Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine and Myth in a Man-Made World by Elinor Cleghorn

9 reviews

emilykfitzgerald's review against another edition

This book gives an interesting glimpse into the history of female healthcare but is severely lacking in intersectionality diversity, mostly of the talking points are from a posh white perspective. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Classism

gl00p's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

This book is mostly sad and dark but also contains some optimistic content and speaks of those (of any gender) having advanced the state of things. Avoid if you don't want a depressing read.

writingforlife's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, and Pregnancy

seventhswan's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

2.75

The arguments at the centre of this book are so, so important, which only makes it more frustrating that the quality of the historical research in here was... not great. The factual and historiographical problems other reviewers pointed out are largely inconsequential and have no bearing on the main point of the work, but their presence could undermine the rest of the book, which is a shame. I really valued the commitment made to calling out medical racism as well as misogyny, and was pleased that there were no TERFy overtones in the writing. I wouldn't recommend this as a history of women's health, but the ideas at the root of the book are sound.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Medical content, Abortion, and Pregnancy

Minor: Cancer and Domestic abuse

antoniamshmmr's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring reflective

4.5

The book shines light on the way women have historically been treated in medicine and how it affects women to this day. A very informative summary of the wide history of western medicine is given throughout the book, while explaining all the systemic problems such as racism, sexism, etc. that women and non-binary people had to face. 

One thing I would‘ve liked to see in the book would be a comparison or  simply some information about the medicine of non-western society as this book mainly focuses on USA/UK and partly some other western countries. To keep a red lining I understand that this might be difficult to include though.

Overall a very good read – painful sometimes – seeing that so many aspects of inequality retain to this day. I am positive this book helps a lot of (unwell) women to focus on what doctors are telling them and how historical inequalities may be hidden within those words.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Abortion, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, and Colonisation

Minor: Suicide

justmehayleyb's review against another edition

challenging dark informative slow-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Pandemic/Epidemic

reading_for_pluto's review against another edition

informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Classism

burdasnest's review against another edition

informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

 This book made me feel seen and connected to all of the women in our time and the past who suffered medically because of their sex. Cleghorn acknowledges intersectionality and inequity well, but keep in mind that this is focused on western medical history and knowledge and cisgender women. She also emphasizes the absolute importance of the myriad issues we have before us as unwell women. I feel called to advocate and act by this book, and think that it should be required in health curriculum in higher education from physiology to public health. 

---

Content Warnings

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

marybsimp's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

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