I am privileged. Okay, I am from a working class family and town but I am aware enough to know how privileged I am. On a very base level I know this because I can afford basic hygiene products for when I have my period and have been able to afford them since I started getting my period.

Periods Gone Public is a carrion call for all of us who are in that position of privilege to realise and then help those who are not in that same position. Those who are poor, those who are contending with cultural misunderstanding of periods or those who aren't free to access this care.

As much as I know I am in a position of privilege I wasn't aware just how bad the disparity is. Periods Gone Public highlighted just how much having a period is a social and economical issue. How it affects those in schools, in the workplace and in prison. It was a real eye opener.

This book poses some great ideas and solutions to how we can be a more equitable society when it comes to periods and I think parts of it should be taught in schools.

Periods Gone Public - Taking a Stand For Menstrual Equality by Jennifer Weiss-Wolf is available now.

For more information regarding Jennifer Weiss-Wolf (@jweisswolf) please visit here Twitter page.

For more information regarding Skyhorse Publishing (@skyhorsepub) please visit. www.skyhorsepublishing.com.

A good take on the controversial topic of women's menstruation and the expense and shame that comes with it.

This was such a shocking but also a truly inspirational read! I actually read this months ago and have been sitting on my review not sure when I should post it. Even though we live in the 21st century and almost anything can be discussed in public without embarrassment, I felt slightly unsure about the reception I’d get to a book review about menstruation. Yes it’s only on my blog, Goodreads and amazon, so it’s not like I’m standing on a street corner shouting about Period Inequality or running the London Marathon ‘free bleeding’, unlike some of the period activists mentioned in this book.

The only period activists I’d read about before was, Arunachalam Muruganantham in a BBC article from a few years ago. He’s one of many people mentioned in the book finding ways to bring cheaper and hygienic sanitary wear to women in India and around the world.

I read shocking stories about homeless women finding it nearly impossible to gain access to tampons and towels, and also the barbaric treatment of women in US prisons whilst having their periods. It made me realise how unfair women are treated in society because we bleed every month. Why should girls miss school because they can’t find the money for the exorbitant price of a box of tampons or sanitary towels?! Why are these essentials still being taxed in some countries?

It’s not all doom and gloom though, as the author highlights all the positive activities that are happening around the world to fight menstrual inequality.

A definite must read for women of all ages.

**In this post I review ASK ME ABOUT MY UTERUS and PERIODS GONE PUBLIC. Publishers have provided complementary copies to me in exchange for honest reviews** .
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Let's talk about...uteruses/uteri! Yes, those are both acceptable plural forms of 'uterus'. Half the human population has one but *wow* are they controversial! However, regardless of where you stand on hot button issues like birth control and abortion, you probably agree that periods, albeit annoying, aren't very revolutionary. But you are also probably (like me) reading this post from somewhere in the United States, you've likely had ready access to feminine hygiene products, and you have hopefully never experienced a medical problem such as endometriosis. In PERIODS GONE PUBLIC: TAKING A STAND FOR MENSTRUAL EQUALITY by Jennifer Weiss-Wolf I discovered that "a new, high-profile movement has emerged—one dedicated to bold activism, creative product innovation, and smart policy advocacy—to address the centrality of menstruation in relation to core issues of gender equality and equity." In dancer Abby Norman's memoir ASK ME ABOUT MY UTERUS: A QUEST TO MAKE DOCTORS BELIEVE WOMEN'S PAIN, Norman describes having her pain dismissed repeatedly by medical professionals and "shows that women's bodies have long been the battleground of a never-ending war for power, control, medical knowledge, and truth. It's time to refute the belief that being a woman is a preexisting condition."
I would recommend these releases to everyone and anyone...you need not have a uterus to learn something from these releases. As a matter of fact, more of the non-uterus owning half of the population should read these!

Just from the name of the book, I realized that it was one which was very important and deserved to be read so that I could expand my thoughts and finally catch up with all the fuss over periods, the last thing anyone in this patriarchal world ever thought would be the driving force behind beautifully organized political chaos.

Wolf’s voice from the very start was focused, salient, informative and unabashed, all things equally important to pull any reader in. To be honest, I hardly ever consciously thought about the main message that this book promotes which is perhaps why I was so inspired by it. Although, I didn’t agree with every argument that Wolf made since some of them in my opinion were either unrealistic and something from ‘menstrutopia’ whereas some were just taking it too far.

