My Little Red Book
by Rachel Kauder Nalebuff
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Book Summary Information
Author: Rachel Kauder NalebuffEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-02-26
ISBN: 0446546364
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Twelve
Book Reviews of My Little Red Book
Book Review: A treasure trove
Summary: 5 Stars
I couldn't put this book down! As a woman, a feminist, and a historian, I loved reading all of the diverse accounts of menarche, across ages, generations, and cultures. Though many of the stories are from American women (many of them from NYC and Connecticut, as another reviewer pointed out), there are also some stories from India, Turkey, China, Ghana, Kenya, Australia, and New Zealand. Going from 1916 and extending to the Aughts of this century, the stories depict a range of emotions and reactions. I definitely related most to the stories of the girls who didn't know what was going on and the ones who sought to dispose of the evidence in secret because they either didn't know what was happening or because they didn't want their parents to find out. I probably did know I had gotten my period deep down, when I was eleven years old, but I was probably in too much shock or denial, after having dreaded and expected it for at least a year prior, and had also misread or misinterpreted what I'd read in Judy Blume. Like some of the girls, I didn't realise that a period lasts for several days, instead of just seeing some blood and it lasting five minutes! (My shame, secrecy, and embarrassment over my period really only ended when I was eighteen and discovered the beautiful Jewish laws of taharat hamishpacha, family purity, and ever since then I've embraced the monthly bleeding, now a withdrawal bleed instead of a real period due to being on the Pill, as a beautiful, feminist, empowering rite.) Even though their experiences were the cardinal opposite of mine, I did appreciate the perspective of the girls who were excited and told their mothers. One girl, the author's mother, even got her period in the presence of her grandmother, who was extremely happy and excited for her. Another story I related to was "The Invisible Period," where the author got her period while in Kenya and had the evidence discovered by her mother when she got home. Unable to believe she could have gotten her period and never known it, she claimed those were fecal stains!
Contrary to what a few other reviewers thought, I didn't think any of this book to be "inappropriate" for young girls. If a girl is old enough to menstruate (and thus be capable of reproduction, much as one hopes she won't be engaging in such activities till she's much older), or is approaching the time when she will, she's not some little kid who needs to be shielded from anything that's not G-rated. Young girls deserve to be empowered by this knowledge about their bodies instead of kept in the dark or, as I did, badly misinterpret or misunderstand what they might have read on the subject. (I was one of those kids who read too much and understood too little.) I also loved the vintage stories involving belts, and was actually disappointed when I asked my mother, who also read the book, if she still had hers around somewhere and she said no. This is a part of menstrual history, and young women today should know what their mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers went through during that time of the month, both as part of an appreciation of history and to not take for granted how lucky they are today to have modern menstrual products instead of needing a belt. These stories also helped me to understand why my mother is so off-put by how I've chosen to switch to rewashable cloth pads, because for someone of her generation, that must seem like an inconvenience and a step backward.
The book ends with a list of alternate expressions for menstruation (missing my favorite vintage one, "being a lady"!) and information on how to submit one's own story and how to help young women in Africa who literally can't go to school because they lack feminine hygiene products. It also contains an index with the stories categorized by theme (such as disposing of the evidence, believing one was dying, celebrating it, and having menarche while on vacation), decade, and culture. I would highly recommend this book to women and girls of all ages.
Summary of My Little Red Book
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 READ 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.
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