The Real Life Body Book: A Young Woman's Complete Guide to Health and Wellness
Young women seeking straightforward answers to a broad range of health concerns will eagerly welcome this new resource, which falls somewhere in tone between the girlfriend approach of a women's magazine article and the earnest empowerment supplied by the classic go-to bible Our Bodies, Ourselves, by the Boston Women's Health Book Collective. Spencer, a journalist, and Ricciotti, a Harvard Medical School professor and practicing physician, combine their expertise in an approachable, extensive guide to high-interest health topics for younger women, from acne to stress to tattoo care to contraception. Diagrams, checklists, anecdotes, and boxes highlighting “Real Life Facts” enliven the casual text, which encourages readers to take ownership of their bodies as it provides a wealth of reliable information as well as reassurance in succinct, matter-of-fact answers: “What is great sex? You both enjoyed it. That's it!” One book can't cover everything, of course, and the authors' kitchen-sink approach makes for some odd organizational choices: information about athlete's foot, for example, is shoe-horned between sections on rape and organ donation. That's a small quibble, though, about a thorough, enlightening title that every young woman should have access to. --Gillian Engberg