Why am I passionate about this?
For years, I suffered from extremely painful periods and terrible mood swings before my period. I chalked this up to being a bad person. When I was in my thirties, I found out I had PMDD: premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Researchers have known about PMDD for years, yet it still takes over a decade to get a diagnosis. I got mad, and I got curious. What was going on? I went hunting for books to explain what we know about periods and why we don’t talk about them. The books on this list answered many of my questions—I hope they answer yours.
Shalene's book list on books for if your periods are a painful bloody hell
Why did Shalene love this book?
Period books can be fun, and this one is the definition of fun while also pounding in the message that it’s okay to have a period, and we really shouldn’t be ashamed of having them. Sassy and smart, with a quirky cast of characters, it goes down as easy as a beach read.
I found myself cheering for all of the characters and utterly riveted by the plot. Roper leaves you thinking about shame, stigma, and the power of social media without even realizing what you’re thinking.
2 authors picked The Society of Shame as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
“If you liked Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, read The Society of Shame by Jane Roper.” —The Washington Post
In this timely and witty combination of So You've Been Publicly Shamed and Where'd You Go, Bernadette? a viral photo of a politician's wife's “feminine hygiene malfunction” catapults her to unwanted fame in a story that's both a satire of social media stardom and internet activism, and a tender mother-daughter tale.
Kathleen Held’s life is turned upside down when she arrives home to find her house on fire and her husband on the front lawn in his underwear. But the…