Flow

'A normally taboo topic claims attention with the surprising-and sometimes horrifying-history of cultural reactions to menstruation.' -Publishers WeeklyIn this hip, hilarious and truly eye-opening cultural history, menstruation is talked about as never before. Flow spans its fascinating, occasionally wacky and sometimes downright scary story: from mikvahs (ritual cleansing baths) to menopause, hysteria to hysterectomies-not to mention the Pill, cramps, the history of underwear, and the movie about puberty they showed you in 5th grade.Flow answers such questions as: What's the point of getting a period? What did women do before pads and tampons? What about new drugs that promise to end periods-a hot idea or not? Sex during your period: gross or a turn-on? And what's normal, anyway? With color reproductions of (campy) historical ads and early (excruciating) femcare devices, it also provides a fascinating (and mind-boggling) gallery of this complex, personal and uniquely female process.As irreverent as it is informative, Flow gives an everyday occurrence its true props-and eradicates the stigma placed on it for centuries.'Its contents, I found, are plainspoken-perhaps it will start chipping away at the taboo . . . the style is important and groundbreaking.' -The New Yorker'In many ways, Flow is a breakthrough.' -Daily Beast'Flow isn't just a book; it's a movement.' -January Magazine'A witty look at the history of 'the nuisance' . . . for women of all ages. Who hasn't wondered why we get a period, what women did before the invention of the tampon-let alone the pad. Flow explains all.' -Body and Soul Magazine