Stolen Women: Reclaiming Our Sexuality, Taking Back Our Lives [Paperback]

Gail Wyatt (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Gail Elizabeth Wyatt's Stolen Women explores how body identities are often shaped by deeply rooted myths and cultural stereotypes. Tracing black women's body images and sexuality from childhood to adolescence to adulthood, Wyatt powerfully explains in her introduction that "to the degree that we allow our sexual self-image to be defined by others, we will remain, as our ancestors were, stolen women, captives not of strangers but of the past, and of our own unexamined experiences. The challenge we face is to see ourselves not as others see us or want us to be seen, but as we are, as we were, and as we want to be."

Wyatt, a Ph.D. and professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral science at UCLA, explores the origins and hazards of these images through a psychiatric lens. Her use of case studies and behavioral research puts a human face on how these myths affect the development of young black women, and her careful analysis breaks down behavioral trends clearly and concisely. Black women are often seen in opposing sexual terms, either as completely nonsexual or perpetually sexually available. Wyatt fills in the gap between these two dangerous stereotypes, unpacking childhood messages about sex and exploring issues like how girls learn to be "ladies." She encourages all "stolen women" to regain control over their bodies from these external forces, allowing women to apply her work to their own lives and giving them the tools to break free, refusing to believe these painful myths are unchangeable. --Amy Wan

Product Description

"STOLEN WOMEN gives us what Mama couldn't—a way to be in charge of our own bodies. This probing, fact-based book dissects the myths, discards the stereotypes, and unshackles our minds."—BEBE MOORE CAMPBELL Author of Brothers and Sisters

"The culmination of twenty-two years of clinical practice and in-depth interviews with hundreds of African American women."—Ebony

"Groundbreaking research breaks down why we came to be at increased risk and how we can protect ourselves for the future."—Essence

"Finally, we have the first book that breaks the silence. Dr. Wyatt presents a well-researched and balanced perspective of the sexual experiences of African American women. It explodes the myths, examines our past, and sets the path for our healing and our future survival. This is a book that should be read by anyone who knows or cares about African American women."—Gloria Johnson Powell, M.D. Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard University

"A long-awaited look at the stereotypes and sexual myths that surround African American women."—The Chicago TribunE

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471297178
• ISBN-13: 978-0471297178
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #651,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!, August 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Stolen Women: Reclaiming Our Sexuality, Taking Back Our Lives (Paperback)

I read Dr. Wyatt's book and found it fascinating. The book discusses the history of black women and their sexuality over the past 400 years and shows how this relates to current problems today. I especially liked the personal stories by women struggling to find themselves and happiness in their relationships. This is a great book for all women regardless of ethnicity or age. Also good for moms and daughters.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent manual for minority women!, May 16, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Stolen Women: Reclaiming Our Sexuality, Taking Back Our Lives (Paperback)

Dr. Wyatt writes an amazing book that not only describes the findings of her surveys and case studies, but also relates the information from her own personal perspective as a black woman. Using hundreds of conversations with real black women, Wyatt presents pictures of both successful women and women who are still in crisis. She takes factual surveys and compares black women and white women in order to debunk stereotypes.
Along with her factual information, Wyatt uses her expertise as a psychologist to offer ways in which black women can improve their lives and the lives of their children. I especially liked the way she encourages women of color to educate themselves and their children.

The one critique I would have would be that I wish she had written a bit more about her mathematical analyses. For example, she says that black women on average have fewer partners than white women. Is this a mean average or a median average? (A mean average would seem to me to be--no pun intended--less meaningful since a few very active women could drive the average up.) And were all surveys taken into account, or were some results deemed to be outliers?

I strongly recommend this book. Dr. Wyatt truly understands self-empowerment, and she preaches a message that people need to hear.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reading, January 6, 2001

By	Naim Harrison (Atlanta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stolen Women: Reclaiming Our Sexuality, Taking Back Our Lives (Paperback)

I thought this book was excellent. As noted in the synopses, black women have been historically ostracized from such mainstream psychological research studies and it only refreshing for this group to finally be addressed, attended to and evaluated by such an intelligent, educated Black women, PhD. Her unprecendented conclusive evalutions provide us with a new voice in the realm of Black, Female Sexuality in a technical, medical and empirical sense, that each of us can identify with. The author, a PhD, also displays the necessary components, (i.e. character, concern for urban society, education, intellect) for a modern day role model. Praise to Dr. Gail Wyatt!