When I was in graduate school, I was a Teaching Fellow in physiology and went on to further studies in biochemistry. I also attended medical school for a while, but ended up working as a research scientist. Now, I teach meditation and have a developed yoga practice in addition to being a personal coach with graduate education in psychology as well. In short, I think I am well-qualified to evaluate this book.
In general, I love this author's work and particularly liked
Anatomy of Movement. I didn't like the Female Pelvis quite as much, but I still think it is very good. If I was able to, I would rate it a 4.5. Like all of this writer's work, the material is thoughtfully developed and presented in an easy to understand manner. There are also lots of diagrams that are very clear and compliment the text.
The difficulty with the pelvic region is that it is very hard to visualize it in three dimensions. This presents a challenge to the author and I think that he does a very good job of conveying three dimensions through all different kinds of diagrams.
The book starts out with the basic skeltal structure and then adds more detail a little bit at a time. At the same time, corresponding functionality is discussed and this keeps the book interesting and helps with memory attention. The average person can certainly go through this book easily, which is a testimony to the clarity and organization of the book.
With that said, I think to really learn the anatomy thoroughly one needs either the experience of dissecting this region or an augmentation of this material with useful photographs that show more detail and how everything fits together. For the average person, this may not be necessary, but for people in PT, yoga, massage or medical-related fields, it would solidify your understanding and help you to lock it in.
One think that is really special about this book is that it is mostly pictures with concise descriptions. The logical development of the topic allows it to flow and it doesn't deviate from its purpose, which is to educate women about the importance of the pelvis, how it changes through the lifecycle and how you can keep it healthy through exercise.
In reality, one book can't be all things to all people. This book is no exception and it is one of the best of its kind. If you are very interested in this area, I would also consider purchasing
Pelvic Power for Men and Women: Mind/Body Exercises for Strength, Flexibility, Posture, and Balance. This book has a bit of a different angle, more exercises and more text. I think the two books are very complimentary and if you are serious about learning this anatomy and keeping your pelvis fit, you ought to have both to get the maximum results and understanding.
If you have a deep interest in this topic, you can find more resources on my listmania lists. There are several general anatomy texts all with different strengths and weaknesses listed. This would be useful information for people who need a very in-depth understanding or who have difficulty visualizing three dimensions from diagrams.
