Reviews
The Birth of the Pill: How Four Crusaders Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution, by Jonathan Eig
sarajean37's review
3.0
Although this book contains important information, there are likely better written books on the subject. This is clearly a mass-market nonfiction book. The story is often jarringly nonlinear. On more than one occasion, a new chapter catapults the reader back three decades in time with only the thinnest of cords connecting the end of the previous chapter with the beginning of the next. Other cultural or scientific phenomena are suggested but never fully explained, such as the possible impact of thalidomide on the Pill trials. Likewise, the beginning of stories are told in great detail while leaving the end nebulous (such as the Puerto Rico trials). This is a good introduction for someone who wants a story about hormonal birth control and the people who made it possible, but please do not mistake it for a scholarly work and be ready to look around for Paul Harvey to give you the rest of the story.
lraeskat's review
5.0
Loved that this was focused equally on what happened with the four people who helped bring a BC pill about as well as WHY they wanted to. Extremely informative without being dry.
lizmart88's review
3.0
Very enlightening and interesting book. Follows the four crusaders who were instrumental in creating the pill. The book moves along at a quick pace and avoids being overly descriptive of the science while still explaining enough science as to how it works. It occasionally lags a little but overall is a fast and interesting read for anyone intere6im this invention.
carroq's review
5.0
This was a really interesting book. A lot of history books can be pretty dry, but Jonathan Eig does a good job of making it accessible. It is not a narrative history like "The Devil in the White City" though. The one complaint I do have is that it can be a bit repetitive toward the end. That aside, I highly recommend this book.
As the title indicates, it follows the story of four people involved in the creation of the birth control pill. Dr. Gregory Pincus leads the research and development of the pill. Dr. John Rock helps to get it tested and into circulation. Margaret Sanger sparks the idea and does promotional efforts. Katharine McCormick provides funding for the project. Each one is introduced separately and their stories are woven together extremely well. The book follows the pill from its lowly beginning in a house turned research lab through its testing and approval by the FDA.
Eig presents the positives and negatives that were brought up around the creation of the pill as well. Although it does slant toward the pill being positive overall, this approach does balance out the book a great deal.
As the title indicates, it follows the story of four people involved in the creation of the birth control pill. Dr. Gregory Pincus leads the research and development of the pill. Dr. John Rock helps to get it tested and into circulation. Margaret Sanger sparks the idea and does promotional efforts. Katharine McCormick provides funding for the project. Each one is introduced separately and their stories are woven together extremely well. The book follows the pill from its lowly beginning in a house turned research lab through its testing and approval by the FDA.
Eig presents the positives and negatives that were brought up around the creation of the pill as well. Although it does slant toward the pill being positive overall, this approach does balance out the book a great deal.
sam8834's review
4.0
A good, quick read, told in a narrative, accessible style (which isn't usually my preference when reading nonfiction, but I realize many people feel the opposite). It's a good reminder of how important The Pill was and is, to women and men, and this book will likely give you a greater appreciation for the work of generations before us to make better birth control a reality.
socraticgadfly's review
4.0
Good overview of the development of the Pill, along with being a mini-bio of its "creator," Goody Pincus. Also touches on Margaret Sanger's involvement, and her connection with the eugenics movement, without either denying it or hyping it beyond what it actually was.
andie_k's review
4.0
Well written and informative, shows how far feminism has come in the last 50-60 years and how far it still has to go
ssejig's review
3.0
Argh. I hate it when I find errors in nonfiction books. It starts to make me wonder about the research quality of the entire book. I realize that all books have errors but so early in the book? Alfred Kinsey worked at Indiana University, not the University of Indiana (which is is Pennsylvania). There was even a movie about this that premiered on the IU campus! Unfortunately, this happened within the first 20 pages of the book and threw me off for the rest of the book.
But I soldiered through (after taking a long break) because the review from the Book Riot podcast was so positive. It was well-written. It was interesting. For a an overly analytical reader like me, the early mistake stuck with me for far too long.
But I soldiered through (after taking a long break) because the review from the Book Riot podcast was so positive. It was well-written. It was interesting. For a an overly analytical reader like me, the early mistake stuck with me for far too long.
caitlin21521's review
4.0
This was really a very interesting read. It is less about the women who were involved in the early trials for the Pill than it is about the four individuals who spearheaded the research and funding for the Pill: Margaret Sanger (the crusader), Katharine McCormick (the millionaire activist), John Rock (the Catholic doctor), and Gregory Pincus (the scientist). The hoops they had to jump through with first the drug companies, then Planned Parenthood who began pulling away from Sanger and losing interest in funding the projects, then later, the Catholic Church and the FDA are tremendous.
Some notes:
- I really found Katharine McCormick a very interesting woman, and her backstory is well worth looking into.
- Pincus, after finally accomplishing the initial project, continued to research ways to improve upon the original formula, and also had ideas for creating what he called "the Next Morning Pill", which was later accomplished in the 80s by the French scientist he'd been discussing the idea with.
- The Worcester Foundation, where Pincus did most of his research and work, continued to operate into the 70s, and was involved in the early research that led to the development of Tamoxifen.
- The original Pill (Enovid) came in a bottle and women frequently forgot to take them regularly. One flustered husband came up with a method to help his wife keep track of the pills and dates, and came up with an invention of a pill pack that he submitted to the drug companies who were developing and marketing their own pills. He had to sue them for royalties because they used his design ideas but rejected his original application.
Some notes:
- I really found Katharine McCormick a very interesting woman, and her backstory is well worth looking into.
- Pincus, after finally accomplishing the initial project, continued to research ways to improve upon the original formula, and also had ideas for creating what he called "the Next Morning Pill", which was later accomplished in the 80s by the French scientist he'd been discussing the idea with.
- The Worcester Foundation, where Pincus did most of his research and work, continued to operate into the 70s, and was involved in the early research that led to the development of Tamoxifen.
- The original Pill (Enovid) came in a bottle and women frequently forgot to take them regularly. One flustered husband came up with a method to help his wife keep track of the pills and dates, and came up with an invention of a pill pack that he submitted to the drug companies who were developing and marketing their own pills. He had to sue them for royalties because they used his design ideas but rejected his original application.