Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage
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- Create Date：2022-03-30 03:19:36
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Rachel E. Gross
- ISBN：1324006315
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Summary
A scientific journey to the center of the new female body。
The Latin term for the female genitalia， pudendum， means “parts for which you should be ashamed。” Until 1651， ovaries were called female testicles。 The fallopian tubes are named for a man。 Named， claimed， and shamed: Welcome to the story of the female body， as penned by men。
Today， a new generation of （mostly） women scientists is finally redrawing the map。 With modern tools and fresh perspectives， they’re looking at the organs traditionally bound up in reproduction—the uterus， ovaries， vagina—and seeing within them a new biology of change and resilience。 Through their eyes， journalist Rachel E。 Gross takes readers on an anatomical odyssey to the center of this new world—a world where the uterus regrows itself， ovaries pump out fresh eggs， and the clitoris pulses beneath the surface like a shimmering pyramid of nerves。 Full of wit and wonder， Vagina Obscura is a celebratory testament to how the landscape of knowledge can be rewritten to better serve everyone。
The Latin term for the female genitalia， pudendum， means “parts for which you should be ashamed。” Until 1651， ovaries were called female testicles。 The fallopian tubes are named for a man。 Named， claimed， and shamed: Welcome to the story of the female body， as penned by men。
Today， a new generation of （mostly） women scientists is finally redrawing the map。 With modern tools and fresh perspectives， they’re looking at the organs traditionally bound up in reproduction—the uterus， ovaries， vagina—and seeing within them a new biology of change and resilience。 Through their eyes， journalist Rachel E。 Gross takes readers on an anatomical odyssey to the center of this new world—a world where the uterus regrows itself， ovaries pump out fresh eggs， and the clitoris pulses beneath the surface like a shimmering pyramid of nerves。 Full of wit and wonder， Vagina Obscura is a celebratory testament to how the landscape of knowledge can be rewritten to better serve everyone。
Reviews
Gabriel Baumgaertner
，
This will be the richest reading experience you will have all year。 VAGINA OBSCURA challenges scientific dogmas with curiosity and style that will reshape the way you think about the human body。 It's a brilliant deconstruction of a topic that almost all readers should know more about。 This will be the richest reading experience you will have all year。 VAGINA OBSCURA challenges scientific dogmas with curiosity and style that will reshape the way you think about the human body。 It's a brilliant deconstruction of a topic that almost all readers should know more about。 。。。more
Bill
，
It was only 20 years ago that the federal government mandated that researchers doing clinical research include women and minorities in said research。 That fact， noted by As Rachel E。 Gross in her non-fiction work Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage， goes a long way toward explaining the sad need for such a book in the 21st Century。 After all， as Gross and more than one of her interviewees point out multiple times （and it bears repeating）， you can’t see what you aren’t looking at or looking for。 It was only 20 years ago that the federal government mandated that researchers doing clinical research include women and minorities in said research。 That fact， noted by As Rachel E。 Gross in her non-fiction work Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage， goes a long way toward explaining the sad need for such a book in the 21st Century。 After all， as Gross and more than one of her interviewees point out multiple times （and it bears repeating）， you can’t see what you aren’t looking at or looking for。 And for way too long， the medical/scientific community， comprised for most of its history of white men， has not been looking at women。 Luckily， that’s beginning to change （though not enough， as Gross also notes that far too much of the clinical research that includes women is focused on fertility as opposed to other important issues）， and luckily as well， we have Gross to give us a tour of that change with regard to this particular area。Gross’ book grew out of her own not-so-great experience with the medical community， which was so akin to other women she spoke who see themselves:as medicine has seen [them]: a mystery。 An enigma。 A black box 。 。 。 The women I talked to for this book were all made to feel that they alone had a complicate， unruly body。 They began to suspect， or were outrightly told， that somehow it was their fault。 That they should feel ashamed。Gross does note that biology does offer some （slight） amount of explanation for why women’s bodies are more mysterious than men’s， as it is “more complex， more obscure， with much of its plumbing tucked up inside。” But by far the biggest reason is not “just a lack of tools 。 。 。it was a lack of will 。 。 。The marginalization of women’s bodies from science is largely due to the marginalization of women from science。” Gross tracks that marginalization all the way from ancient time to modern ones， pointing out theories such as the wandering womb， the debate over whether the clitoris actually existed， and nomenclature traditions such as the Greek’s referring to the sexual organs as “the shame parts，” the French anatomist naming the clitoris “the shameful member，” the way “many medical textbooks still refers to the vulva — all of the outer female genitalia — by the Latin word pudendum， which translates into “that for which you should be ashamed。” At times Gross is wonderfully， bitingly wry， as when she follows up describing how one mid-16th century anatomist “announced that had discovered the clitoris” by with an endnote pointing out that “by this time the clitoris had been known to Greek， Persian， and Arabic writers for over a millennium， not to mention 。 。 。 women。” Gross gives her own detailed， up-to-date description/explanation of the various elements of the female system， the structure of the clitoris （far larger than long believed）， the biology of ovary release， the uterus， the microbiome of the vagina， the existence or not of the fabled G-spot， as well as the newest advances in gender-affirmation surgery， along with far more problematic procedures such as clitoridectomies， female genital mutilation， and the surgeries long done on infants born “intersex。” Similarly to those last few， she also highlights the way in which women and minorities were horrifically exploited in the name of medical “advancement” by being operated on experimentally without their consent （or ability to give consent）， some of the most shameful events in medical history （and often， as is typical for issues involving women， far less known that equivalent acts like the notaries Tuskegee experiments）Vagina Obscura is sharply， vividly， lucidly written。 Deeply informative and up to date， it’s an eye-opening work， which is only appropriate in a book that so details how what we look for determines what we find。 。。。more
Desiree
，
Witty， smart， current and provocative， Rachel Gross's book challenges conventional thinking about the female anatomy （and physiology） from a mixed lens of history， science and humanity。 She has a unique talent of weaving the historical and scientific with startling personal stories， into an easily digestible and fun narrative readers can easily relate with。 Her writing is proof that well-researched， open-minded investigative journalism has broad literary appeal to many audiences。 At once revelat Witty， smart， current and provocative， Rachel Gross's book challenges conventional thinking about the female anatomy （and physiology） from a mixed lens of history， science and humanity。 She has a unique talent of weaving the historical and scientific with startling personal stories， into an easily digestible and fun narrative readers can easily relate with。 Her writing is proof that well-researched， open-minded investigative journalism has broad literary appeal to many audiences。 At once revelatory and full of surprising turns， this is a must-read for anyone interested in their bodies and the way science， history and politics have influenced our understanding。 It's as much a classroom discussion （with debate） text as a popular science book for all。 The exquisite illustrations （it's a visual adventure to find the hidden links between the drawings and the text！） and wry humor are definite bonuses that make this a cannot-put-down read！ Five plus stars all round。 。。。more
Andrea Wenger
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This is a fascinating journey into the largely hidden world of women's health。 Throughout most of human history， women's bodies have been unknown。 Modern medicine focused on men， treating women as other， and their complaints as often hysterical。 This book sets the record straight， providing a wealth of information that all women （and men！） should know。 Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC I received。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 This is a fascinating journey into the largely hidden world of women's health。 Throughout most of human history， women's bodies have been unknown。 Modern medicine focused on men， treating women as other， and their complaints as often hysterical。 This book sets the record straight， providing a wealth of information that all women （and men！） should know。 Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC I received。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
Hazel
，
I found this book fascinating and full of facts and historical data about our amazing anatomy。 Having picked female health as my career I have always been in awe of the female system。 This book has compounded that even more。 What a great read。 It is beautifully written， and the information is professionally researched and highly informative。 It's not difficult to understand and a book I would pick up again。 Lots of information I was not aware of。 Great read and well worth the 5 stars。Thanks to N I found this book fascinating and full of facts and historical data about our amazing anatomy。 Having picked female health as my career I have always been in awe of the female system。 This book has compounded that even more。 What a great read。 It is beautifully written， and the information is professionally researched and highly informative。 It's not difficult to understand and a book I would pick up again。 Lots of information I was not aware of。 Great read and well worth the 5 stars。Thanks to Netgalley and WW Norton and Company for the ARC。 This review is my own opinion。 。。。more
Katy
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I don't know what I was really expecting when I first saw this book， but I was pulled in by the cover immediately。 The journey that Gross took me on was beyond fascinating。 I loved the weaving together of science， medicine， sociology， and history。 It was very difficult to put in it down。 I also loved the inclusivity and the chapter discussing neovaginas。 I will absolutely be purchasing a hard copy for my shelf。 I don't know what I was really expecting when I first saw this book， but I was pulled in by the cover immediately。 The journey that Gross took me on was beyond fascinating。 I loved the weaving together of science， medicine， sociology， and history。 It was very difficult to put in it down。 I also loved the inclusivity and the chapter discussing neovaginas。 I will absolutely be purchasing a hard copy for my shelf。 。。。more
Julie Herringa Cirone
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Full disclosure: I received an ARC version in exchange for my review，This was such a fun， infuriating， and wild anatomical journey through time and personal space！ There were so many unbelievable facets and facts in this book， like that women used to have only 40 periods on average because they were constantly burdened by either pregnancy or breastfeeding。 Modern women have around 400 on average。 Some parts were shocking in a horribly relatable way， queue jokes about the arduous tasks of finding Full disclosure: I received an ARC version in exchange for my review，This was such a fun， infuriating， and wild anatomical journey through time and personal space！ There were so many unbelievable facets and facts in this book， like that women used to have only 40 periods on average because they were constantly burdened by either pregnancy or breastfeeding。 Modern women have around 400 on average。 Some parts were shocking in a horribly relatable way， queue jokes about the arduous tasks of finding the g-spot or clitoris， the later of which was sometimes surgically moved to be more near the vagina（yes， really！）。Great writing， even better research！ My favorite thing about this book was it challenged the view of my own body。 I had no idea that my own view of my body was from vestiges of male science and gaze。 This was the feminist book I didn't know I needed。 。。。more
Annarella
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Very informative and fascinating， the type of books I would have liked to read when I was in my teens。Informative， well researched， and detailed。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine
Kaitlyn'sLittleLibrary
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My first life-changing read of 2022！Vagina Obscura is an absolute delight to read。 It does a deep-dive into each part of the female reproductive system， exploring its understanding throughout history up to the modern day。This book takes a topic of much frustration for many women — that is， the lack of medical knowledge about the female reproductive system — and gives it the thorough exploration it deserves。 The author delivers science， history， and personal anecdotes with life and good humor。 I My first life-changing read of 2022！Vagina Obscura is an absolute delight to read。 It does a deep-dive into each part of the female reproductive system， exploring its understanding throughout history up to the modern day。This book takes a topic of much frustration for many women — that is， the lack of medical knowledge about the female reproductive system — and gives it the thorough exploration it deserves。 The author delivers science， history， and personal anecdotes with life and good humor。 I learned something on every page， laughed in every chapter， and finished the book with a much greater appreciation of the knowledge we have — and don’t have！ — about the wonderful vagina and her neighbors。 My curiosity about female anatomy has been completely reinvigorated。I could not recommend this more highly！Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Victoria
，
After reading a few books recently in this subject area， this book popped up on my books you can request， and I was intrigued， by the title， the incredible cover but especially the fact it covered women's health and its history - and it makes for an interesting and intriguing read into the history of reproduction and the people behind each of these discoveries。 Well researched and incredibly informative， there are things in here I'd never thought of and chapters on the microbiome for example are After reading a few books recently in this subject area， this book popped up on my books you can request， and I was intrigued， by the title， the incredible cover but especially the fact it covered women's health and its history - and it makes for an interesting and intriguing read into the history of reproduction and the people behind each of these discoveries。 Well researched and incredibly informative， there are things in here I'd never thought of and chapters on the microbiome for example are really interesting， it is shocking how new some of the research is mentioned in this book and that is so infuriating， as women have existed， well *forever* and that it seems not as important to figure out causes for things like BV。 All of these chapters are enriching， the chapter on ovaries in particular there are facts in that chapter that I am not sure I'll ever forget， but also it is an exploration of research and a spotlight on how so much has been done so recently， the politics of women's bodies and the history being made clear throughout these chapters and the time much of this research was done in。 This book truly delves into the politcal and the personal when it comes to women's bodies and how society and medicine has shaped them today， and is so highly readable as the author introduces us to doctors and work that makes this book so incredibly fascinating from the first to the last chapter。 （I received an ARC from Netgalley for honest review）。 。。。more
Katherine
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Rachel Gross did an incredible job researching a topic that she writes has a serious lack of research。 Her writing was approachable to a biology novice and yet still engages a reader familiar with the topics related to female anatomy。 The choices of pictures were appropriate to the upcoming chapter。 I found myself discussing talking points from the book to my high school niece。 *For those wondering it is LGBTQ+ friendly。 ***Thank you NetGalley for proving me access to this preview。 This review i Rachel Gross did an incredible job researching a topic that she writes has a serious lack of research。 Her writing was approachable to a biology novice and yet still engages a reader familiar with the topics related to female anatomy。 The choices of pictures were appropriate to the upcoming chapter。 I found myself discussing talking points from the book to my high school niece。 *For those wondering it is LGBTQ+ friendly。 ***Thank you NetGalley for proving me access to this preview。 This review is based on a digital ARC。 I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。*** 。。。more
Katherine
，
