These books are about specific or general women's health issues.

Appetites: On the Search for True Nourishment by Geneen Roth, 1996. The author has written several books on the preoccupation with being thin by women in our culture. I could dismiss it as more white middle class whining, form whhich I am not exempt, but there are some endearing things to it. The one that struck me enough to review the book is the way a person can seemingly heal from something, or grow in a certain way, but then the problem resurfaces and he or she has to deal with it again. This is something I've been wondering about lately. She doesn't have any more insight into it than I do, but it is the same line of thinking. Reviewed 6/17/01.

You Don't Have To Live With Cystitis by Larrian Gillespie, MD, 1996. The author got into some major trouble in the late 1990s for some of her invasive approaches. But the information on women and doctors and on women's urological concerns (including interstitial cystitis and nonspecific urethritis) are good. Take her specific recommendations with a grain of salt. Reviewed 2/13/96.

Women and Doctors: A Physicians Explosive Account of Women's Medical Treatment - And Mistreatment - In America Today and What You Can Do About It by John Smith, 1992. He toots his own horn about how he's helped women who have been or are about to be damaged by other gynecologists. Good stories that confirm your worst suspicions about some gynecologists. But then he pushes his own ideas about HMOs and pushes mammography very hard—the whole latter part of the book is not worthwhile. Reviewed 2/13/96.

A New View of a Woman's Body Federation of Feminist Women's Health Centers, 1991. Great drawings, and an eye-opening illustrated concept of the clitoris ("A Feminist View"). I would like to see reaction to this concept, though, because I saw numerous minor and not-so-minor inaccuracies and other problems. For example, the temperature charts in the birth control section don't look like those in my experience, and I find it hard to believe that nursing is 91% effective as a birth control method, and they almost push Laetrile for breast cancer. Women who are anti abortion should probably avoid this book too. I was uncomfortable with the completely noncritical acceptance of abortion up to 24 weeks (my own kids were born at just 30 weeks). Reviewed 1996.

The New A to Z of Women's Health, A Concise Encyclopedia by Christine Ammer, 1995. Good reference. [There is a newer edition dated 2000.] Reviewed 1996.

Overcoming Bladder Disorders by Kristene Whitmore MD and Rebecca Chalker, 1990. Very good information on urological problems, including women and doctors and interstitial cystitis. Reviewed 1996.

Women Talk About Gynecological Surgery by Amy Gross and Dee Ito, 1992. Very white upper-middle class view, and hardly any tratment of the idea that many such surgeries are unnecessary, but it consists of first-person stories of many women about many different types of surgery. It is easy to read and well done for what it is. Reviewed 1996. http://uterinefibroids.com/r_books.htm good book list, as of 6/15/01

Complaints & Disorders: The Sexual Politics of Sickness by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English, 1991. A small pamphlet, 94 pages. Early feminist writings for two impressive writers. A history of 19th and 20th century views of women. Excellent. Reviewed 1996.

Witches, Midwives, and Nurses by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English, 1973. A short booklet on historical things about witch hunting and the growth of modern medicine, all seen as a class and sexist conflict, with the rich oppressing people. Good background information, very feminist. I was, however, not convinced that facts were checked; it seemed a little loose with sweeping statements. Reviewed 1997.

The Hidden Malpractice: How American Medicine Treats Women as Patients and Professionals by Gena Corea, 1977. Good historical perspective on these issues—I'd like to see I brought up to date. Reviewed 1997.

Screaming to Be Heard: Hormonal Connections Women Suspect and Doctors Ignore by Elizabeth Lee Vliet, M.D., 1995. This book encompasses the best and worst of what I've read. She correctly says that doctors ignore or pooh-pooh it when women ask whether a problem might have a hormonal connection and whether their hormone levels can be tested. She can and does test hormone levels. She has a good case that many problems may be related to hormones. The bad news is, treatment with hormones is her cure-all. From migraines to fibromyalgia, she usually finds it to be related to the pre- or peri-menopausal or menopausal estrogen levels getting lower. Treatment is usually estrogen (at least she doesn't like Premarin, which is derived from pregnant mare's urine) or sometimes a little testosterone. She makes no reference to the fact that women were damaged prenatally by DES (an estrogen) or problems due to intake of environmental estrogens. She says out front that she does not mind participating in CME (continuing medical education) programs partially sponsored by pharmaceutical companies. Still, the book has some good information about how the body works. You do have to put up with lots of boldface, italics, quotation marks, and items in boxes; she likes to emphasize at least a few words in almost every sentence. I have not read the revised edition, 2000. Reviewed 1997.

