In honor of March being Women's History Month, many book bloggers are participating in a blog tour for
My Little Red Book by
Rachel Kauder Nalebuff, starting today, International Women's Day. In addition to my review, there will also be a guest post by the author, as well as a giveaway.
About the Book: MY LITTLE RED BOOK is an anthology of stories about first periods, collected from women of all ages from around the world. The accounts range from light-hearted (the editor got hers while water skiing in a yellow bathing suit) to heart-stopping (a first period discovered just as one girl was about to be strip-searched by the Nazis). The contributors include well-known women writers (Meg Cabot, Erica Jong, Gloria Steinem, Cecily von Ziegesar), alongside today's teens. And while the authors differ in race, faith, or cultural background, their stories share a common bond: they are all accessible, deeply honest, and highly informative. Whatever a girl experiences or expects, she'll find stories that speak to her thoughts and feelings.
Ultimately, MY LITTLE RED BOOK is more than a collection of stories. It is a call for a change in attitude, for a new way of seeing periods. In a time when the taboo around menstruation seems to be one of the few left standing, it makes a difficult subject easier to talk about, and helps girls feel proud instead of embarrassed or ashamed. By revealing what it feels like to undergo this experience first hand, and giving women the chance to explain their feelings in their own words, it aims to provide support, entertainment, and a starting point for discussion for mothers and daughters everywhere. It is a book every girl should have. Period.
My Review: As I was reading this book this week, I got a few crazy stares and questionable looks when asked what the book was about. Oh well, if they only knew how good this book was. What they wouldn't believe is that it was written by an 18 year old! I didn't believe it either, but it's true. Rachel Kauder Nalebuff started collecting the stories at age 13 and finished at 16. She wanted to open people's eyes to the fact that periods are worth celebrating. I really enjoyed reading the stories of other women who, like me, had a memorable first period. Not memorable in the fact that it was great, but because something about that first period has stuck with them. Some of the stories are funny, some embarrassing, others poignant, and a few heartbreaking. I admire all of these women for being brave enough to share their stories with other women and essentially, the world, through this book. A girl's first period is a rite of passage that we all go through to become women. This book takes what some think is a bad thing and turns it into something to be embraced, talked about, and shared with others. In the introduction, the author says, "...first periods are an awkward subject.
My Little Red Book is here to change that. This book is an effort to help us embrace and therefore end the awkwardness. Think about it this way, if Napoleon Dynamite can be cool, so can periods." I love that! I know it made me feel better about what I went through as I read these stories. I found out that I was not alone in starting while I was at school and only knowing because of the stain on the back of my dress. Needless to say I called my mother to come get me and was embarrassed to return to school to face all those other 6th graders who now knew what had happened to me. I was not pleased at the time, but after reading these stories, I'm not ashamed and would tell others. Women from all cultures are included int the book, and when their customs about starting their period is different than ours, the author adds notes to tell the reader about that custom. I found that very enlightening and was pleased that the author did that. Some of my favorite stories are: Burning Secret, 1966; A Jealous VaJayJay, 1981; Hot Dog on a String, 1993; My Second First Period, 1977, and Where's My Belt, 1979. You can see from the dates that these stories were from women of all ages. The dates are the year they got their first period and they range from 1910 to the 2000s. In the back of the book, the stories are indexed by subject, decade, and author. I think that women will enjoy this collection of stories. They will want to share it with their friends, sisters, mothers, and daughters. As many women my age grew up reading
Are You There God, It's Me Margaret? to learn about periods, today's young girls should read
My Little Red Book.
Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I have a copy of My Little Red Book to give away to one lucky reader. Please leave a comment on this blog sharing about your first period. I shared my story with you, so be inspired to share yours!
Here is a list of the other blogs that are participating in the tour and what they will have at their blog. Be sure to stop by and spread the love.
http://athomewithbooks.blogspot.com/ - Review
http://shereadsandreads.blogspot.com/ - Review and giveaway.
http://www.readingwithmonie.com/ - Review and Guest blog
http://www.marjoleinbookblog.blogspot.com/ - Review
http://worducopia.blogspot.com/ - Q&A
http://thereviewfromhere.wordpress.com/ - Review, Q&A, or Guest blog
http://zensanity.blogspot.com/ - Review, Q&A, or Guest blog
http://scribevibe.blogspot.com/ - Review, Q&A, or Guest blog
http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/ - Review, Guest blog, and giveaway
http://carolsnotebook.wordpress.com/ - Review and Q&A
http://msbookish.com/ - Guest blog
http://exlibrisbb.blogspot.com/
http://www.brimfulcuriosities.com/ - Review and giveaway
http://cindysloveofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://01crazymomma.wordpress.com/ - Guest blog
http://38thavedivareaders.blogspot.com/
http://bookthoughtsbylisa.blogspot.com/ - Guest Blog
http://bookopolis.blogspot.com/ - Review and Guest blog
http://www.myreadingroom.net/
http://www.bookbargainsandpreviews.com/
http://mindingspot.blogspot.com/ - Review and Q&A
http://epicrat.blogspot.com/ - Review, giveaway, and Q
