parva_trinity's review
4.0
This book is exactly what I needed. I was seeking more information about how other females and people who get periods respond to their flow and how that impacts them and other people. I love how in-depth each other went into their period journeys or how society reacts to periods. The only thing that help me back from giving this 5 stars to that the author's stories are not organized into categories based on similarity. I think that organizing the book by first-period stories, unique perspectives, and then societal perceptions of periods that would give the book a better flow (no pun intended) all together, as opposed to putting these others in another order.
snchard's review
4.0
Like many other reviewers, I found myself thinking that this is the book I wished for when I was younger and new to menstruation. I was pleased with the message that normal doesn't really exist, but at the same time, I am not sure my 11 year old self would be as appreciative of the message. I do think it's important to talk openly about it to try to relieve some of the stigma menstruation carries, and I was super impressed that this anthology included such diverse points of view, including intersex and trans authors. I'm pleased to have purchased a copy for my library, and it will certainly be one I recommend if anyone come hunting for information on the subject.
emeelee's review
3.0
Menstruation stigma is a global human rights issue. When people who menstruate don’t have the means to safely manage their periods, when they don’t have access to supplies, or to bathrooms where they feel safe, they miss out on education and the opportunities it leads to. All societies suffer when half their populations have their educational and economic potential cut short.
3.5 stars. Period is a collection of essays, mostly biographical, by various authors surrounding the subject of menstruation. It is not a book about reproductive anatomy, but rather how periods affect the people who experience them, in ways as varied and similar as the people are themselves. It is about the culture of shame and silence that has historically surrounded this topic, and the necessity of sharing period stories in order to normalize this experience and move toward making it equitable and non-limiting for all.
Periods happen to lots and lots of people. Many of them are women and girls, but those of us who are something else should have a context for our experience and a way of talking about it without being misgendered.
What this essay collection has accomplished really well is including a diverse range of contributors. Included are essays about having a period while: intersex; transgender; black; wheelchair-bound; homeless. The essays are fairly US-centric, though. I especially enjoyed Kylyssa Shay's essay on homeless menstrual experiences and Jennifer Weiss-Wolf's about the politics of periods (including the "Tampon Tax"). I've been inspired to start regularly donating menstrual products to local shelters and charities.
It’s not unreasonable to provide free menstrual products everywhere[…] We have free toilet paper, so wanting the same for menstrual products is not extreme. This is a normal human function.
Though many of the essays were short and a bit shallow, I think Period broaches a taboo topic in an accessible and attractive way. The book has a very pleasing format and design, which is a mixture of the traditionally feminine (pink, fancy typescript) and traditionally grotesque ("blood-stained" edges and splash pages). There's also suggestions for further reading/watching in the back of the book. This is a quick read, and worth the time it takes to do so.
By establishing an expectation of period shaming, many modern societies prevent the opportunity to actually bond over an experience that half of the world’s population will likely have in their life.
sharondblk's review
2.0
I applaud the attempt to remove shame from what is a basic biological function, and the attempt to hear a variety of voices on the topic. The problem for me is that essays were all really shallow, and did not explore the topic deeply. By essay 12 - a very shallow cultural review - I was only reading because I like to finish things.
I deliberately spread out the chapters, because I know books like this can often feel a bit samey by the end, but that didn't help. Maybe there is something to be said for the universality of period stories, despite the breadth it felt like they were aiming for. I would have welcoming this book when I was 14, and I'm glad the stigma around talking about periods is being lifted. This book is a valuable contributor to that, even if I did find it rather tedious.
I deliberately spread out the chapters, because I know books like this can often feel a bit samey by the end, but that didn't help. Maybe there is something to be said for the universality of period stories, despite the breadth it felt like they were aiming for. I would have welcoming this book when I was 14, and I'm glad the stigma around talking about periods is being lifted. This book is a valuable contributor to that, even if I did find it rather tedious.
peyton_'s review
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
A great book and a wonderful diversity of stories.
maggie_daydreaming's review
4.0
I've been reading a lot of period books and articles lately, but that doesn't stop this one from being good. Because it is: quite good.
This book contains twelve pieces focusing on different aspects of periods, all interesting, informative, and well-written. I really enjoyed reading it and I'd recommend it to anyone, not just people with periods.
Enjoy!
This book contains twelve pieces focusing on different aspects of periods, all interesting, informative, and well-written. I really enjoyed reading it and I'd recommend it to anyone, not just people with periods.
Enjoy!
lkofmehl's review
5.0
great for anyone who thinks they know anything about periods (newsflash, you don't)
even better for your pre-teen who is nervous about them and thinks they are dirty or disgusting (they aren't)
even better for your pre-teen who is nervous about them and thinks they are dirty or disgusting (they aren't)
mkat303's review
3.0
This was a quick read, but I did wind up skimming or skipping some essays, so there's that. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it felt like women's /gender studies 101 a bit to me. I dunno - maybe at age 50, I just have little interest in reading about anyone's first period experiences. The essay on having a period while homeless was useful. And I loved the essay on free bleeding while running a marathon. Folks who are looking for trans and intersex writing on periods will find essays here. But what gives about the essay that's really a series of emails between two friends talking about "period feminism"? What the hell is "period feminism"? The only reference to that phrase I could find googling was from - ugh - the founder of Thinx (a brand of period underwear), hardly a feminist.