March is Women’s History month.
To celebrate women, I am sharing with you all a book that I’ve had the opportunity to read and review.
My Little Red Book by Rachel Kauder Nalebuff is a book that explores what happens when a girl “becomes a woman” for the first time.
I was interested in reading this book because it sounded like something along the lines of Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues. Becoming a woman is one of those mysterious rites of passage that we know happens, but rarely discuss. Nalebuff has broken the lock of secrecy on first periods by interviewing women from a variety of backgrounds on their first periods and compiling these wonderful stories in one place.
Here’s a little explanation of My Little Red Book’s genesis:
MY LITTLE RED BOOK is an anthology of stories about first periods, collected from women of all ages from around the world. The accounts range from light-hearted (the editor got hers while water skiing in a yellow bathing suit) to heart-stopping (a first period discovered just as one girl was about to be strip-searched by the Nazis). The contributors include well-known women writers (Meg Cabot, Erica Jong, Gloria Steinem, Cecily von Ziegesar), alongside today’s teens. And while the authors differ in race, faith, or cultural background, their stories share a common bond: they are all accessible, deeply honest, and highly informative. Whatever a girl experiences or expects, she’ll find stories that speak to her thoughts and feelings.
“Ultimately, MY LITTLE RED BOOK is more than a collection of stories. It is a call for a change in attitude, for a new way of seeing periods. In a time when the taboo around menstruation seems to be one of the few left standing, it makes a difficult subject easier to talk about, and helps girls feel proud instead of embarrassed or ashamed. By revealing what it feels like to undergo this experience first hand, and giving women the chance to explain their feelings in their own words, it aims to provide support, entertainment, and a starting point for discussion for mothers and daughters everywhere. It is a book every girl should have. Period.”
I enjoyed reading the personal stories of the women who contributed to this book. Some are sad, others had me laughing out loud. What impressed me along with the personal accounts was the fact that the stories in this book were compiled by Nalebuff beginning when she was thirteen, and was completed when she was sixteen. Quite a feat for a teenager. I thought this would be a great book to include in a Women’s Studies class, or as a mother/daughter book club read. Menstruation is a part of every women’s life, and it should be celebrated as a passage into a new phase of life, not veiled in secrecy or shame.
Please visit the following bloggers to read their reviews, and enter to win a copy of the book for yourself or someone you know.
http://www.writeforareader.blogspot.com
http://martasmeanderings.blogspot.com/
http://confessionsofaromancebookaddict.wordpress.com/
http://athomewithbooks.blogspot.com/
http://shereadsandreads.blogspot.com/
http://www.ReadingWithMonie.com
www.marjoleinbookblog.blogspot.com
http://worducopia.blogspot.com
http://thereviewfromhere.wordpress.com/
http://zensanity.blogspot.com/
http://scribevibe.blogspot.com/
http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/
http://carolsnotebook.wordpress.com
http://msbookish.com
http://exlibrisbb.blogspot.com/
http://www.brimfulcuriosities.com
http://cindysloveofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://38thavedivareaders.blogspot.com
http://bookthoughtsbylisa.blogspot.com
http://bookopolis.blogspot.com -
www.myreadingroom.net
www.bookbargainsandpreviews.com
http://mindingspot.blogspot.com/
http://epicrat.blogspot.com
A big thank you to Anna at Hachette Books for the opportunity to read My Little Red Book and participate in this tour!
