The Curse: The Cultural History

Important work addressing the bloodmysteries that continue to shroud all women. An extremely helpful text for understanding how the role of menstruation and repoductive capability effects social structures and political equality movements. I highly recommend this read.

Since the first edition of this book came out, I have given it over and over to girls in my family or daughters of friends when they get their first period. They always love it. They most especially love the chapter on Menstrual humor. I think it's really neat that a university press publishes such a regular and useful book.

Let's face it, it's not the type of book most of us would just pick up and read. But, believe it or not, it was incredibly fun, as well as invaluably informative. Simply put, the Curse provides information I've found nowhere else. It takes you through the history of menstruation from culture to culture, detailing the superstitions, myths and eventual understanding of all phases of menstruation. The latter part of the book dwells on our current perceptions, as seen not only socially and culturally, but through literature and film. The authors also evaluate current feminine products, from douches to pads and tampons, providing an actual analysis of their usefulness and dangers that is very rarely discussed in other forums. The overall tone is friendly; this is not your typical "textbook." The only time I recall a significant change in tone was, in the 2nd edition, when they express their