Our Bodies Ourselves For The New Century (A Touchstone book) [Paperback]

Boston Women's Health Book Collective (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Touchstone book | Publication Date: May 4, 1998

The essential resource on women's health and sexuality comes of age in this newly revised and updated edition of a long-loved classic.

"Our Bodies, Ourselves for the New Century" reflects the vital health concerns of women of diverse ages, ethnic and racial backgrounds, and sexual orientations. In these pages, women will find new information, resources (including web sites!), and personal support for the decisions that will shape their health-- and their lives-- from living a healthy life, to relationships and sexuality, to child-bearing, growing older, dealing with the medical system, and organizing for change. This is a book for women of all generations to use, to rely on, and to share with others.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In a major update of the book that helped to launch the women's health movement, Our Bodies, Ourselves for the New Century updates the classic with chapters on such issues as online health resources, AIDS, and managed care. At the same time, it expands its appeal by addressing the concerns of an increasingly diverse readership, from lesbians to women of color, from women with disabilities to women of all age groups.

Yet the book, by the nonprofit Boston Women's Health Book Collective, remains true to the spirit of those empowering discussions women were first having in the 1960s and 1970s about their bodies: "As the millennium approaches, our original goals for this book remain as important as ever: to fit as much information about women's health between the covers of this book as we can, providing women with tools to enable all of us to take charge of our health and lives; to support women and men who work for progressive change; and to work to create a just society in which good health is not a luxury or a privilege but a human right."

By updating and continuing to tackle such topics as body image, sexuality, contraception, childbearing, breast cancer, and the politics of women's health, this edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves keeps giving women the power and the knowledge to take charge of their own health. It remains a valuable resource for women of all ages and backgrounds.

Review

Gloria Steinem Within these pages, you will find the voice of a women's health movement that is based on shared experience. Listen to it -- and add your own. -- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 784 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (May 4, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684842319
• ISBN-13: 978-0684842318
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You will reach for this book again and again and again and, April 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Our Bodies Ourselves For The New Century (A Touchstone book) (Paperback)

When a friend bought me my first copy, I scoffed...until I desperately needed info one morning at 4 a.m.! This new edition is truly the most valuable, informative and comforting resource a woman can own. Like a 24-hr health helpline, it gives you complete, easy-to-understand info on even the smallest question you have about your body - often including "trade secrets" that many women have known and used for successfully years, but that doctors forego in lieu of relying solely on prescription meds. Written by women, OBOS not only tells you "what's normal" for most women's bodies, but also provides a quick guide to warning signs, technical terms, healthcare options - anything and everything you want to know when your body is at stake. Common cures; Herbal supplements; Preventative Care; Prescription drugs (and side effects); Support Groups; Diagrams; Photographs; Web sites ... it's all in here. And it's all about YOU.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only women's health book that's personal & political!, August 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Our Bodies Ourselves For The New Century (A Touchstone book) (Paperback)

A must for every woman. This book has been around for almost thirty years in one form or another, constantly expanded and updated. The present version, a dynamic combination of the old and the new, contains information we all need, and places our personal experiences with health care in a political context. What happens to you may be happening to others. You may have some new knowledge or insights. Use this book as a reference, and gather your friends together to discuss the subjects, adding your own stories, and band together to change adverse conditions. Women working together mean strength and accomplishment. You can keep the women's health movement alive. And remember, you don't have to be a "professional." The original authors of the book were guided by their passion and their will to change health and medical care for women. Good luck!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for every woman, January 16, 2000

By 

Sarah (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Our Bodies Ourselves For The New Century (A Touchstone book) (Paperback)

I read my first copy of this book at 14, and I don't know where I would be today without it. It taught me about birth control, sexually transmitted diseases and answered questions I had about my anatomy and emerging sexuality that I desperately needed to know, but didn't know who to ask. Every woman should have access to this book. I gave my little sister a copy for her 13th birthday. Providing her with such a wonderful wealth of information is the best gift I could ever give. I highly reccomend this book for woman of all ages, but especialy for those who are "comming of age". Who knows, it may even save her life.. It quite possibly saved mine.