We need to talk about Vaginas

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product for We Need to Talk about Vaginas through Raincoast Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and is so much appreciated. 

Not an easy topic to you know?  To talk with young ladies about their bodies and how they work.  Too often we let them learn from others who don’t have their best needs at heart. We need to talk about vaginas is written by a doctor who wants to help young ladies understand their bodies.  Let’s look deeper shall we? 

The Basic Details of We need to Talk about Vaginas

Title: We need to Talk about Vaginas: An important book about vulvas, periods, puberty, and sex!
Author: Dr. Allison K Rodgers
Illustrator: Annika Le Large
Publisher: Neon Squid
Pages: 64
Intended Audience: 10-14 years
Genre: Teenage girls, nonfiction, books on maturing, girls and women’s issues, sexuality
Formats available: Flexibound, Kindle
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books
Received: flexibound

About the Author

Dr. Allison K. Rodgers is an Obstetrics and Gynecology doctor based in Chicago, Illinois. She discusses common issues for young women.  Her goal is to give accurate health information to those interested. You can find her on Instagram (mostly about fertility) and TikTok.

About the book

But KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, ergo the more we know about our vaginas and vulvas the better equipped we are to deal with our bodies. In this beautifully illustrated book Dr. Allison K. Rodgers explains in simple tems everything from why we have periods to sex and consent in the age of social media. You’ll learn the correct names for everything, understand periods, vaginas, self-care, and puberty changes. 

Looking Deeper

Clear illustrations are provided, giving accurate descriptions and facts throughout. The language is non-complicated, the focus on providing clear information to a younger audience.  A book like this would have been hugely helpful to me in my early teen years as talking with my folks about such things was basically a no-go.  

You’ll find all skin tones used throughout, as is the openness about different sexual attractions. I didn’t know there was so much variation in how hymen presents itself. Good to know information eh?   Popping up you’ll notice references to non-traditional sexual orientation. 

For the most part, each new topic covers a two page spread. Each topic broken down into easy to understand bite sized pieces.  Giving just enough information that if a young lady wanted to know more, she would know the search terms to use. 

Would I recommend it?

If I could rip out about four pages of this short book, I could heartily recommend it.  BUT the woke part of it, where gender identity becomes part of the conversation… made me want to hurl it into the garbage.  You won’t find this book only talking about vaginas but also about sexuality, puberty, masturbation and the like.  It is written from a non-faith perspective.  

BUT all said … if you want a resource to help your daughter (or even yourself if you’ve not seriously looked into how your body work) understand her body and the changes in store as she becomes a woman, this is a clearly presented treatise that speaks to girls well. 

Inclusivity matters

I love the inclusivity of all skin colours, the accurate drawings, the clearly presented facts, and even the presentation of aspects I wouldn’t have thought to include.  

Can “we need to talk about vaginas” be used within a faith based household?  FOR SURE.  Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about how it’s an insult to be called cisgendered, how men are men regardless of their mental illnesses, and women are always women even if they don’t always feel like it. Talk with them about periods, how our bodies work, sexual choices, and protecting themselves.  Talk about how our faith influences how we live our lives. Girls need to know these things.  Talk about how dealing with our sexuality in a faith-based way in a world the encourages deviance is difficult. The more we know, the more we can help ourselves and others within our communities. 

Please, just use this book as a conversation starter, to help your girls think more deeply about who they are as women and what that means…even if their idea of being a woman looks differently to them than it does to you.  🙂  Help your girls be comfortable being the women they are becoming.