It was extremely controversial. Jerry Falwell called it "obscene trash."
Hard to believe, but prior to that time there was very little information available to the average woman about our physical selves. Then along comes this (eventually) almost 1,000 page book that lays it all out there - in detail. With pictures.
Also known as The Boston Women's Health Book, it has provided clear, unbiased information about women's health for over 40 years. It seemed subversive early on - mainly because, at the time, it was.
My son speaks on many college campuses throughout the year. This past week I was fortunate enough to be invited to go with him to Wabash College in Indiana. It's a small, old, elite all men's college located in the tiny town of Crawfordsville. My husband, Ken, was a graduate. I had a moving trip down memory lane for which I will be forever grateful. We were treated like royalty.
On the first day we toured the little bookstore which is mostly a souvenir shop. However I found a few books in the corner that had been marked down to one dollar. Among them was a copy of "Our Bodies, Ourselves." OK, what's up with this small, all men's college even having this book? Why is it on sale for a dollar? Yes, I bought it, thinking that I would reminisce and leave it when I left as I often do with books I buy on the road.
We were housed in a lovely old home that was the original president's residence. It's furnished in the era in which it was built. Elegant. I lugged this book, along with a couple of others all the way back across campus and up a flight of stairs.
Over the next couple of days I read through it. It turns out the last revision was in 2011 so I saw parts I'd never read. And I had totally forgotten how explicit the book was. After all, it's about women's body parts - and feelings - with photos.
When we were packing I wondered about leaving the book in the room. But, realizing where I was and its contents, that would not do. I went downstairs to the home's library. All the books were about old Wabash, a 200 year old all male college. Nothing about the women's movement.
So, with a lot of reorganization, I jammed it into my little suitcase. When my son hefted the bag into the plane's overhead compartment he must have been thinking about how much heavier it was than when we started the trip.
Three pounds heavier to be exact.
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