Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement
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- Create Date：2022-01-17 22:16:10
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Nadya Okamoto
- ISBN：1534430202
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Summary
PERIOD founder and Harvard student Nadya Okamoto offers a manifesto on menstruation and why we can no longer silent about that time of the month。
Throughout history， periods have been hidden from the public。 They're taboo。 They're embarrassing。 They're gross。 And due to a crumbling or nonexistent national sex ed program， they are misunderstood。 Because of these stigmas， a status quo has been established to exclude people who menstruate from the seat at the decision-making table， creating discriminations like the tampon tax， medicines that favor male biology， and more。
Power to the Period aims to explain what menstruation is， shed light on the stigmas and resulting biases， and create a strategy to end the silence and prompt conversation about periods。
Throughout history， periods have been hidden from the public。 They're taboo。 They're embarrassing。 They're gross。 And due to a crumbling or nonexistent national sex ed program， they are misunderstood。 Because of these stigmas， a status quo has been established to exclude people who menstruate from the seat at the decision-making table， creating discriminations like the tampon tax， medicines that favor male biology， and more。
Power to the Period aims to explain what menstruation is， shed light on the stigmas and resulting biases， and create a strategy to end the silence and prompt conversation about periods。
Reviews
Vanessa Best
，
This book needs to make it into the hands of every person who has a period。 Not only have I learned so much but this book has humbled me and made me grateful to have what I have and not have to worry about products。
Kelsey
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Though I did not always agree with the things Nadya said， I learned to appreciate them greatly。 I do not find that this was a boring read， because despite this book's nonfiction status， Miss Okamoto has a way to tell a story like it is an sprinkle in her own commentary。 I loved the way that she did this， and I now follow her tiktok for even more groundbreaking content Though I did not always agree with the things Nadya said， I learned to appreciate them greatly。 I do not find that this was a boring read， because despite this book's nonfiction status， Miss Okamoto has a way to tell a story like it is an sprinkle in her own commentary。 I loved the way that she did this， and I now follow her tiktok for even more groundbreaking content 。。。more
Lizzy Snow
，
Very mixed emotions because on one hand very happy that this will educate people on periods that otherwise would not have received anything。 So yay for that！ Love to see it talked about in a way that isn’t made to feel shameful or weird！ On the other hand it verges out of actual period territory into more ideas of birth control and such which are related but not in the same manner。 Same race， different segments ya know。 I’m also a tad confused why there was a dig at biblical theology surrounding Very mixed emotions because on one hand very happy that this will educate people on periods that otherwise would not have received anything。 So yay for that！ Love to see it talked about in a way that isn’t made to feel shameful or weird！ On the other hand it verges out of actual period territory into more ideas of birth control and such which are related but not in the same manner。 Same race， different segments ya know。 I’m also a tad confused why there was a dig at biblical theology surrounding periods。 Because （spoiler alert） the Bible actually is not ostracizing women on their periods。 It’s a cultural context and actually was written as a part of being clean and hygienic， which is a bit part of periods and the conversations surrounding them anyways。 。。。more
Mariah
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Continuing my crusade to learn more about my body。 Now I’m focusing specifically on periods。 This is a general guide， history and call to action all in one。 I’m still ruminating on some of the concepts even now a few weeks later - like switching to cloth pads to cut down on waste for instance。 Chapter 1: covers basic definitions of periods plus terms you should know， general functionality of organs， and some menstruation disorders; explains some of the background to aspects of your period you ar Continuing my crusade to learn more about my body。 Now I’m focusing specifically on periods。 This is a general guide， history and call to action all in one。 I’m still ruminating on some of the concepts even now a few weeks later - like switching to cloth pads to cut down on waste for instance。 