It's Not All in Your Head by Susan Swedo MD and Henrietta Leonard, MD, 1996. Another book that starts out promising, talking about how doctors tend to dismiss women with problems they can't diagnose as having psychological problems only. However, it comes up with a lot of pill pushing. The authors both work in psychiatry. One weird thing is that they present a lot of stories about individuals with health problems, and they're all fictional, as noted in a disclaimer at the beginning of the book. Reviewed 1997.

Dr. Susan Love's Hormone Book by Susan Love, 1997. Another must-read, this one about menopause. Very common-sense and well written. She focuses on the way the drug companies and doctors are promoting the idea that menopause is a disease and must be treated with hormones. She says it's a natural process and shouldn't pose major problems to most women. She goes into osteoporosis, heart disease, and cancers, and also into lifestyle changes, alternative therapies, and medical options. Recommended. Reviewed 1997.

The Estrogen Decision by Susan Lark, 1994. I'd seen this recommended, but I thought it pushed hormones shamelessly, with some wording designed to show that it was unbiased toward them. Half the book is about alternatives to HRT, and covers diet, vitamins, herbs, stress reduction, yoga, etc. I suppose it might be useful to someone with no other sources of information about these things. Reviewed 1997.

The Menopause Industry: How the Medical Establishment Exploits Women by Sandra Coney, 1994. A very valuable viewpoint on how hormones are pushed on women for profit. This book has lots of good information, presented readably. However, the information and conclusions are not 100% reliable—I caught a couple of mistakes and wondered about some of the other information. The author is from New Zealand, where the book was originally published, and the information is very international—she cites studies form N.Z., Australia, England, the U.S., and more. It's good to put all thins information together, but at times it gets confusing. Also it's very interesting to see medicine from an non-U.S. viewpoint—more concerned with the social issues than the individual's case. Recommended. Reviewed 1997.

To Dance with the Devil: The New War on Breast Cancer by Karen Stabiner, 1997. This book follows Dr. Susan Love through her work at the UCLA Breast Center and through in-fighting between various factions dealing with the issue. Very well-written and dramatic. Dr. Love is rather controversial, but I like everything I've read by and about her. Reviewed 1997.

For Her Own Good: 150 Years of the Experts' Advice to Women by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English, 1978. Similar to their earlier short work, "Complaints and Disorders," this book expands on the subject and brings in a wealth of historical information. The old attitudes seem so outrageous now as to be hilarious. But thinking about it, people will look back on this era and find many of our predominant attitudes outrageous—we don't know which, but I hope that people 150 years form now will be unable to comprehend our cavalier attitude toward the environment, and how we let corporations loot and plunder the world's resources. The authors change their focus in different eras, somewhat arbitrarily—they could have stuck with doctors the whole time, but change the focus to psychologists and then marketers. Also, the material they choose is arbitrary; they present it as the predominant mainstream vice, but I wonder how many people of those eras accepted the opinions of those "experts" and how many other pinions were also mainstream. Written history is shaped by those who write—but even now, very few write, and those who don't write (but may read and be well informed and influential) may see things with a lot more common sense than the "experts." Still, I may never hear the word "expert" again without thinking of this book and remembering how far off base the experts have been. Recommended. Reviewed 1998.

Walking out on the Boys by Frances Conley, 1998. The author's account of her awakening to institutional sexism and pervasive sexual harassment in academic medicine, to which she was exposed as a neurosurgeon at Stanford. The book is relevant to the entire medical profession. Very good. Reviewed 1999.

Diary of a Midwife: The Power of Positive Childbearing by Juliana van Olphen-Fehr, 1998. Excellent book. It's the author's personal story of becoming and working as a Certified Nurse Midwife. Reminded me of why midwifery is so important. Reviewed 1999.

Note: I know my taste is quirky, and I have strong opinions that are far from mainstream. I am aware that I am skeptical, cynical, and not always kind. I am not interested in arguing about anything, but if you like and/or dislike the same things as I do, and feel like it, email me.

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