Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology by Deirdre Cooper Owens

17 reviews

randisworld's review against another edition

dark informative medium-paced

4.0

Troublesome history but necessary to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Medical trauma

bardic_llama's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-paced

3.5

With the title, it seemed as it was going to be encompassing multiple eras of history and groups so it was somewhat disappointing to discover it was only about the era surrounding antebellum south. Cause it seems like that should’ve been a good chunk of the book but not all of it. Like I was expecting the book to go over how being transgender has affected gynecology as well. Even then the book was still more about covering the procedures instead of the individual people & groups.

That said it was still a good read, I just think this is one of those where I’d be more interested in reading the person’s research for the book instead. And I’m still happy (happy’s not the right word) to have read this as I was able to learn a vast majority of medical advances in gynecology were at the expense/torment of slaves. Which while I want to say is surprising, at least to me, it isn’t as America was built on the back of racist institutions/disparities that still haven’t been fixed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Rape, Sexual violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Colonisation

nahae's review against another edition

dark informative reflective fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

jim_jam's review

challenging informative medium-paced

4.0

I found it a bit frustrating in that the author kept jumping around between different people and their experiences. I wanted to know more about individual people. I thought the inclusion of Irish-American women as a comparison group was very interesting. Equally, I respect the author’s reasons for not going into medical detail but it was quite frustrating as sometimes it was unclear from the descriptions what happened to the women. A good book though, would recommend. 

My favourite quote: “Academics might have declared race a social construct but doctors seemed to treat my blackness as biological.” 
(N.b. Author did not capitalise blackness hence I haven’t in the quote)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Medical content, and Medical trauma

isabellarob73's review

challenging dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Abortion

ashlyn's review against another edition

challenging informative slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infertility, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Excrement

nesscress's review against another edition

challenging informative slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Medical content, and Medical trauma