Chapter 1: covers basic definitions of periods plus terms you should know， general functionality of organs， and some menstruation disorders; explains some of the background to aspects of your period you are likely not to knowChapter 2: briefly touches on why there's stigma around periods， why it's taboo to discuss， some discussion of cultures that actually celebrate menstruation and why that's importantChapter 3 : historical background on period products ie the pad， menstrual cup， tampons， also explores what was used in the past ie the belt， discussed how the items came around to being popularChapter 4: quick history lesson on period stigma， focuses entirely on period pamphlets and how marketing from corporations is a double edged sword since periods getting more attention from them helps push period discussion forward， but it requires them to simultaneously play on period stigma to sell the products， efforts to combat period stigma such as using hashtags on social mediaChapter 5: covers period poverty > having a period when you're homeless or disenfranchised for example being in prison， how stressful and detrimental it is for menstruators to have to worry about supply and using unconventional and/or unsafe things as period productsChapter 6: how important it is to tackle government policy on the local， state and federal level to affect real change about periods from getting rid of the period tax to making period products freely available in schools or public spaces， the importance of having women and menstruators in positions of power to advocate for usChapter 7: depiction of periods in different media， it used to be all one big joke at the menstruators expense but in recent times we are getting better at nuanced actually funny and/or realistic looks at periods， period ads are changing too as there are companies trying to be funny about periods or try to show some kind of reality about it over perfume ad-esque ads， discusses periods in internet culture and sports entertainment， it reflects a cultural shift regarding period discussionChapter 8: intersectional considerations about periods， how periods are actually an essential part of gender equality because how periods are treated can be used as an indication of how valued women are in a society since period poverty overlaps with many different facets of human rights > like education， Healthcare， employment and economic mobility and representation in politics and decision making; so when periods are taken seriously on all these fronts it will be a sign that women have achieved a measure of respect in society， discusses how periods affect menstruators who don't identify as women and how they should be included in the conversation， discusses the downsides to period products when looking at climate change and sustainabilityChapter 9: how to take action， what to say to naysayers about certain topics like what to say when they argue focusing on period equality is a waste of money or how could we afford it or that it's a slippery slope towards other 'handouts'， how to use social media effectively， how school campuses can be ground zero in many ways， general advice about believing in yourself and pushing forward and stuff you can do activism wiseI’ve given a general rundown of what’s addressed so you can get a feel for if this is something you’d be into or not。 It’s a pretty straightforward， thorough trek down period lane。 It’s educational without feeling like a lecture or too academic。 I think Nadya Okamoto has a good narrative voice and I am abundantly impressed by what she’s accomplished in such a short time at such a young age。 I wish I had half of her fortitude。 。。。more
Pretty Book Guardian
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4。5
Karen Carpenter
，
Enlightening。
Mariana Afonso | Books Of My Own
，
（3。5）A book that is a call to arms; as the title indicates， it’s a manifesto for a movement， the menstrual movement which aims to raise awareness on period poverty and inequality， and create openness when talking about menstruation。The first part serves as an introduction to periods and menstrual and reproductive health。 It talks about the first time you get your period， about the health matters that relate to menstruation， how to be careful and take care of yourself and also what are the sympto （3。5）A book that is a call to arms; as the title indicates， it’s a manifesto for a movement， the menstrual movement which aims to raise awareness on period poverty and inequality， and create openness when talking about menstruation。The first part serves as an introduction to periods and menstrual and reproductive health。 It talks about the first time you get your period， about the health matters that relate to menstruation， how to be careful and take care of yourself and also what are the symptoms you must look for if you’re a menstruator。 It also goes in detail about period products， the available options today and how they came to be。And then comes the second part， which was much better for me （as someone who already had all the aforementioned information， because I really believe the first part is super important and necessary to educate many）。 The author goes on to talk about period poverty， period policy， period representation in the media and the way each person can take action。 This was really poignant and insightful， and added a lot of value。The author exposed and analyzed many facts， research and situations in a clever way， highlighting how this is inequality deeply affects all menstruators， how interconnected period inequality is to gender， class and race prejudice and how much it would benefit all if periods stopped being a taboo， and instead something widely accepted as the most human nature （AS IT IS！！！）。 When tampons and pads become as normalized as candy or paper toilet， we will finally be on the right path。 。。。more
