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Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'
Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine And Myth in a Man-Made World by Elinor Cleghorn
31 reviews
catherineleigh's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Misogyny, Sexism, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Abortion, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Cancer, Infertility, and Rape
beatriks's review against another edition
4.5
The history is of misogyny and discrimination and mistreatment goes beyond what I knew and is far more shocking than I thought. I'm planning to give the book as a present to some women around me.
Highly recommended.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Violence, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment
solliereads's review against another edition
5.0
I really appreciated, too, having a clear timeline of events that provide much-needed context regarding various issues in women's health. It was by no means an easy read, and there were times where I was so disgusted by the things women have gone through that I wanted to put the book away, but it was certainly an immensely helpful one. Cleghorn has clearly gone to great lengths to write a text of such great importance on the subject of medical misogyny, and everything in her book is backed up by a massive amount of citations, none of which are pointlessly crammed in there either. I truly look forward to reading her upcoming book in 2024 - MOTHERS: An Intimate History - and I fully expect it to be just as crucial a read as this was.
Graphic: Misogyny, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Chronic illness, Infertility, Sexual assault, Abortion, and Gaslighting
Minor: Eating disorder, Miscarriage, and Rape
nialiversuch's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Suicidal thoughts
rosalind's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Body horror, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Colonisation
burdasnest's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
tetedump's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Abortion, and Colonisation
gabyrachel's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Misogyny, Medical content, and Medical trauma
marybsimp's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Incest, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
4.0
Cleghorn's dry humor was much appreciated throughout this journey to balance the horrific nature of the trends and stories she shares. I found the ancient history amusing, with the Greek concept of "the wandering womb" especially hilarious. But the lived realities of these experiences are far from funny. Seeing medical knowledge peeled back to reveal the insidious tentacles of patriarchy creeping through everything was somehow both liberating and disheartening. Women have survived some horrible shit, sometimes with no help from doctors, and others in spite of the very medical attention meant to cure their ills.
Of the many topics covered, here are just a few that will stay with me:
• hysteria, hormones, and the other excuses to dismiss women's pain altogether or root it in psychology
• abortion, forced sterilization, birth control, eugenics, and all the ways women's reproduction is more valued than her own well-being and decided by the medical apparatus
• the way medical knowledge has been accrued without female input or consent in so many cases -- I was especially horrified by accounts of research done on enslaved Black American women and the more recent trials of The Pill on Puerto Rican women without knowledge of the risks
• the lack of knowledge, empathy, and support for women with chronic pain conditions
This is far from a complete history, but I don't think that's feasible for one book, anyway. It's largely focused on the US and UK, but I was relieved that the author addresses race, class, and gender identity as intersectional factors in women's health. I will carry these thoughts into my own experiences as a patient, and I want to learn even more about this topic and advocacy.
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cancer, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment