Every 2 weeks or so we’re reviewing books that we found interesting. These books may range from nonfiction to fantasy to informative to escapism. Our hope is that we find something for everyone, and to broaden awareness, access, and information pertaining to sex, sexual health, pleasure, and beyond.
Unwell Women: misdiagnosis and myth in a man-made world by Elinor Cleghorn is a non fiction book that discusses the medical challenges faced by women through out history. The book starts from Ancient Greece and continues on until the 2010s, going over various gynaecological, sexual and reproductive health issues, along with mentioning the active dismissal of female patients regarding autoimmune disorders.
Its evidently clear that the subject matter is close to the author’s heart, as the idea for the book came to be from the author’s own difficulties with getting a diagnosis for lupus, and there’s a respectful tone and acknowledgement through the book for the women who came before. While the book is overall wonderful, it’s important to note that its very western centric with the focus being the history of women’s health in Europe and North America. Similarly, the book’s focus is on biological females, which does not allow for a very comprehensive view regarding all women’s health issues nor allow for a discussion regarding gender expression. The book may feel a little repetitive at times, which readers may feel causes the book to drag, however it serves to show that despite steps forwards in women’s health, often in history there are two steps back.
This book is valuable for anyone looking to work in the health field as it emphasizes the need to treat patients as people and not just case notes in a file, but any history buff or women’s studies enthusiast will learn something new.