Amber
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This is great， so open and fact based。 Would totally recommend to friends with daughters and sharing it with them。 So glad there are authors out there making normal things comfortable to talk about。
Cole Seal
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This book is a great resource for all。 It is aimed at people younger than myself， but I wanted to read it before passing it on to middle schoolers。 I found the author’s tendency to go on tangential rants a bit frustrating and sometimes hard to follow， but I think the younger， intended audience won’t be bothered by this。 Overall， an excellent starting place for learning more about the menstrual movement and what we can do to change the world。
Aviva
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its very gender inclusive， talks about the cases of periods/menstruation， breaks the conversation of periods being taboo， gives a lesson on the history of different period products， and different problems with periods （like Toxic shock syndrome TTS）
Thùy Trang
，
This book has changed my approach to thinking about menstruation。 It is not only about girls but other subjects like transmen as well。
Soeti
，
Tbh， I like her idea to normalize talking about period。 Also the inclusive language too。 But I think she could do better about the writing。 Some parts are just too shallow。 Good research， but the application and elaboration？？？ No。 Not for me， at least。
Jolene
，
Guys， Nadya Okamoto sounds like such a nerd when she presents。 But it's not her fault！ She's only 23！ She's very cute and earnest and is doing excellent work！ She should be passionate and excited！ I wish more young people were as passionate and excited！But when she uses the anecdote about how her high school peers thought she was kind of uncool， I was like， yeah。 That tracks。 🤷🏼♀️This book though， and her organization， Period， which I follow on Insta now， are very cool。 And important。 And hones Guys， Nadya Okamoto sounds like such a nerd when she presents。 But it's not her fault！ She's only 23！ She's very cute and earnest and is doing excellent work！ She should be passionate and excited！ I wish more young people were as passionate and excited！But when she uses the anecdote about how her high school peers thought she was kind of uncool， I was like， yeah。 That tracks。 🤷🏼♀️This book though， and her organization， Period， which I follow on Insta now， are very cool。 And important。 And honestly， I'm probably just jealous that I wasn't doing work like this ten years ago。 I want to give his book to every young person I know。 And to all my millennial new parent friends who will someday need to talk about all of this with their kids。Period Power's structure threw me for a bit of a loop， though， because it's half sociopolitical history about socialized gender roles and half self-help guide for new menstruators。 Like， what-is-a-tampon-and-how-do-you-insert-it kind of material。 Which is all fine and good， but I'm not the audience for that part。 And it feels like twelve-year-olds maybe aren't the target audience for the sociopolitical parts。That said， it's undoubtedly better than whatever American Girl-style guide I read when I was a kid。The last thing I'll say is that on multiple occasions I panicked and started yelling aloud and had to skip ahead in the audiobook because whatever menstruation-connected illness she was describing was so upsetting。 So just， fair warning。Wait， no， the actual last thing I'll say is that this book made me search through my drawers for the Diva Cup I had back in 2010。 I didn't find it。 But wow， does she make a compelling case for buying a new one。 。。。more
Julia
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I can't remember why I borrowed this from my library。 Probably morbid curiosity because I am very much not the target audience， nor do I have children。 But since I had it， I thought， I might as well read it。 The target audience is very much white， middle-class， cis-gendered girls （12-16 probably？） growing up in the US。 For those， I think it's a decent start。 Some things were left out， some things could have done with more editing， some things were presented a bit too great/simplistic， but it doe I can't remember why I borrowed this from my library。 Probably morbid curiosity because I am very much not the target audience， nor do I have children。 But since I had it， I thought， I might as well read it。 The target audience is very much white， middle-class， cis-gendered girls （12-16 probably？） growing up in the US。 For those， I think it's a decent start。 Some things were left out， some things could have done with more editing， some things were presented a bit too great/simplistic， but it does use inclusive language and gives glimpses beyond the US。 It， also， does give information that - if you grew up without decent sex ed - you'll find valuable。 But， overall， I hope there are better sources out there for people/kids。 Stuff that is also aimed at men and boys。 If you want to overcome stigma， you need to get all sides on board。Once again， I very much appreciate having had decent sex ed and living in a non-prudish culture。 。。。more
