Reddit reviews The Red Tent

The cis-het lean of my choices is unintentional.

Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler taught me so much about my cycle that I didn't know, and I considered myself extremely well educated about sexual health. Useful info.

Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft is primarily written about male abusers from the perspective of a court-appointed domestic abuse counselor but specifies the information is useful for all gendered situations. I have recommended this book to so many women who do not recognize abusive situations. It elucidated a lot about my relationships and the nature of abuse. It really understands how find yourself in an abusive situation despite your best intentions, but insists you must leave for your safety and is very clear about the ubiquitous escalation from psychological/verbal abuse to physical harm and death. This is an Intervention book if you know someone who needs help getting out of a shitty relationship.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant- so this is a weird choice maybe to be coming from me, an atheist, but this is reimagined Biblical fiction about a daughter of Jacob. It's been a long time since I read it but I remember being impressed by the idea of elevating a woman's voice from Biblical times, giving her agency, and reflecting on the ritualistic ties that bind women together (in this case, menstruation and midwifery). I'm sure there's all sorts of problematic stuff re: that pesky underlying belief system/Bronze Age patriarchy/elevation of motherhood as the epitome of female experience, et al. But I don't remember that? The thing that stuck with me was just a powerful story of womanhood, so that's gotta say something. (If any of you have read this more recently and want to tell me this is actually a terrible choice, I'm willing to concede that I have an awful memory, so the details may sink this one.).