However, the focus of my review and rating are not that. As Madame Gandhi puts it “Periods Gone Public shows why menstrual stigma is not only a social justice issue but an economic and political one.” That is exactly what the author communicated throughout the book. I really appreciated the fact that the author acknowledged the idea that it is not only women who menstruate but transgender people as well and explored the difficulties faced by them, offering possible solutions along the way – I never thought of that before. Call me socially unaware, but I don’t think I ever sat for hours before reading this, consciously thinking about how menstruation affects so many people at different levels. This is my reason for the high rating. This book made me think.

What I loved the most about this book was how calculatingly persuasive it is and how it effectively fuels you to do something about the issue at hand e.g. yours truly, a very lethargic person has now decided that it's high time that her college has pads available in the washrooms just like toilet paper. Period.

Overall, this was a very extensive, informative and interesting read, one which has actually managed to inspire me to do something! (that hardly ever happens) I do want to clarify that the rating is not at all for the message of this book which is beyond meager 5 stars but for the book itself which was repetitive at times, and not that relatable in the US specific chapters, hence the 4 stars.

I loved this book, and honestly, the period conversation has been long overdue. Now that periods are being talked about openly, many things are rapidly changing. This book takes a look at many of the changes and different facets of the period issue. An excellent feminist look at periods.

A very important and inspiring read! Not only do I feel more informed about how people all around the world deal with menstruation but also how I can get active. I loved that it included trans people, it is a generally inclusive book.

This book doesn't shy away from any topic regarding periods. It's interesting to read something that most people won't talk about. Heck even going to buy tampons is sometimes considered TMI.

The first time I thought about period activism is when I learned of Tampon Run, the highly addictive game created by high school girls after attending coding camp. Though I knew something about the movement, this was an enlightening look at what women the world over are doing to remove the stigma(s) around periods.

Periods Gone Public is a book about the recent emerge of period activism, but also about the problems that women around the world face during their periods. The author mainly concentrated on the period activism in the year 2015 which, in her opinion, is the year that made periods go public. She also shows the hardships women in other countries and cultures have to go through because of a lack of education and sanitary products. But she mentions the issues of poor, homeless or gender dysphoric women in the US. Finally, she proposes to view other problems that specifically concern women through the "mentruals lens", such as viewing "abortion as necessary healthcare".

It was really interesting to learn about the attitudes towards menstruation in other countries and cultures. It was shocking to see how many women don't have access to pads and tampons and therefore have to deal with health problems and conflicts and work and school. And it was very inspiring to read about organizations, but also initiatives of the women themselves that desire to change that. I could also understand the struggles of poor and homeless women and the injustice of "tampon taxes".

However, the parts about Western period activism were a little weird. It is impossible to miss that the author is a feminist and it was hard for me to understand why someone would cheer for people posting photos of their bloody underwear on instagram or encourage freebleeding athlets. I don't think that this is necesary or helpful for raising awareness. I also think that the part about the "menstrual lens" wasn't always logical and sometimes went a little too far. The same goes for special sick days for menstruating women, for example, which would be sexist and unfair.

Another, rather small point was that the author claimed that a woman can't know know when her next period will come. This would have been an excellent opportunity to mention NFP/FAM/cycle tracking because it is free (once you have the knowledge), you can always use it and it is empowering (and it does not only allow predicting the next period, but it can also be used for birth control and family planning). Excellent opportunity - but she didn't use it. Every book about the female reproductive organs should contain a chapter on NFP/FAM.

This book is an interesting read for anyone who is interested in period activism and I am sure feminists will love it. But I would have liked it better if she had elaborated more on the issues in third world countries and left out some of the activism things. (And, honestly, "I'm too stupid to buy tampons in advance and therefore want free tampons and pads in every toilet" is not a good argument. Your period comes once every few weeks (except for pco/pcos ladies probably) and as long as you're not near menopause, it is never wrong to have some pads and tampons at home [or cloth pads and menstrual cups, depending on what you're using]).

Thank you for this book, finally someone is writing about a subject that society thinks and believes is taboo. I am glad that this book was written and the topic was brought to light. Everyone needs to realize that half of the world expel blood for 5- 7 days every month and survive. I was surprised how well researched this book was and how the author is standing up for this topic. Menstrual equity is something that needs to happen and be fought for. I enjoyed the book and I honestly believe that every library and school should have this book available to everyone to read and learn about menstrual equity. I honestly think that MEN should read this book and realize the struggle that women have. THANK YOU for this book and making society and the world stand up and take ownership of this taboo subject.

If you call yourself a feminist, or a equalist, or just belive we should have an equal society you should read this book. The book take a great look into how periods still is a taboo today. We still have a long way to go for an equal society were necessary health articles are provided to those who cannot afford it.