Cali Beyer
，
What I Like: • I learned a TON。 It is incredibly informative。 • The author uses super inclusive language。 • Some very interesting topics。 Did you know the modern tampon came from a French war invention for bullet wounds called the tampon which means to plug in French？ The average total cost of having a period is $18，171 in a lifetime？ The word period wasn’t said in a commercial until 1985？ （That seems so late in the game！） • The citations take up about a third of the book。 It is well 👏🏼 research What I Like: • I learned a TON。 It is incredibly informative。 • The author uses super inclusive language。 • Some very interesting topics。 Did you know the modern tampon came from a French war invention for bullet wounds called the tampon which means to plug in French？ The average total cost of having a period is $18，171 in a lifetime？ The word period wasn’t said in a commercial until 1985？ （That seems so late in the game！） • The citations take up about a third of the book。 It is well 👏🏼 researched 👏🏼。 What I Don’t Like: • The citations take up about a third of the book。 It can be a bit dense and dry at times， almost reading like a literature review。 • I generally just wasn’t excited it read it。 It took me 8 months to finish because it was never what I wanted to pick up。 Good。 But not a big hook maybe。 Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️？ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️？ 3。5 ⭐️s。 。。。more
Melissa
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A solid book that achieves what it sets out to do。 I think this wasn't quite what I was looking for personally as I am interested in learning more about the stigma around periods particularly in other parts of the world and this book only touches on this slightly。 It is also very US-centric so I did skim through many chapters that were just not relevant to me。 This would be a good book for a young audience who as it runs through the biological basics as well as explains different products。 A solid book that achieves what it sets out to do。 I think this wasn't quite what I was looking for personally as I am interested in learning more about the stigma around periods particularly in other parts of the world and this book only touches on this slightly。 It is also very US-centric so I did skim through many chapters that were just not relevant to me。 This would be a good book for a young audience who as it runs through the biological basics as well as explains different products。 。。。more
Emily B
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This is definitely worth reading and not just by people who menstruate。 It’s very accessible while being full of important information。 Although as others have already noticed there was no mention of Polycystic ovary syndrome。 This book is aimed at people younger than I am so at times it was somewhat too simplistic for me or reminded me that I wasn’t exactly the target audience
Hanne HR
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A touching and imofmative book about equality and feminism
Noel
，
Six years ago my father rushed me to the emergency room when I was anemic from so much blood loss and in excruciating pain。 Several tests， doctor visits， multiple misdiagnosis， and prescriptions and treatments later I was diagnosed with endometriosis。 It had taken 7+ years and an emergency visit for me to finally get diagnosed。 I had endured years of doctors dismissing my pain， especially as a woman of color in the United States， and being told that exercise and cutting out sugar would fix all o Six years ago my father rushed me to the emergency room when I was anemic from so much blood loss and in excruciating pain。 Several tests， doctor visits， multiple misdiagnosis， and prescriptions and treatments later I was diagnosed with endometriosis。 It had taken 7+ years and an emergency visit for me to finally get diagnosed。 I had endured years of doctors dismissing my pain， especially as a woman of color in the United States， and being told that exercise and cutting out sugar would fix all of my problems。 I have an extremely high pain tolerance due to the chronic pain I've been enduring with my endometriosis for well over a decade and a half。 It is a lifelong debilitating disorder that 50% of the time leads to infertility， and sometimes requires a complete hysterectomy to prevent further damage and improve the quality of and potentially save the person's life。 However， you have to find a doctor willing to perform the surgery first because to many doctors the infinitesimal chance you could conceive a baby or want to biologically birth one in the future is far more important to consider than your own wellbeing and health。 