January 1, 2018
A science writer's account of her frustrating experiences with the medical establishment as she tried to understand an illness that defied easy explanation and diagnosis.Futurism associate science editor Norman is nothing if not a survivor. She overcame dysfunctional family circumstances to become an emancipated minor at age 16 and attend Sarah Lawrence College on a prestigious scholarship two years later. However, one day during her freshman year, she was hit with pain so debilitating that she was forced to leave school permanently. The first (male) doctor she saw assumed she was just another "bright and wound tight" college girl whose problem "was of a sexual nature." He dismissed her with prescriptions for antibiotics and advice to drink lots of cranberry juice. Soon after, Norman began in-depth research--which she presents throughout the book--on female health issues. She discovered that her struggles to be taken seriously for extreme pain were actually a legacy of "the medicalization of female internal sensations, which began as early as the 1800s." Feeling powerless to question the all-male medical establishment, women "[began] to question their reality," much as the author started to do in the face of doctors that implied her problems, which included heavy, fatiguing menstrual cycles and, later, painful sex, were imagined. Eventually--and thanks to Norman's tireless self-advocacy--doctors correctly diagnosed her with endometriosis, a condition in which "displaced uterine tissue" caused painful lesions on other internal organs. Interviews with experts and continued self-education on the topic showed Norman that, contrary to popular conception, endometriosis was not just a "female disease" or a "period problem" and had also been found in men. Compelling and impressively, Norman's narrative not only offers an unsparing look at the historically and culturally fraught relationship between women and their doctors. It also reveals how, in the quest for answers and good health, women must still fight a patriarchal medical establishment to be heard.Disturbing but important reading.
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January 15, 2018
In this disjointed memoir, science writer Norman intertwines her own experiences with endometriosis, a painful immune-system disease occurring primarily in women, with a larger history of the systematic underprivileging of women’s health in Western medicine. The book details Norman’s numerous failed attempts to receive adequate treatment for her condition. Despite her clear symptoms and repeated hospitalizations, doctors continuously overlooked or dismissed her disease and reports of pain over the years. In one jaw-dropping example, a doctor proposed that her symptoms were most likely connected to her troubled childhood. Meanwhile, Norman also examines “the discourse of the ills of women,” pointing to diagnoses of hysteria in women and the unethical practices of male physicians who sexually exploited women in the 19th century. While the connection between her own story and the larger history is clear, Norman’s personal experiences are too often positioned as an afterthought, jammed into the sociological and historical narrative. She breathlessly shifts from discussing eight known cases of endometriosis in men to the story of her first period to a history of women dying during childbirth. Readers looking for a more personal and relatable account (as the title suggests) will be disappointed.
February 15, 2018
In this rags-to-not-exactly-riches memoir, Norman creates vivid pictures of her less-than-idyllic childhood, followed by a pain-filled young adulthood. Finally, doctors identified the culprit: endometriosis, a disease of the female reproductive system where cells from inside the uterus wind up in places that they shouldn't. Mixing medical information with memories, Norman writes about her bulimic mother (and her own disordered eating), her successful legal attempt to become emancipated from her parents, and her mixed feelings about intercourse ( Despite the pain of penetration, I really liked everything else sex involved ). She has a dark sense of humor. Comparing endo to delivering an infant, she writes, With childbirth, at least there's some kind of payoff. A book lover, she starts each chapter with quotes, including this from Susan Sontag: Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the kingdom of the well and in the kingdom of the sick. In the end, the young science writer advocates for patients to trust their instincts and for doctors to practice the art, not just the science, of medicine.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
November 1, 2018
With searing prose, science writer and editor (Futurism magazine) Norman pens a heartfelt medical history and memoir of coming to terms with the limitations of one's physical body. In seeking to identify pain rather than identify with it, she shares her own story of uncertainty; escaping the trauma of her childhood while learning about her pain in order to manage it. After several visits to doctors and emergency rooms, Norman receives a diagnosis of endometriosis and considers what it means that women are often taught to hide their pain. Her research reveals the patriarchal structure of medicine, specifically how "hysteria" has historically been a catch-all diagnosis for women's health conditions. In 2014, Norman founded the blogging community Ask Me About My Uterus, which features essays on reproductive issues. The author is at her best when relaying her story of health literacy and medical debt; taking control of her medical records and speaking at the Endometriosis Foundation of America. She raises valid questions about the number of women truly living with endometriosis, as white women are more likely to seek treatment. VERDICT A thoughtful read for those interested in health as a social justice issue. For a better understanding of health inequality, read alongside Jennifer Weiss-Wolf's Periods Gone Public.--Stephanie Sendaula, Library Journal
Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
November 1, 2018
Norman pens a personal account of health as a social justice issue, learning about her pain in order to manage it. After receiving a diagnosis of endometriosis, she considers the social implications of women being taught to hide their pain.
Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.