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Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage
Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage | Rachel E. Gross
5 posts | 7 read | 24 to read
A myth-busting voyage into the female body. A camera obscura reflects the world back but dimmer and inverted. Similarly, science has long viewed woman through a warped lens, one focused narrowly on her capacity for reproduction. As a result, there exists a vast knowledge gap when it comes to what we know about half of the bodies on the planet. That is finally changing. Today, a new generation of researchers is turning its gaze to the organs traditionally bound up in baby-makingthe uterus, ovaries, and vaginaand illuminating them as part of a dynamic, resilient, and ever-changing whole. Welcome to Vagina Obscura, an odyssey into a womans body from a fresh perspective, ushering in a whole new cast of characters. In Boston, a pair of biologists are growing artificial ovaries to counter the cascading health effects of menopause. In Melbourne, a urologist remaps the clitoris to fill in crucial gaps in female sexual anatomy. Given unparalleled access to labs and the latest research, journalist Rachel E. Gross takes readers on a scientific journey to the center of a wonderous world where the uterus regrows itself, ovaries pump out fresh eggs, and the clitoris pulses beneath the surface like a shimmering pyramid of nerves. This paradigm shift is made possible by the growing understanding that sex and gender are not binary; we all share the same universal body plan and origin in the womb. Thats why insights into the vaginal microbiome, ovarian stem cells, and the biology of menstruation dont mean only a better understanding of female bodies, but a better understanding of male, non-binary, transgender, and intersex bodiesin other words, all bodies. By turns funny, lyrical, incisive, and shocking, Vagina Obscura is a powerful testament to how the landscape of human knowledge can be rewritten to better serve everyone.
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blurb
julesG
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A book I didn't buy, but was tempted due to #CoverCrush

Might put it on my wishlist.

willaful It was pretty interesting. 1y
julesG @willaful That definitely bumps it onto the wishlist 1y
55 likes1 stack add2 comments
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monalyisha
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It feels important to catalog the ONLY note I took while reading (not that the shocks didn‘t keep on coming)!

BUT REALLY.
Tell your friends.

Bookwormjillk Not even the ducks? 2y
monalyisha @Bookwormjillk The ducks thank you for your service. 🦆 2y
dabbe @Bookwormjillk 🤣🤣🤣 2y
See All 8 Comments
Soubhiville This was a great book! I loved hearing about the ducks. 2y
ravenlee The ducks say, “Mind your own ducking business.” 2y
Graves SPOILER ALERT!!!! SHEESH 2y
monalyisha @Graves 😂💀😂 2y
Meshell1313 🤣🤣🦆 2y
60 likes1 stack add8 comments
review
monalyisha
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Pickpick

I finally finished my March book club selection…two weeks too late. 😅 Like many of my nonfiction reads, “this book is about different ways of looking.” As Gross reminds us, “You can‘t see what you aren‘t looking for.” It just so happens to also be about vaginas — and everything we *don‘t* know about them. A blurb on the dust jacket flap calls Gross‘s writing “lyrical.” With that in mind, I‘d like to draw your attention to the following sentence:

monalyisha 1/1: “Like eating a Reese‘s Cup, there‘s no wrong way to have a vagina.” Listen, I WAS looking for lyrical — and I did not find it. However, what I did find was informative, inquisitive, and open. This isn‘t the first book I‘ve read about vaginas (that particular distinction belongs to Vaginas: An Owner‘s Manual by Livodi & Topp) but it was definitely the most intersectional, well-researched, and well-written. (edited) 2y
78 likes3 stack adds1 comment
review
Soubhiville
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Pickpick

I don‘t remember how I heard about this book, but I was immediately interested. I looked at it in a bookstore because I assumed it would have a lot of pictures, but it really didn‘t have many so I opted to borrow the audio instead.

I found it engaging and informative, and really enjoyed it! It follows the study of anatomy through history, touching on early misogynistic lack of interest and assumptions, gender biases, cultural myths, and more!

Soubhiville Highly recommend! 2y
ShelleyBooksie @DinoMom - This one feels like something that would interest you! 2y
DinoMom @ShelleyBooksie yes it does … I guess I know what my next audio book will be !!! 2y
Kimberlone The title is hilarious 😆 2y
94 likes7 stack adds4 comments
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Shievad
Pickpick

I learned a lot of interesting facts about a variety of vaginas and penises across the animal kingdom with which to regale dining companions 😂 Early chapters focus on 1) old timey fixes for women who think too much for their own good and 2) reproductive anatomy of a variety of insects and animals. Later chapters focus on advances in IVF and gender affirmation surgery.