Many endometriosis sufferers have died due to their pain being dismissed only to have their autopsies show that their abdomen， and sometimes chest cavities， were full of endometrial adhesions and scar tissue that led to slow and painful deaths。All of this to say that from a very young age I have always been deeply passionate about periods and eliminating the taboo。 I come from a family that likes to pretend periods do not exist; you do not discuss them EVER to cater to everyone's discomfort， to the point that the word 'period' has always been a big no-no word and instead you have to say "woman thing"。 Perhaps it's my personality， or maybe it's the pivotal part the familial period shame played in my delayed endometriosis diagnosis， but I have always been excited to talk about periods and have always challenged the family taboo of the word 'period'。 It even got to the point that when my family and I would watch vampire movies they just knew I was going to ask the most obvious question ever; "why do they show vampires going nuts at the drop of blood from that person's cut when guaranteed at least one person in that entire place has got to be on their period？" I even lovingly call my period 'shark week'， not the least bit out of shame， but because I LOVE sharks and I love the beauty of periods even if my uterus has some slight glitches。In society and everyday life so much about periods is considered taboo despite men in the government thinking they own and have complete control over our uteri。 This book is a magnificent manifesto for the menstrual movement discussing destigmatization of periods， period products （some of which I never heard of such as the use of sea sponges which was so exciting！）， the history of the menstrual movement， menstrual legislation， menstruation and homelessness， period poverty， menstrual disorders， intersectionality and inclusive terminology， and so much more。 I truly enjoyed this book and learned so much。 My only two qualms with Period Power are that PCOS is never mentioned despite it being one of the most prevalent menstruation disorders， and Okamoto also takes a verse from the Quran completely out of context to insinuate that Islam sees menstruation as making women dirty and untouchable。 A couple of diplomatic lines were added after this statement， but it would really have been beneficial for Okamoto to have studied the entirety of Islam's teachings regarding menstruation before cherry-picking out a verse and making an ignorant and harmful implication like that。 A woman from the Blackfoot tribe I met many years ago talked to me about her culture's beliefs and teachings about menstruation， or moon cycle， and the reverie her people held towards one observing menstruation was one of the most beautiful cultural practices I've ever learned about。 For all of the taboo and shame so many of our cultures， including here in the US， have created and stigmatized about periods there are cultures across the globe that celebrate menstruation。 We all could learn a great deal from them。 One of my favorite take-aways from this book has got to be the mention of the first time the use of a pad being documented in history。 A woman in ancient Greece had an "admirer" AKA stalker and she threw her period soaked pad at him to get him to leave her alone。 ICONIC。 。。。more
Nisya Mazalan
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A book that basically talks on period; how do you get your period， your symptoms- and to a bigger view to demand for the rights of menstruators （based in the US）。 I am brought to understand the struggles of menstruators around the world in order to fit in the stigmatization of periods; where you can't talk about period publicly as it is something "very disturbing" & dirty。 Nadya Okamoto， a founder of PERIOD， where the main purpose was to distribute free period products to homeless women， now dem A book that basically talks on period; how do you get your period， your symptoms- and to a bigger view to demand for the rights of menstruators （based in the US）。 I am brought to understand the struggles of menstruators around the world in order to fit in the stigmatization of periods; where you can't talk about period publicly as it is something "very disturbing" & dirty。 Nadya Okamoto， a founder of PERIOD， where the main purpose was to distribute free period products to homeless women， now demand a new policy for #MenstrualMovement。 Demands are: - to distinguish the stigma/tabooism of period and encourage people talking about it publicly （this can help with self-empowerment and on their health concern）。 - to demand for free period products in public facilities （public toilets， schools， prisons）。 - to demand healthier period products for menstruators and environment。 。。。more
Janine Cousins
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Generally a great book about youth activism around menstruation。 I got a lot out of particularly the information about menstruation throughout the prison system。
are we there yet
