Virgin: The Untouched History, by Hanne Blank
An exceptional book. I was much more intrigued by this book than I expected to be, and on completing it, I can't believe I ever doubted it. Blank presents an impeccably researched and compellingly written socio-political and medical-scientific examination of the state and concept of virginity, with meditations on the repercussions virginity or lack thereof has had on women through the ages. She also states the limitations of her research, a habit I find endearing in any historian.
Also, the section on virginity tests is hilariously terrifying. I tried a few on myself. The results were... not accurate, shall we say.
This book does discuss multiple triggering subjects, including sexual assault and the punishment of women who are not or who are perceived to be no longer virginal, as an inevitable offshoot of the discussion of virginity. However, if you can stomach those subjects, I highly recommend this book.
eta: also please tell me not to call out some of the commentators on inaccurate history. Queen Victoria did, in fact, jumpstart the white wedding dress trend and I can cite my sources, but these people don't know me and quibbling over random historical trivia is neither nice nor a good use of my time.
This entry is crossposted at http://bookblather.dreamwidth.org/133076.html. Please comment over there if possible.
Also, the section on virginity tests is hilariously terrifying. I tried a few on myself. The results were... not accurate, shall we say.
This book does discuss multiple triggering subjects, including sexual assault and the punishment of women who are not or who are perceived to be no longer virginal, as an inevitable offshoot of the discussion of virginity. However, if you can stomach those subjects, I highly recommend this book.
eta: also please tell me not to call out some of the commentators on inaccurate history. Queen Victoria did, in fact, jumpstart the white wedding dress trend and I can cite my sources, but these people don't know me and quibbling over random historical trivia is neither nice nor a good use of my time.
This entry is crossposted at http://bookblather.dreamwidth.org/133076.html. Please comment over there if possible.