The Curse : A Cultural History of Menstruation

By Janice Delaney, Mary Jane Lupton, Emily Toth

Book Overview

"In its hard headed, richly documented concreteness, it is worth a thousand polemics."
-- New York Times, from a review of the first edition
"The Curse deserves a place in every women's studies library collection."
-- Sharon Golub, editor of Lifting the curse of Menstruation
"A stimulating and useful book, both for the scholarly and the general reader."
-- Paula A. Treichler, co-author of A Feminist Dictionary

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0252014529
• ISBN13: 9780252014529
• Release Date: March 1988
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.11 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Second-Wave Feminism at it's Best!

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.

A great gift on the occasion of menarche!

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.

An interesting & important work that every woman should read

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