Review by Booklist Review
Diamant, author of the bestselling novels The Red Tent (2007) and The Boston Girl (2014), sustains the impact of the Oscar-winning documentary Period. End of Sentence in this scorching and utterly unforgettable read. After a foreword by producer Melissa Berton detailing the film's development, Diamant swiftly unleashes a narrative of the history, politics, and economics detailing how societies around the world have long treated the normal, natural human function of menstruation as a source of shame. Brandishing a stunning array of statistics and sharing stories from around the world of girls and women in every social circumstance, Diamant delivers a withering account of how menstruation has led to humiliation, threats, and on more than one grim occasion, even death. Here, too, are rousing stories of success, including the middle-school girls in America who rose up against a male school principal who claimed students would "abuse the privilege" if free tampons were made available in restrooms and the Indian inventor who became committed to bringing not only menstruation products to poor women but also the means of their production. This is a barn burner of cultural analysis that never strays from the preventable suffering at its core. A life-improving title that should be made as widely available as possible.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Novelist Diamant (The Red Tent) examines all things menstrual in this expansive collection of anecdote, history, and pop culture criticism. Spurred by the documentary of the same title (a producer of which asked Diamant to write "a book about menstruation"), Diamant traces the development of "period-positive" movements that aim to recognize the "full humanity of women and girls and everyone who menstruates." In "Shame," she details harrowing stories of period-related embarrassment around the world (in New Zealand and Australia, for instance, more than half of the teenage girls interviewed said they'd rather "fail a school test than have their classmates know they're on their period"). "Period Poverty and the Tampon Tax" covers the economic toll of menstruation ("menstruators spend $17,000 during their lifetime" on period products), and "Indigenous Wisdoms" offers examples of cultures in which periods aren't shrouded in secrecy, such as the Hupa's celebratory Flower Dance. The wealth of information and anecdote can feel disjointed at times, but the effect is powerful nonetheless, and lands as a repository of information rarely in the spotlight. For young women, especially, this will provide a fascinating look back and powerful impetus to work for a shame-free future. Agent: Amanda Urban, ICM Partners. (May)
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