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733 reviews

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 14 by AidaIro

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 13 by AidaIro

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Invisible Labor: The Untold Story of the Cesarean Section by Rachel Somerstein

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

I really have to give my library credit here. I saw this book in the new arrivals section of my very small branch and thought, "Hey this might be relevant to me one day and maybe I'll learn something new." Little did I know that this book was going to be one of the best, if not the best, feminist read of the year for me. Only recently published as of 2024, Invisible Labor: The Untold Story of the Cesarean Section by Rachel Somerstein touches on everything and more about C-sections; topics you knew could be connected, like obstetrics' and gynecology's combined history with slavery, and topics not as known, such as how much corporations, private sectors, and sheer laziness has kept C-section rates high all across the country.

This book isn't simply a book about C-sections, this is a book about reproductive justice at its core. How women, and people who choose to have children, deserve better care on all levels. It can be gut-wrenching at times to read, I definitely gasped and choked up a bit at the horror of it all. But throughout the book, there was a continued thread of hope Somerstein tried to insert, especially in the latter half. Even as everything seems hopeless, there are still individuals and groups of people who believe in better care for all patients. However, as this book touches on racism, misogyny, sexism, classism, medical abuse and gaslighting, as well as medical trauma, I highly, HIGHLY recommend looking at the trigger warnings I listed below my review, as well as taking the time to measure your own mental health and emotional wellbeing before and throughout the reading.

I found the book to have an easy pace to follow, but it was more of a medium-slow pace due to the need to take breaks from the heavy subject matter. Still, the chapter placement was well done, each chapter expanding on the last, yet each has its own satisfactory conclusion. The presentation of the information felt easy to consume, Somerstein has a wonderful, down-to-earth countenance. I think my only exception to this project, and why I couldn't give this book 5 stars, was that across all the anecdotes given, even with the varied race, ethnicity, and gender, Somerstein does lean heavily into her academic roots. Often, many of the anecdotes were prefaced with the fact that the person was a PhD holder, or working on similar higher education. I don't think it's wrong at all to want professional and authoritative voices in a nonfiction book, especially on something as unreported on as C-sections and women's health, however, this is where Somerstein shows a bit of bias. I just would've liked a touch of the average person's voice in this matter. Naturally, Somerstein already inserted her biases right off the bat with her own experiences coloring her entire motivation to reporting on C-sections and writing this book. So, I would simply warn to expect that going in.

To conclude this quite wordy review, I hope that many people, of all types, are able to read this book. The facts on the medicalization of birth and the financialization of the medical system, the way eugenics and class affect every corner of our lives, including how we come into this world, are very important and eye-opening to read about. If you weren't radicalized before reading this, you soon will be.

Content Warnings