A fascinating foray into the nether regions of the "fairer of the species"。 Rachel Gross carefully recounts the history of women who struggled to understand their anatomy and orgasmic experience （or lack there of） when it didn't match the norm。 Personal accounts of women who suffered from cultural practices meant to help them are aided through the help of doctors helping recover patients' mutilated bodies。 Carefully written and painstakingly researched， Ms Gross delves into some other examples f A fascinating foray into the nether regions of the "fairer of the species"。 Rachel Gross carefully recounts the history of women who struggled to understand their anatomy and orgasmic experience （or lack there of） when it didn't match the norm。 Personal accounts of women who suffered from cultural practices meant to help them are aided through the help of doctors helping recover patients' mutilated bodies。 Carefully written and painstakingly researched， Ms Gross delves into some other examples from the animal kingdom to analyze their copulation adaptations as compared to humans。 Popping back。 and forth through history， the author intricately weaves the patchy scientific research and assumptions together with modern-day elements that shed light and provide for new understandings of female reproductive anatomy。 Navigate from the macro of sexual selection in populations to the microbiome that keeps everything ok "down there"。 This book helped me better understand myself better than any class ever could have。。。and I feel like some of my tissues have superpowers。 A great， comprehensive read with endnotes and exhaustive citations for further reading。 。。。more
Regina Mastrogiacomo
，
This is a very thorough look at the female anatomy， for centuries people in authority have decided what a woman anatomy is worth and this book will show you how important a woman genitalia is。 For century men have decided that women shouldn't have pleasure when she is intimate and again this book will show you it's not true。 What I like the most about this book is the discussion on the new research that is important to women， such as endometriosis， because for years it wasn't important enough bu This is a very thorough look at the female anatomy， for centuries people in authority have decided what a woman anatomy is worth and this book will show you how important a woman genitalia is。 For century men have decided that women shouldn't have pleasure when she is intimate and again this book will show you it's not true。 What I like the most about this book is the discussion on the new research that is important to women， such as endometriosis， because for years it wasn't important enough but it should have been。 Another part of this book I liked is learning how anatomically close a male and female is and all it is， is chemical and most parts are interchangeable which is very interesting and should show how equal we are。 I found the best way to read this book is take your time and enjoy the immersion into the female world that matters to us and you will learn a lot。 By the way the artwork is fabulous。 I want to thank W。 W。 Norton & Company and NetGalley for the privileges' of reading this beautiful book 。。。more
Stephanie
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How different would our world be today if the discoveries that make up our history had been made by people other than white men？The world may never know。 😞But this book was fucking AWESOME！ Thank you， NetGalley and W。W。 Norton and Company， for the complementary eARC！
Cat
，
Where was this book when I was growing up？ I would have bought it for girls in my family as they were growing up。 Loads of useful info。 Should be used in a classroom during sex ed。 I was always shocked and dismayed to learn， when I was growing up， that all medicine was geared to average white males and just adjusted for the rest of the human race。 It hasn;t surprised me in the least since， that most male doctors know so little about how our bodies work。 I mean， really， who wants to exercise to e Where was this book when I was growing up？ I would have bought it for girls in my family as they were growing up。 Loads of useful info。 Should be used in a classroom during sex ed。 I was always shocked and dismayed to learn， when I was growing up， that all medicine was geared to average white males and just adjusted for the rest of the human race。 It hasn;t surprised me in the least since， that most male doctors know so little about how our bodies work。 I mean， really， who wants to exercise to ease cramps？？？How exactly does THAT work？？ And childbirth was made into an illness after males took over birthing。 Gah！ Kudos to the author！I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review。 。。。more
ᴘᴀᴘᴇʀʙᴀᴄᴋ ʀᴏsᴇs
，
Really interesting and helpful especially if you， like me， have health concerns。 There is some very interesting history about women's health and the graphics were neat， I have endometriosis among other problems and this is a book all gyno's and women's health doctors should own and STUDY！！！！ Really interesting and helpful especially if you， like me， have health concerns。 There is some very interesting history about women's health and the graphics were neat， I have endometriosis among other problems and this is a book all gyno's and women's health doctors should own and STUDY！！！！ 。。。more
Amanda
，
The female genitalia are a wonder of nature。 This is their story。Vagina Obscura covers the history of our （lack of） understanding of the female sexual and reproductive organs。 Since ancient times， ignorance of the form and function of these organs has influenced the treatment of women in ways both comical and harrowing。 Science journalist Gross’s writing is meticulously researched and supported by case studies。Enlightening。My thanks to NetGalley and W W Norton & Co。 for the ARC。
Kat
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I got this as an ARC on NetGalley。 I would rate it as more of a 3。5。 It was informative and very interesting。 There was a lot of information in this that I did not know before。 That being said， I expected something a bit different - there was a lot of focus on animal vaginas and anecdotal stories rather than anatomy。 Some sections were more interesting or easier to get through than others。 I found myself wanting more info at some parts and less at others。
Krista
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