ALPHABETICAL BRAIN® VOCABULARY HUMANIST GALAXY OF SECULAR SCIENCE STARS RACHEL GROSS October 5, 2022 VAGINA OBSCURA: An Anatomical Voyage by Rachel E. Gross W.W Norton, 2022 (i-xix, 307 pages) Quote = "By turns funny, lyrical, incisive, and shocking, the book is a powerful testament to how the landscape of human knowledge can be rewritten to better serve everyone." (From publisher's blurb) Quote = "Today, a new generation of (mostly) women scientists is finally redrawing the map. With modern tools and fresh perspectives, they are looking at the organs traditionally bound up in reproduction --- the uterus, ovaries, vagina --- and seeing within them a new biology of change and resilience." (From the publisher's blurb) Quote = "A camera obscura reflects the world back but dimmer and inverted. Similarly, science has long viewed woman through a warped lens, one focused narrowly on her capacity for reproduction. As a result, there exists a vast knowledge gap when it comes to what we know about half of the bodies on the planet." (From the publisher's blurb) Quote = "The Latin term for the female genitalia, pudendum, means "parts for which you should be ashamed." Until 1651, ovaries were called female testicles. The fallopian tubes are named for a man. Named, claimed, and shamed: welcome to the story of the female body, as penned by men!" (By author Rachel Gross from the Introduction) BOOK OUTLINE Note = Numbers in parentheses refer to pages INTRODUCTION — Named, claimed, and shamed (ix-xix) 1) DESIRE — GLANS CLITORIS (1-27) note = image of the clitoris structure (28) quote = "you see what you want to see" (28) 2) WHOLENESS — INTERNAL CLITORIS (29-59) 3) RESILIENCE — VAGINA (61-91) 4) PROTECTION — VAGINAL MICROBIOME (93-115) 5) CREATION — EGG CELL (117-147) 6) POWER — OVARIES (149-183) 7) REGENERATION — UTERUS (185-215) 8) BEAUTY — NEOVAGINA (217-249) AFTERWORD (251-255) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (257-260) ENDNOTES (261-294) INDEX (295-307) AUTHOR NOTE, SUMMARY, AND BOOK DESCRIPTION AUTHOR NOTES = Rachel E. Gross is an award-winning science journalist based in Brooklyn, New York. A former Knight Science Journalism Fellow and digital science editor of Smithsonian Magazine , she writes for BBC Future, the New York Times , and Scientific American. SUMMARY = The book is a scientific journey to the center of the new female body. The Latin term for the female genitalia, pudendum, means "parts for which you should be ashamed." Until 1651, ovaries were called female testicles. The fallopian tubes are named for a man. Named, claimed, and shamed: welcome to the story of the female body, as penned by men. A New York Times Editors' Choice and a Science Friday Best Science Book of 2022. BOOK DESCRIPTION = Today, a new generation of (mostly) women scientists is finally redrawing the map. With modern tools and fresh perspectives, they are looking at the organs traditionally bound up in reproduction --- the uterus, ovaries, vagina --- and seeing within them a new biology of change and resilience. Through their eyes, journalist Rachel E. Gross takes readers on an anatomical odyssey to the center of this new world-a world where the uterus regrows itself, ovaries pump out fresh eggs, and the clitoris pulses beneath the surface like a shimmering pyramid of nerves. Full of wit and wonder, Vagina Obscura is a celebratory testament to how the landscape of knowledge can be rewritten to better serve everyone. A MYTH-BUSTING VOYAGE INTO THE FEMALE BODY A camera obscura reflects the world back but dimmer and inverted. Similarly, science has long viewed woman through a warped lens, one focused narrowly on her capacity for reproduction. As a result, there exists a vast knowledge gap when it comes to what we know about half of the bodies on the planet. That is finally changing. Today, a new generation of researchers is turning its gaze to the organs traditionally bound up in baby-making --- the uterus, ovaries, and vagina --- and illuminating them as part of a dynamic, resilient, and ever-changing whole. Welcome to Vagina Obscura , an odyssey into a woman's body from a fresh perspective, ushering in a whole new cast of characters. In Boston, a pair of biologists are growing artificial ovaries to counter the cascading health effects of menopause. In Melbourne, a urologist remaps the clitoris to fill in crucial gaps in female sexual anatomy. Given unparalleled access to labs and the latest research, journalist Rachel E. Gross takes readers on a scientific journey to the center of a wonderous world where the uterus regrows itself, ovaries pump out fresh eggs, and the clitoris pulses beneath the surface like a shimmering pyramid of nerves. This paradigm shift is made possible by the growing understanding that sex and gender are not binary; we all share the same universal body plan and origin in the womb. That is why insights into the vaginal microbiome, ovarian stem cells, and the biology of menstruation don't mean only a better understanding of female bodies, but a better understanding of male, non-binary, transgender, and intersex bodies --- in other words, all bodies. By turns funny, lyrical, incisive, and shocking, Vagina Obscura is a powerful testament to how the landscape of human knowledge can be rewritten to better serve everyone. EDITORIAL BOOK REVIEWS REMEMBER ALWAYS: You are your adaptable memory! Click or Tap to Return to Humanist Galaxy RETURN TO HUMANIST HUB OF SECULAR SCIENCE STARS ALPHABETICAL BRAIN® VOCABULARY produced by Infinite Interactive Ideas®