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Book Review of "bOObs: A Guide To Your Girls"

November 25, 2007

Sometimes you come across a book with a truly clever title and it seems to jump off the shelf. Well here's one of those books for you, bOObs: A Guide to Your Girls. Through blogging I've gotten to be friends with the author, Elisabeth Squires. She also has a blog, The bOOb Lady's Blog.

So this month, as part of the Breastfeeding Bloggers' Carnival, I'm reviewing Elisabeth's book. The other blog posts are book reviews as well. This should give you some gift-giving ideas as we dive head first in the holiday season.

"bOObs" is a book about every breast related topic you can think of-- buying the right sized bra, getting a mammogram, coping with breast disease, having breast surgery, exercising comfortably, "exposing your girls" and even accepting the changes that come with age. Throughout the book, Squires debunks myths, gives historical perspectives on breasts and has fun quotes from women of all ages and breast-sizes. There are gems like this one: "Breasts are like avocados. At twenty, they aren't quite ripe, at thirty they're perfect, and at forty they are overly ripe. --36B, age 44."

Of course, there is an entire chapter on the pregnant and nursing boob. Squires takes a realistic and informative perspective on breastfeeding, and has sound practical advice like this: "Toward the end of your pregnancy, around your eighth month, you'll want to invest in three good nursing bras. At a minimum, you want one to wear and one to spare, while the third will typically be in the wash. Some women also choose to wear a cotton nursing bra at night."

Squires did her research for this book. (I've got to ask her how many years or months she spent on this). It's a long book-- the 290 pages includes an index, footnotes and book and web resources. And finally, she even has your own personal "Boob Journal." This will help you record your bra sizes, dates of mammograms, "mammoirs" (aka memories) and drawings of your breasts. Of course there are also detailed instructions on doing a monthly breast self-exam.

Bottom line, this is a great gift for your sister, cousin, mom or aunt. (It's probably a bit much for a young teenage girl). Just mention the title and you'll find yourself having a fun conversation.

Now for the other blogs participating in the Carnival:
The True Face of Birth has a review of my own book, "Mama Knows Breast."
The International Breastfeeding Symbol Blog reviews The Baby Book and Unconditional Parenting.
Hobo Mama reviews Our Babies, Ourselves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent.
Breastfeeding Mums blog and The Motherwear Blog both review too many books for me to list here. Just click to their sites. They've found some real gems, including my book :). Thanks, once again, ladies!
On School Street reviews Blindsided by a Diaper: Over 30 Men and Women Reveal How Parenthood Changes a Relationship.
Tales of Life with a Girl on the Go reviews the children's book The Best Gifts.
James and The Giant Moose Blog has a review of Having Faith: An Ecologist's Journey to Motherhood.
Breastfeeding123 reviews Baby Matters.
Crunchy Domestic Goddess reviews the video What Babies Want.