as it’s presented, and as it is behind it all.
Reviews:
“The friendly, conversational tone of these essays goes miles toward destigmatizing their subject, and the cheeky design . . . will certainly invite conversation. An invaluable resource for anyone open to discussion.”
— Booklist
“With refreshing candor, humor, and eloquence, the authors address menstruation as it’s perceived, as it’s presented, and as it is behind it all.”
— Publishers Weekly
4. Periods Gone Public: Taking a Stand on Menstrual Equality
Summary:
The first book to explore menstruation in the current cultural and political landscape and to investigate the new wave of period activism taking the world by storm.
After centuries of being shrouded in taboo and superstition, periods have gone mainstream. Seemingly overnight, a new, high-profile movement has emerged — one dedicated to bold activism, creative product innovation, and smart policy advocacy — to address the centrality of menstruation in relation to core issues of gender equality and equity.
In Periods Gone Public, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf — the woman Bustle dubbed one of the nation’s “badass menstrual activists” — explores why periods have become a prominent political cause. From eliminating the tampon tax, to enacting new laws ensuring access to affordable, safe products, menstruation is no longer something to whisper about. Weiss-Wolf shares her firsthand account in the fight for “period equity” and introduces listeners to the leaders, pioneers, and everyday people who are making change happen. From societal attitudes of periods throughout history — in the United States and around the world — to grassroots activism and product innovation, Weiss-Wolf challenges listeners to face stigma head-on and elevate an agenda that recognizes both the power — and the absolute normalcy — of menstruation.
About Author:
Jennifer Weiss-Wolf is a leading advocate and voice for equitable menstrual policy in America. Her petition to end the tampon tax, launched in partnership with Cosmopolitan, catalyzed a national movement. Newsweek deemed her the “architect of the U.S. policy campaign to squash the tampon tax.” Weiss-Wolf’s writing and work have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, Newsweek, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, The Nation, Bloomberg, and Ms. magazine, among others. She is on the Advisory Board of ZanaAfrica Foundation, which provides essential menstrual health education and products to girls in Kenya. She lives in Maplewood, New Jersey.
Reviews:
“Weiss-Wolf’s thorough research and detailed history, coupled with her practical suggestions for advocating for menstrual equity, makes this book an invaluable resource to any feminist activist.”
— Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A riveting read … a rich picture of the current menstrual landscape and a promising call to smart activism.”
— Washington Post
“If Jennifer Weiss-Wolf were a superhero, her alter ego would probably be Period Warrior: a brave champion for all who menstruate, who never leaves home without extra tampons for anyone in need, and whose secret power is the ability to push forward a legislative agenda that ensures menstrual equity and justice for all.”
— Refinery 29
“A thoroughly researched call to action . . . accessible, nuanced and groundbreaking. . . Relevant for all readers interested in how current government policies impact society and for those wishing to know more about global approaches to innovation.”
— Library Journal, starred review.
5. Ask Me About My Uterus: A Quest to Make Doctors Believe in Women’s Pain
About Author:
Norman had a troubled home life and became an emancipated minor at age 16. She attended Sarah Lawrence College but dropped out after experiencing severe pain that was eventually diagnosed as endometriosis. Norman wrote about her experience of endometriosis, including her efforts to get doctors to take her pain seriously, for Seventeen magazine, and started curating online essays on reproductive system health into a website called Ask Me About My Uterus.
In 2018 Norman’s book Ask Me About My Uterus: A Quest to Make Doctors Believe in Women’s Pain was published by Nation Books. The book connects Norman’s personal experience to a longer history of medical practitioners dismissing women’s pain, for example by treating their experience of pain as “hysteria”. Ask Me About My Uterus also critically examines the popular understanding of endometriosis as a “white woman’s disease”.
Writing for The New York Times, Randi Epstein called Norman “a terrific storyteller with a gift for weaving memorable anecdotes” and noted that the book “tells a story that will resonate with anyone (man or woman) who has ever experienced pain”. Kirkus Reviews described the book as “compelling and impressively researched” and “an unsparing look at the historically and culturally fraught relationship between women and their doctors”. Erin Blakemore of The Washington Post summarized the book as “a torrent of disconcerting information about the continued struggle to understand and value women’s bodies”.
Bustle named Norman as one of its 2018 Rule Breakers.
Summary:
For any woman who has experienced illness, chronic pain, or endometriosis comes an inspiring memoir advocating for recognition of women’s health issues
In the fall of 2010, Abby Norman’s strong dancer’s body dropped forty pounds and gray hairs began to sprout from her temples. She was repeatedly hospitalized in excruciating pain, but the doctors insisted it was a urinary tract infection and sent her home with antibiotics. Unable to get out of bed, much less attend class, Norman dropped out of college and embarked on what would become a years-long journey to discover what was wrong with her. It wasn’t until she took matters into her own hands — securing a job in a hospital and educating herself over lunchtime reading in the medical library — that she found an accurate diagnosis of endometriosis.
In Ask Me About My Uterus, Norman describes what it was like to have her pain dismissed, to be told it was all in her head, only to be taken seriously when she was accompanied by a boyfriend who confirmed that her sexual performance was, indeed, compromised. Putting her own trials into a broader historical, sociocultural, and political context, Norman shows that women’s bodies have long been the battleground of a never-ending war for power, control, medical knowledge, and truth. It’s time to refute the belief that being a woman is a preexisting condition.
Reviews:
“Required reading for anyone who is a woman, or has ever met a woman. This means you.”
―Jenny Lawson, author of Let’s Pretend This Never Happened and Furiously Happy
“This book deals with such an important subject. Abby Norman’s odyssey with her own health is sadly an all too common story to those of us who suffered in silence for so long. My hope is that anyone involved in women’s health will read her story and revisit the way we treat women and their health concerns in our culture.”
―Padma Lakshmi, New York Times best-selling author and co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America
“A fresh, honest, and startling look at what it means to exist in a woman’s body, in all of its beauty and pain. Abby’s voice is inviting, unifying, and remarkably brave.”
―Gillian Anderson, Actress, activist and co-author of We: A Manifesto For Women Everywhere
“Compelling and impressively, Norman’s narrative not only offers an unsparing look at the historically and culturally fraught relationship between women and their doctors, it also reveals how, in the quest for answers and good health, women must still fight a patriarchal medical establishment to be heard. Disturbing but important reading.”
―Kirkus Reviews
