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emguresh94's review against another edition
This was a book for my book club. It's not my genre or interest so I didn't feel like finishing it
deborah1's review
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.5
This book is very fun. Mara talks as though she was your big sister just dishing out advice about bodies, but has talked to the experts and presents a balanced and informed view of issues.
kpeninger's review
4.0
This is definitely not a book for everyone. Rather than being general pop science, this is more a combination of personal essay and pop science, so the book focuses on what the author is intrigued by, largely based on her experiences with her own body, and she details those experiences. So if you want just a normal pop science book about weird things bodies do, this isn't for you.
I enjoyed, however, the combination. It was interesting to see the body more intimately than a general pop science book would allow - rather than an abstracted body that has weird chin hairs, it was the author's, and she was allowed to delve into why she's so self-conscious about it, the history of the beauty standards, and the different ways people deal with it. And in this book I actually learned what hemorrhoids are, a thing that is always mentioned in a vague way without real description - and this book not only explains what they are, but what it's like to have them! AND DID YOU KNOW HUMAN BODIES HAVE TWO ANAL SPHINCTERS? THAT'S SO COOL. I do wonder, if bodies were explored more in this way, how many people would catch illnesses/diseases/something malfunctioning EARLIER than by trying to parse pseudo-medical language when googling.
There were some less interesting parts. I thought the chapter on breasts was a total letdown. When Altman pairs her personal experiences with anatomy/physiology/psychology/patriarchy/etc explanations, her chapters really shine. When it is just a chapter on personal experiences with little else, like her chapter on breasts, it just felt misplaced. Her afternoon doing a topless bicycle ride I thought would have fit better into a true collection of personal essays.
And while I'm not sure how I feel about it, I DID find her way of conveying interviews... very different. In pop science books, the experts being interviewed are always treated with respect and a certain amount of distance by the author's writing. Altman was much more willing to ascribe emotions, reactions, and behaviours to the people she was interviewing. It was a little jarring at first, to not have that distance, and I do wonder how the experts felt about being described in various ways.
Overall: enjoyable book, lots of interesting stuff, but I think one of my takeaways is that I want to read ANOTHER pop science style book on the body, and one that dives in a little deeper to different things, as this was really a broad look.
I enjoyed, however, the combination. It was interesting to see the body more intimately than a general pop science book would allow - rather than an abstracted body that has weird chin hairs, it was the author's, and she was allowed to delve into why she's so self-conscious about it, the history of the beauty standards, and the different ways people deal with it. And in this book I actually learned what hemorrhoids are, a thing that is always mentioned in a vague way without real description - and this book not only explains what they are, but what it's like to have them! AND DID YOU KNOW HUMAN BODIES HAVE TWO ANAL SPHINCTERS? THAT'S SO COOL. I do wonder, if bodies were explored more in this way, how many people would catch illnesses/diseases/something malfunctioning EARLIER than by trying to parse pseudo-medical language when googling.
There were some less interesting parts. I thought the chapter on breasts was a total letdown. When Altman pairs her personal experiences with anatomy/physiology/psychology/patriarchy/etc explanations, her chapters really shine. When it is just a chapter on personal experiences with little else, like her chapter on breasts, it just felt misplaced. Her afternoon doing a topless bicycle ride I thought would have fit better into a true collection of personal essays.
And while I'm not sure how I feel about it, I DID find her way of conveying interviews... very different. In pop science books, the experts being interviewed are always treated with respect and a certain amount of distance by the author's writing. Altman was much more willing to ascribe emotions, reactions, and behaviours to the people she was interviewing. It was a little jarring at first, to not have that distance, and I do wonder how the experts felt about being described in various ways.
Overall: enjoyable book, lots of interesting stuff, but I think one of my takeaways is that I want to read ANOTHER pop science style book on the body, and one that dives in a little deeper to different things, as this was really a broad look.
moondance120's review
3.0
It was the turn of the century
Mara Altman has an almost David Sedaris vibe to her writing. The book starts out with her obsessing about body hair. Some things were too funny because you know we have all been there. Others things dragged a bit as they were discussed over and over. Mara meanders through the human body, wisecracking about everything from lice to sex. A funny adventure that I would recommend reading a little at a time.
Mara Altman has an almost David Sedaris vibe to her writing. The book starts out with her obsessing about body hair. Some things were too funny because you know we have all been there. Others things dragged a bit as they were discussed over and over. Mara meanders through the human body, wisecracking about everything from lice to sex. A funny adventure that I would recommend reading a little at a time.
msschaake's review
4.0
This book is definitely “gross,” in that it explores almost every question you might have had about the female body without sugar coating, or polishing the results for political correctness. It was a fascinating mix of personal vulnerabilities and stories, paired with scientist, psychologist, and other expert interviews to provide insights into everything from leg hair and fainting to vaginal smell and sex sounds. The author is like a best friend who will let you ask anything without shame, with the added bonus of researching the historical, societal, cultural, and biological contexts. Normalize women’s issues, even (or especially!) the “gross.”