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I don't disagree with the basic premise that we need to talk more about period， but unlike Greta Thunberg who just got depressed and gained a following almost accidentally， the author did come across as a "try hard" （something she was being accused of being in middle school） who was trying to gain some recognition or other （all the corporate approvals she had supports this hypothesis）。 At this point I'm also a believer that problems need to be eradicated at their core， and while she pointed out I don't disagree with the basic premise that we need to talk more about period， but unlike Greta Thunberg who just got depressed and gained a following almost accidentally， the author did come across as a "try hard" （something she was being accused of being in middle school） who was trying to gain some recognition or other （all the corporate approvals she had supports this hypothesis）。 At this point I'm also a believer that problems need to be eradicated at their core， and while she pointed out that lack of hygiene products affects poor and unhoused people， she didn't offer the reason people are poor or unhoused to begin with and seemed perfectly content with the idea of leading an organization that would forever be providing this service （see: non-profit industrial complex）。 Let's also keep in mind that two years after this book was published she did have to step down from the leadership position after accusations from other non-white people about the forms of manipulation she employed to keep her own organization above organizations with similar mission but that were grassroots。I do want to acknowledge that at the time of this writing she's still only 23 and still incredibly young， but she seems to have launched another similar organization， perhaps because she was under the impression she couldn't just disappear after a "setback" and wanted to stay on brand。 While we do need people who are dedicated and have more energy than others to sustain a movement， I wish this Harvard graduate would just sit on what people were telling her last year and ask herself why she was so eager to follow this capitalistic model of success instead of working with existing organizations to achieve a goal。 。。。more
Charlotte
，
3。5 stars。 Not a perfect book， but definitely a great introduction into the menstruation movement。 Rtc
Karen
，
I think this book would be too much for a child just getting their period， but could empower high school/college students and would also be an amazing resource for parents contemplating how to infuse age appropriate， honest， body discussions with their children。 I loved the inclusive language and topics- such as a discussion of period products for those with disabilities。 Also， menstrual cups were created in 1884！ Who knew？！！
summer
，
This was pretty good。 It was definitely catered towards newer menstruators， and I am not that at all。However， that being said， sometimes the sections were all about the horrors of menstruating， and being that it was catered towards newbies， that was a little iffy。There was also a line claiming you cannot be a feminist and not support free bleeding。 Free bleeding in public by your own choice is a gross thing to do and affects other people， not just yourself。I do not feel like I learned anything， This was pretty good。 It was definitely catered towards newer menstruators， and I am not that at all。However， that being said， sometimes the sections were all about the horrors of menstruating， and being that it was catered towards newbies， that was a little iffy。There was also a line claiming you cannot be a feminist and not support free bleeding。 Free bleeding in public by your own choice is a gross thing to do and affects other people， not just yourself。I do not feel like I learned anything， but many aspects were explained to me in different ways and I enjoyed that。 。。。more
Annie
，
A great book。 Must read for everyone。 Nadya Okamoto founded PERIOD， and is heavily involved in the Menstrual Movement。 Does the book read like a 20 year old wrote it？ Yes， yes it does， because the author was that age at the time of writing/publication。 But， she's done her research and it is obvious that period equity can change lives， providing opportunities for girls and women， and that's it's something that needs to be talked about。 Legislation and change need to occur at all levels， and this A great book。 Must read for everyone。 Nadya Okamoto founded PERIOD， and is heavily involved in the Menstrual Movement。 Does the book read like a 20 year old wrote it？ Yes， yes it does， because the author was that age at the time of writing/publication。 But， she's done her research and it is obvious that period equity can change lives， providing opportunities for girls and women， and that's it's something that needs to be talked about。 Legislation and change need to occur at all levels， and this book gives you the facts and courage to advocate for change！ 。。。more
Rebecca
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3。5 stars rounded up to 4。
Brynn Webster
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Not the most captivating but definitely a must read， lots of information that is needed to be spread。
N
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