From the Publisher
“This book is a transformative reframing of our understanding of the biology of menstruation and fertility, making clear the stakes of the scientific debates for our lives.”—Sarah S. Richardson, author of The Maternal Imprint“This book is a revelation. Kate Clancy demolishes the centuries of pseudoscience and misogyny that have wrongly made menstruation seem repulsive, and replaces them with a far more rigorous and fascinating view of this vital and nigh-miraculous act. Period is both an authoritative work of scholarship and a soaring, hopeful manifesto for a better culture and a more just science.”—Ed Yong, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of An Immense World“Kate Clancy shatters the taboo and stigma surrounding periods that pervade Western cultures, offering a powerful and necessary rethinking of everything society has told you about menstruation. Profound and insightful, Period opens a window into what menstruation could be in a more just, more feminist future.”—Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, author of The Disordered Cosmos“A tour de force of careful and robust science, personal reflection, and deep compassion that debunks misinformation and points the way to true menstrual liberation. With sparkling narrative and a commitment to care, Clancy shows why menstruation matters for all of us.”—Agustín Fuentes, author of The Creative Spark: How Imagination Made Humans Exceptional“I thought I knew a lot about periods. Boy was I wrong! Period blew up so many of my preconceived notions in the best possible way, offering up a kaleidoscope of new perspectives on menstruation. Kate Clancy weaves history, science, narrative, and analysis into an expansive, inclusive, and insightful profile of the oft-misunderstood uterus. You’ll never look at a tampon the same way again, and that’s a good thing.”—Rose Eveleth, producer and host of Flash Forward