Book picks similar to
Period. by Natalie Byrne


feminism
non-fiction
period-books
sex

The Big Lie: Motherhood, Feminism, and the Reality of the Biological Clock


Tanya Selvaratnam - 2014
    That is the message of this eye-opening discussion of the consequences of delayed motherhood. Part personal account, part manifesto, Selvaratnam recounts her emotional journey through multiple miscarriages after the age of 37. Her doctor told her she still "had time," but Selvaratnam found little reliable and often conflicting information about a mature woman's biological ability (or inability) to conceive.      Beyond her personal story, the author speaks to women in similar situations around the country, as well as fertility doctors, adoption counselors, reproductive health professionals, celebrities, feminists, journalists, and sociologists. Through in-depth reporting and her own experience, Selvaratnam urges more widespread education and open discussion about delayed motherhood in the hope that long-lasting solutions can take effect. The result is a book full of valuable information that will enable women to make smarter choices about their reproductive futures and to strike a more realistic balance between science, society and personal goals.

Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History


Blair Imani - 2018
    Despite making huge contributions to the liberation movements of the last century and today, all of these trailblazers come from backgrounds and communities that are traditionally overlooked and under-celebrated: not just women, but people of color, queer people, trans people, disabled people, young people, and people of faith. Authored by rising star activist Blair Imani, Modern HERstory tells the important stories of the leaders and movements that are changing the world right here and right now--and will inspire you to do the same.

The Sensuous Man


M - 1971
    Men can no longer get by on good looks and a good line. Women want more. The good news is that you can give it to them!Here is an expert's guide to becoming the kind of lover that every woman dreams of, written by a man who may be the world's most accomplished sexual superstar. Now "M" is sharing the erotic techniques it took him years to learn, in a book that will open undreamed of world of pleasure... to you AND her!A man's first shot in the sexual revolution. Isn't it about time you joined?

Pussy: A Reclamation


Regena Thomashauer - 2016
    Author, educator, and School of Womanly Arts founder Regena Thomashauer has been working with women for the past 25 years, and what began as just a few women in her living room has since grown into a global movement with thousands of graduates worldwide.In her newest book, Pussy: A Reclamation, you’ll discover what no one taught you about the source of your feminine power and how to use it. It’s no secret that women today are still undervalued at home, at work, and in relationship. Too many of us are at war with our bodies and disconnected from our truth.See, we live in a culture that teaches us to turn off. To play small. To take care of everyone else first. To keep a lid on our dreams and a cork on our truth.This book is written to reacquaint a woman with her own power source—which is the part of herself she has been taught to ignore, push down, and despise. Indeed, the word that most viscerally sums up that power is, as Regena puts it, “arguably the most powerful pejorative word in the English language.” Like any expletive used effectively, the title of this book is meant to be a wake-up call. It is a reclamation, in a world that desperately requires the feminine.Here’s what you’ll learn:The key practices required to seek and speak your deepest truth, no matter whatHow to embody radical self-celebration, and why it will change your lifeHow to end the war with your body—and rather, see it for what it is: beautiful, sacred, powerful, and so, so worthy of approvalHow to trade depletion, obligation, overwork, and resentment for gratitude-filled, passionate contribution to our families, communities, and societyWhy a woman’s sensual awareness is critical for her spiritual, intellectual, and emotional healthWhat’s ahead on the next frontier of feminism—and how you can help make it happenAnd oh so much, much moreThis provocative, groundbreaking book brings forth a whole new paradigm for women, along with game-changing tools and practices to navigate any area of your life—relationships, career, body, confidence, sensuality, and more.By turns earthy and erudite, passionately argued and laugh-out-loud funny, Pussy delivers the tools and practices a woman requires to do and be whatever she wants in this life. It’s a call for her to tune in, turn on, and not drop out—but live more richly, fully, and lusciously than she ever thought she could.There’s a revolution afoot, and you’re invited.

Material Girls: Why Reality Matters for Feminism


Kathleen Stock - 2021
    It makes a clear and humane feminist case for retaining the ability to discuss material reality about biological sex in a range of important contexts, including female-only spaces and resources, healthcare, epidemiology, political organization and data collection. It investigates the intellectual history of gender identity, showing how the concept is linked to a misguided philosophical picture which broadly rejects science and conflates facts about intersex people with facts about trans people. Material Girls concludes with a positive vision for the future, of collaboration between feminists and trans activists, detailing how they could work together to achieve some of their political aims.

Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights


Karen Blumenthal - 2020
    Wade and the continuing battle for women's rights, Blumenthal examines, in a straightforward tone, the root causes of the current debate around abortion and repercussions that have affected generations of American women.This eye-opening book is the perfect tool to facilitate difficult discussions and awareness of a topic that is rarely touched on in school but affects each and every young person. It's also perfect for fans of Steve Sheinkin and Deborah Heiligman.This journalistic look at the history of abortion and the landmark case of Roe v. Wade is an important and necessary book.

The Dance of Intimacy: A Woman's Guide to Courageous Acts of Change in Key Relationships


Harriet Lerner - 1989
    Taking a careful look at those relationships where intimacy is most challenged--by distance, intensity, or pain--she teaches us about the specific changes we can make to achieve a more solid sense of self and a more intimate connectedness with others. Combining clear advice with vivid case examples, Dr. Lerner offers us the most solid, helpful book on intimate relationships that both women and men may ever encounter.

Commute: An Illustrated Memoir of Female Shame


Erin Williams - 2019
    As she moves through the world navigating banal, familiar, and sometimes uncomfortable interactions with the familiar-faced strangers she sees daily, Williams weaves together a riveting collection of flashbacks. Her recollections highlight the indefinable moments when lines are crossed and a woman must ask herself if the only way to avoid being objectified is to simply cease to draw any attention to her physical being. She delves into the gray space that lives between consent and assault and tenderly explores the complexity of the shame, guilt, vulnerability, and responsibility attached to both.

The Panic Years: Dates, Doubts, and the Mother of All Decisions


Nell Frizzell - 2021
    During this time, every decision a woman makes - from postcode to partner, friends to family, work to weekends - will be impacted by the urgency of the one decision with a deadline, the one decision that is impossible to take back: whether or not to have a baby.But how to stay sane in such a maddening time?How to understand who you are and what you might want from life?How to know if you're making the right decisions?Raw, hilarious and beguilingly honest, Nell Frizzell's account of her panic years is both an arm around the shoulder and a campaign to start a conversation. This affects us all - women, men, mothers, children, partners, friends, colleagues - so it's time we started talking about it with a little more candour.

Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow into Troublesome Gaps — and What We Can Do About It


Lise Eliot - 2009
    As a result, we've come to accept that boys can't focus in a classroom and girls are obsessed with relationships. That's just the way they're built. In Pink Brain Blue Brain, neuroscientist Lise Eliot turns that thinking on its head. Based on years of exhaustive research and her own work in the new field of plasticity, Eliot argues that infant brains are so malleable that a few small differences at birth become amplified over time, as parents and teachers—and the culture at large—unwittingly reinforce gender stereotypes. Perhaps surprisingly, children themselves exacerbate the differences, by playing to their modest strengths. They constantly exercise those “ball-throwing” or “doll-cuddling” circuits, rarely straying from their comfort zones. But this, says Eliot, is just what they need to do. And parents can help, if they know how and when to intervene. Presenting the latest science at every developmental stage, from birth to puberty, she zeroes in on the precise differences between boys and girls, erasing harmful stereotypes. Boys are not, in fact, “better at math” but at certain kinds of spatial reasoning. Girls are not naturally more empathetic, they’re just encouraged to express their feelings. By appreciating how sex differences emerge—rather than assuming them to be fixed biological facts—we can help all children reach their fullest potential, close the troubling gaps between boys and girls, and ultimately end the gender wars that currently divide us.

Full Exposure: Opening Up to Sexual Creativity and Erotic Expression


Susie Bright - 2000
    Bright explores some of the most complex questions about sexuality todaym including:What are the real differences between men's and women's sense of the erotic?Why is it so threatening to conscioulsy address sexual desire?Is there a line to be drawn in erotic creativity-can you go so far?How can articulate erotic expression make us better lovers, more important, better people?

