I just read the Purity Myth by Jessica Valenti. The tagline on the cover is one of the few taglines I have ever seen that honestly depicts the contents of a book. Valenti, a blogger at feministing.com uses the colloquial style associated with blogging prose- and her down to earth, accessible style of contextualizing what she has termed “the purity myth” is relevant, interesting and educational. And she is able to inject humor and personality by using the blogging tone.
Valenti makes a chapter by chapter argument and analysis of the way the abstinence only education and the focus on chastity and virginity motivate the youth of America with fear- especially young women. Valenti goes on to claim that proponents of the “virginity movement” are using sexual methodology and feminism’s empowering language to rollback women’s rights. Her examples are spot on and cited- which makes me respect and value this book as a feminist resource. I learned a lot from this book, like current laws and legislation that attempt to limit the availability of abortion, the state of Florida’s successful forced Ceasarian sections, and conservative pharmacists illegal claim that lying about the availability of Plan B is moral and allowed. I highly recommend this book, especially if you want to learn more about the necessary battles women and girls fight on a daily basis.
|#