During the book the author use language such as people who menstruate in stead of women who menstruate, and health products in stead of female products in order to shine a light on other differensens we have in the society. We shine a light on the people who find them self in the wrong body, but we do not let them have a place to feel safe. In today's world we have both men and women who menstruate, and women who don't but wish they could. Fighting the fight for an equal society have moved beyond the voting rights and the rights to work. Now we must fight for a society who accept all and the physical needs to the people living in the society. People say that feminism is dead, but I belive that the focus just must shift. The feminism movement acchived so much good, there is no need to make it stop now because women can vote and work outside of the home.

This book shine a light on some of the problems we still are facing as a society as a whole, and help you remember that if you forget. I certainly forget sometimes, because I myself have what I need.

Bravo! Such a well-researched, well-organized and well-written book. Periods Gone Public rides the wave of current attention on the universal issue of menstruation and gives the reader background on the history of menstruation taboos, ways that hygiene has evolved over the years, challenges in the modern world regarding type of hygiene products, cost and accessibility. The information was eye opening in many ways and I feel that I keep myself well-informed. Also, the narrative of the book was entertaining and so easily digested. Would recommend to everyone, but particularly to those interested in social justice issues.

This is the full metal jacket of menstruation activism- I loved it. Weiss-Wolf considers the issue of access to adequate menstrual care from a multitude of perspectives- political, feminist, socio-economic and environmental, as well as questioning the possible future of the new wave of possible menstrual care in the form of profit based companies.

The author considers a multitude of movements in the developing world which are opening new opportunities for women, both in terms of income and education as well as proper hygiene supplies, as well as the movements in the developing world toward environmentally-friendly options. She also discusses the tough situations faced by members of the transgender community who often struggle with basic access to facilities after transitioning.

This one is a tour de force. If you've never questioned the tampon in your bag and what a privilege it is to have such easy access to it, this one's for you. Read and weep.

Fantastic! Weiss-Wolf does an excellent job of representing both breadth and depth of the world of the period. She examines media coverage, issues related to menstrual product access, and popular culture. I love how she weaves public policy and advocacy into the book, giving the reader ideas for how to get involved. This book is a must-read for any feminist policy wonk!

This was an interesting book, but I do think it's the type of book that is basically only going to be read by people that already understand a lot of what she's talking about. I did really appreciate that she made a point of talking about how these issues affect non-binary people and trans men differently but equally strongly. I also thought she did a good job of making it clear how widespread these issues are and avoiding any tone of western superiority or of white savior complex.
This was a quick read and definitely worth picking up if you like to read about feminist issues.

I'm trying to raise my knowledge of feminist issues this year, and when I saw this on Netgalley it caught my attention. I guess I've never really thought about menstruation other than, you know, having one. It's not something people talk about, or want to read about. But maybe we should.

The biggest political issue surrounding periods I've heard about recently has been the campaign in the UK to scrap the so-called 'tampon tax', whereby the sale of sanitary products shouldn't also be additionally charged. At the time of the campaign I remember feeling indignant that women had to even pay for something deemed essential, let alone pay tax on it as well. This book expanded this argument, but also included issues I hadn't even considered. Homelessness and menstruation. Menstruation and poverty. Periods in the non-Western world (the brief note about a New York article regarding a young girl using rags infested with lizard eggs particularly struck a chord).

The book itself is organised in a loose pattern of following the author as she traversed a year in the political landscape of menstruation, and includes her travels around the globe helping to educate and distribute sanitary products, as well as simply listening to women's stories. All women's stories. Teenagers, prisoners, the homeless, from all different cultures and societies. Jennifer Weiss-Wolf did a lot of research here, and a lot of ground is covered with a diverse set of women. The author excels at bringing together a large range of stories, with so many different issues. My other concern was that a lot of her arguments are very American (understandably, as she's American), but I would have liked to have read more from a European perspective and in particular what the NHS is doing about these issues (the sentence about Boots being described as a 'swanky pharmacist' made me chuckle). At times I also felt the story were getting heavily bogged down in facts - I wanted to read more about the authors journey, and more importantly the people that she meets and their stories, rather than facts and figures.

My favourite section in the book was the chapter about menstruation and homelessness. The women's stories were so hard hitting and relatable - and I felt a little ashamed of myself for never thinking about the kinds of problems that these women face on a daily basis. Such as the inability to fit a box of tampons in your rucksack, your only way of transporting your things with you. Having no access to sanitary public bathrooms, resulting in infections. Or that tampons are so expensive they're seen as a luxury, and one of the things most likely to be stolen when living on the streets.

Collectively, I thought this was an extremely thoughtful piece of work and has certainly opened my mind to the greater issues women still face with regards to menstruation in the modern age. It's something that women shouldn't be hiding - it isn't a taboo, and we should be bringing it to the forefront of the media.