Welcome to October’s book club, where we spotlight incredible female literary talent and let you in on our favourite page-turners from the month. Boy, do I have some good recommendations for you – my nightstand is the best it’s ever looked.
Pain And Prejudice – Gabrielle Jackson
This book is a rallying cry for medical professionals to take women and their pain seriously – it’s screaming “enough is enough!” at the assumption that women’s lives will always have a baseline of pain. 70% of chronic pain patients are women, but 80% of pain studies are conducted on men or male mice. There are nearly five times as many clinical trials published on male sexual pleasure as there are on female sexual pain. Women wait longer for pain medication than men, and are more likely to have their physical symptoms ascribed to mental health issues.
Jackson is a Guardian journalist, and was enraged to write this book after her endometriosis diagnosis made her realise how little Doctors know about women. As a woman who suffers from a chronic illness and has countless times begged doctors to just take her suffering seriously, reading Pain And Prejudice made me feel seen in a way I haven’t before. Please, please read this.
Three Women – Lisa Taddeo
Lisa Taddeo has been credited with creating a new literary genre – one that mixes hard-hitting investigative journalism similar to that of war correspondents, and a writing style that is engaging and reads more like non-fiction.
Three Women explores the sex lives and desires of three American women, Maggie, Linda and Sloane in minute detail. She spent 8 years getting to know her subjects intimately, moving to where they lived and fully immersing herself in their lives. The work feels revolutionary almost because it shouldn’t – women’s pleasure, desires, and fantasies are repressed and underrepresented, despite the mainstream narrative that sexual liberation was granted in the 60s. Every woman I know who has read Three Women has said the same: this book will change your life.
Where to Begin: A Small Book About Your Power to Create Big Change in Our Crazy World – Cleo Wade
The poet, who gained prominence when she started to post on Instagram, has written her second book following the success of bestseller Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life. Where to Begin is a pick up and flick book full of self-care mantras, tips on building a community and insights into how you can insight social change. I’ve leant on it this month for quick bursts of inspiration, and it truly has helped soothe my anxiety on bad days.
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