Vagina: A Re-education

Irish journalist Enright dispels cultural taboos and breaks commonly held silences about women’s bodies and experiences in this galvanizing debut. In addition to offering basic information about the vagina and other physical structures of the female reproductive system, Enright also delves into such topics as menstruation, fertility, pregnancy, and menopause. Throughout, she highlights the power of self-knowledge and the danger of ignorance, dismantling such pervasive myths as the idea that bleeding during a first sexual experience is a reliable sign of virginity. Enright also shows how much still remains scientifically unknown or debated about women’s bodies, including the existence of the G-spot, the biology of the female orgasm, and the reasons for painful conditions such as vulvodynia and vaginismus. Her survey of how female genitalia are cut and altered in conformity with cultural practices includes an overview of customs in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, as well as the history of clitoridectomy and women’s genital surgery in the U.S. and the U.K. Enright also incorporates her own experiences of sexual assault and fertility struggles, and includes the perspectives of trans and intersex people. The result is an illuminating, inclusive, and wide-ranging call for better education and more free and open discourse about the female body. (Sept.)