Helloflo: The Guide, Period.: The Everything Puberty Book for the Modern Girl


Naama Bloom - 2017
    -- Health.com"Full of practical advice, helpful explanations, and messages of encouragement...Period." -- Parents.comFrom the founder of HelloFlo, a modern and insightful guide to periods and puberty for a new generation When will I get boobs?Does wearing a tampon hurt?What's the deal with menstrual cups?Seriously, when will I get boobs?Honest, funny, and unafraid of the messy, real-life facts about a girl's changing body, this is definitely not your mother's puberty book. HelloFlo founder Naama Bloom's mission is to create informed, empowered young women who are unafraid to ask questions and make the best choices for themselves and their bodies. A celebration of women's bodies and all the confusing, uncomfortable, silly, transformative, and powerful changes that occur during puberty.This full-color book--written by HelloFlo founder, Naama Bloom, and journalist Glynnis MacNicol--features bright, diverse, approachable illustrations and infographics, doctor-vetted information, and personal testimonials from real girls and women.

What a Time to Be Alone: The Slumflower's Guide to Why You Are Already Enough


Chidera Eggerue - 2018
    Empowering, intimate and full of heart: this highly-anticipated debut book from the online sensation 'The Slumflower', aka Chidera Eggerue, the unstoppable force behind the ground-breaking movement #SAGGYBOOBSMATTER, is essential reading for all young women. It's time to take charge of your life.In What A Time To Be Alone, The Slumflower will be your life guru, confidante and best friend. She'll show you that being alone is not just okay: it's just about the best freaking thing that's ever happened to you. As she says, 'You're bad as hell and you were made with intention.' It's about time you realised.Peppered with insightful Igbo proverbs from Chidera's Nigerian mother and full of her own original artwork, What A Time To Be Alone will help you navigate the modern world. We can all decide our own fates and Chidera shows us how, using a three-part approach filled with sass, wisdom and charm.Learn how to celebrate YOU - decide your self-worth, take time to heal and empower yourself in this messy world.Don't worry about THEM - avoid other people's demons and realize that everyone is protecting themselves from something - no matter how aggressive their method.Feel the togetherness in US - sustain and grow healthy relationships and avoid toxicity in your friendships.Own your story. Create your own narrative. Read this book. #WATTBA

Menopause Confidential: A Doctor Reveals the Secrets to Thriving Through Midlife


Tara Allmen - 2016
    Menopause affects every aspect of life—from sex and sleep to mood and mental clarity to weight and body temperature. While there are a number of resources available, many are confusing and contradictory. Now, Manhattan gynecologist Dr. Tara Allmen, an experienced, nationally board-certified menopause practitioner and the recipient of the 2015 Doctor’s Choice National Award for Obstetrics & Gynecology, shares her knowledge to help women be their happiest and healthiest, and turn this challenging time into an exciting one.Written in her effervescent yet assured voice, Menopause Confidential provides simple strategies and cutting-edge information on:hormonal changes and the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause;the health risks associated with midlife—from cutting through the conflicting opinions and advice about health screenings (Do I really need a colonoscopy? How often should I get a mammogram?) to common medical conditions, such as osteoporosis;various remedies, both allopathic and natural, to combat symptoms and empower women to make the best choices for their individual needs;practical tips and resources for mitigating the effects of menopause.Fifty-one-year-old Dr. Allmen knows firsthand what women are going through, and shares stories of her own personal travails and solutions. Women can’t turn back the clock, but they can take control of their health and flourish in midlife. Menopause Confidential encourages them to be informed, be proactive, and be their greatest selves.

The 30-Day Love Detox: Cleanse Yourself of Bad Boys, Cheaters, and Men Who Won't Commit - And Find a Real Relationship


Wendy Walsh - 2013
    We can do what we want and date who we want, but do we have the tools to navigate our hard-won sexual freedom? Now, from the dating doyenne of the Sex and the City generation comes a groundbreaking prescription for smart, savvy, slow-love. Dr. Wendy Walsh's outside-the-box approach to relationships turns traditional thinking on its head by using evolutionary psychology to offer advice that is both empowering and practical.In The 30-Day Love Detox, Walsh offers a step-by-step, five-part attachment strategy with a 30-day "detox" that helps weed out the bad boys and sets you up to meet the right guy, including:- The five sexual myths that keep women single- When to say yes to sex in a new relationship- How to use technology to bring your crush closer- How to spot a commitment-oriented man at his peak readinessMelding scientific research, anthropological truths, and proven techniques, The 30-Day Love Detox is a revolutionary road map to finding lasting love in a modern world.