The Camera My Mother Gave Me

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I absolutely adored Girl, Interrupted so when I saw this and read the description I was very excited. I immediately knew that I was going to like the subject matter and I did when I read the book. The problem for me is that it's just not well-written or, at least, written in a way that was enjoyable for me. I thought it was boring and the dialog didn't seem realistic at certain points. Go ahead and buy it though, it was still good enough that I finished it.

'The camera my mother gave me' is a fabulous read about Kaysen's experience with Vestibulitis - a condition that of the vulva that is rarely spoken or written about due to its intimate nature - despite the thousands, perhaps millions of women who suffer from the disease - mostly in silence.This book is wonderfully written in a sarcastic, witty manner that will appeal not only to people with Vulvar Pain conditions - I'd recommend it to anyone. As a fellow Vestibulitis sufferer, I related to all her experiences, especially her frustrating attempts to find the answers from various health proffesionals who lack the knowledge to treat this terrible condition - mostly due to the lack of research and the wide variety of causes and symptoms.I must warn all Vesitbulitis/Vulvodynia sufferers NOT to seek the answers from this book!! I made that mistake. I was devasted to find that the book ends with Kaysen calling off her search for the solution and resolving to live with her condition. Although that was a perfectly suitable ending to the book, it is not the answer I was looking for. I refuse to live with this condition and will not give up until I find the cure. So, laugh and cry along with Kaysen, celebrate her courage in writing this book, be encouraged in your efforts to speak up about your condition, but turn instead to support groups for companionship along your journey. I hope more and more women will speak up and demand a better understanding of vulvar pain disorders among the medical community and the public. We need answers!Thank you Susanna Kaysen!! I hope you are rid of this awful condition!

What an incredible relief to read this book. I thought I was the only one who had gone through this misery. The author describes with pitch-perfect accuracy what it is like to have a medical problem no one can fix, and the annoyance you become for even a long-term, trusted doctor who can't "fix" you. I did have the surgery and experienced some improvement. But I have never discussed this with anyone other than my husband. Boy, did it feel good to read Susanna's book. It was like talking to a girlfriend.

Thank you for this book. I suffer from the same disorder as the author and reading about her going through the same things I have made me feel like I'm not alone. This disorder is very different and unlike any other "women's problem" out there because no one really knows how to treat it. I read this book in one afternoon. I couldn't put it down.

After 12 years, too many doctors to count, a lot of creams and injections, and two surgeries -- I understand Susanna Kaysen's story first hand. Vulvar/vaginal pain is a secret not talked about and the medical community is still mystified. This book does an excellent job of capturing the all too often insensitive and incompetent response of medical professionals. It does an excellent job of describing the mental anguish when your sexuality becomes painful and slowly dies. She deals openly and directly with the destruction that occurs in our relationships when our sexual self is no longer participating. I laughed out loud. And, I was silenced. It's been 11 years since I pondered the 45% effectiveness rate of the surgery. I'm lucky -- I placed my bet with a good surgeon and have regained my health and sexual self. However, no woman is ever the same. Thank you Susanna -- I've waited a long time to see our story in print.

As in "Girl, Interrupted," Susanna Kaysen focuses her sharp camera-eye on a reality not often talked about. In "Girl, Interrupted" these realities largely centered around mental illness and definitions of such for women. In "The Camera My Mother Gave Me," the realities are vulvar disorders - causes, treatments, explanations, talking with others about it - and figuring out its meaning. I liked this book largely because it was a very true story not just about Kaysen's life, but about many women who struggle with a vulvar disorder - be in vestibulitis (as Kaysen has), vulvodynia, lichen sclerosus - even vulvar cancer. Women with vulvar disorders often wonder if they are alone, why hasn't there been more research in years or in decades (Kaysen and her research and medical colleagues make this point, too) - is this a reflection on mental state? or is there really a physical cause? is it a connection between the two that may exacerbate the terrible lows of the disorder? These are questions that women diagnosed with vulvar disorders grapple with.It was also fascinating to read this book years after having read "Girl, Interrupted" - and to really empathize with her reaction when she is faced with the prospect of having to take tricyclic antidepressants or an SSRI such as Prozac. Having this thread of her autobiographies gave "The Camera My Mother Gave Me" much added weight.