Jan 7-18

In the great tradition of Our Bodies, Ourselves, Body Drama is a medically-accurate, confidence-building text for teens that explains exactly how “women’s bodies actually look, smell, feel, behave, and change.” The author, a former Miss Virginia and Harvard-graduate is in-touch with the issues on the minds of young adults and presents the information in a frank and engaging manner.

Nancy Redd describes Body Drama as a book that “talks about all the issues that keep you up at night—lopsided boobs, stinky pits, eating disorders, facial hair, an “ugly” vulva, bad dye jobs, and more. Alongside real-deal photographs of women just like you and me (no airbrushing, no supermodels, no kidding), you’ll find medical pictures of things you need to be able to recognize, true confessions by yours truly, and the encouragement you need to appreciate the uniqueness, strength, and beauty of your body.”

Before it was even published, other authors were lining up to praise Body Drama:

“Body Drama should be center stage in every young woman’s life. It will make you love every little thing about your body: your sags, your tags, your lumps, your bumps. It’s a book of liberation and it’s fun.”
-Eve Ensler, author of the Vagina Monologues

“I love this book! It puts loving (and knowing) your body into words and pictures — you’ll find out yours isn’t so different after all. Body Drama has the answers you want to the questions you don’t know how to ask. Fun and frank, like talking to a good friend who knows absolutely everything and is willing to dish.”
— Kim Gandy, President of the National Organization of Women (NOW)

“In Body Drama, Nancy Redd combines the information of Dr. Ruth, the stylishness of Naomi Campbell, the vibe of your best friend, and photos you always wanted to see but were afraid to ask. An empowering, original, funny, and frank book, Body Drama is poised to become the modern girl’s Our Bodies, Ourselves.”
— Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards, authors of Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, & the Future and Grassroots: A Field Guide
Where to find more about Body Drama and author Nancy Redd:

	Nancy Redd’s backstory for Body Drama
	Nancy Redd’s Website
	Look for reviews of Body Drama in Salon, Healthline, Teens Read Too, YPulse, Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Seattle P-I.
	Jan 9, 2008: Nancy will be on Good Morning America!Nancy will also be interviewed on PBS’s To the Contrary! at a date TBD in January 2008.

Here’s what MotherTalk reviewers are saying about Body Drama:

Laura William’s Musings says “There are some graphic photos in this book, but not all are graphic in nature. These photos actually show that not everyone is a ‘Barbie doll,’ but women with curves, extra weight, different sizes and shapes. It’s reality and this book shows it.”

Vivirlatino admits that everything she learned about her body during puberty came from two sources: her dad’s porn and her mom’s Our Bodies Ourselves. She is excited to find a book aimed at those in puberty. “Let’s be real, most of our mamis didn’t talk to us properly about our bodies and the changes we were going through. Well we’re not our mamis. We tend to be more open with our children but that doesn’t mean that we don’t need a little help. Enter the book Body Drama: Real Girls, Real Bodies, Real Issues, Real Answers by Nancy Redd.”

The book opened up a discussion on bodies between Jo and her thirteen-year-old daughter at Life with Heathens. “Never before have I seen a book that covers every part of the female body and what it can do without trying to make a woman feel ashamed but thanks to Ms. Redd we now have one.”

Blue Milk points out that this book is a powerful tool for parents of teenagers. “You, her parent will tell your daughter that her body is perfectly normal and lovely and she won’t believe you because she will be thinking of all those ’perfect’ bodies she’s seen. Photographs don’t lie, she will think. And that is why this book is perfectly pitched. Body Drama fights fire with fire - packed with beautiful photographs of young women in many (but not all) shapes and sizes and colours and completely free of the almighty airbrush.”

After flipping through it for an hour, Major Bedhead’s 13-year-old daughter wanted to make sure they could keep their copy. “The book addresses myriad calamities that girls of that age go thru - zits on your face and on your back, body hair, weird odors and body image. It does it in an honest and straight forward way. It doesn’t sugar coat things but its reassuring tone is comforting to girls who are convinced that they are the only ones experiencing all these strange things.”

Parentopia says “Calling all parents of teenage girls. Sneak into your daughter’s room and put a copy of Body Drama on her desk, bed, dresser or floor - anyplace she will see it. This book is loaded with incredible information about the physical changes of growing up female.”

Though Cursing Mama admits that it isn’t for every type of child, she writes: “The information is good, the ease of finding information on a particular topic or question is fantastic and it doesn’t seem to leave anything to interpretation. Any young woman or girl using this as a reference won’t have to wonder if what they’re experiencing is “Normal” and will know if they need to see a doctor without question.”

The Snarky Squab was totally on-board with Redd’s vision. “I sure do wish this book had been around when I was going through puberty. Remember Our Bodies, Ourselves (Yes, I am THAT. OLD.)? Well, this is like that for the pre-teen to early twenties set. Only better, in some ways, because it specifically addresses some of the really tricky, stupid stuff that girls have to navigate now that they didn’t have to in earlier generations. (For example, the whole concept of ‘waxing’ was pretty new in my high school years, and you can FORGET about crap like ‘Brazilians.’ Nobody did that or even thought about it.)”

Mama Milton wanted to review this book to gather ideas for talks with her daughter and was very impressed. “Better yet, the book is funny, sassy unlike the stuffy filmstrips that informed my adolescence. I searched through the index and found little missing: third nipples, urinary tract infections, cellulite, skin care, sweat - you name it and have a question and there’s a concise, snappy answer. (Ms. Redd calls on Dr. Angela Diaz, from the Mount Sinai Adolescent Medical center in NYC for professional medical advice). And if this Miss America contestant and Harvard grad can ease any concerns for my daughter, I welcome it on my shelf.”

As a mother of a teenage girl, My Own Circle of Confusion says “The book provides useful information without sounding preachy or condescending. It is written in a way that teenagers can relate to and understand. This is a great book for a teenaged girl.”

Irreverent Mama loved how this book addressed the ever-present teenage body dramas. “Within each drama are three subheadings which provide solid, factual, accurate information, including (and proving that this book really understands teens), a section titled ‘What if they notice?’ Ah, yes. The all-powerful, omniscient ‘they’ which is presumed by teens to be morbidly fascinated by every burp and hiccup of their lives, minds, and bodies. ‘What if they notice?’ includes practical information on how to prevent the ‘drama’ from being public, and why it probably doesn’t really matter as much as you think if it does get out there.”

Having Enough points out that no one is immune to body drama in our body-obsessed society. “Bottom line, what Nancy Redd says, and shows, girls and women in this book is, in a word, revolutionary. It’s not for the prim our faint-hearted, I warn you. Although I also think those are the ones who may need this book most. Nancy Redd leaves no taboo body topic undiscussed — or photographed — in this book, unlike any I’ve ever seen.”

Midlife Mama was impressed with Redd’s voice. “As I read through the book this morning I was struck especially by its accessible voice. Nancy Redd, with a Harvard degree in Women’s Studies and a beauty pageant success behind her, speaks directly and accessibly to girls and young women. Without condescending, she addresses a wide range of concerns.”

Resident Alien thought this was a very important book. “Let me cut to the chase and tell you about the bravest photograph in the book: a whole spread (sorry about the pun) of vulvas. Although I have heard it said that one can see this sort of thing in locker rooms, I beg to differ. Men can see what other men look like in public toilets and locker rooms; women, unless they happen to work as midwives, nurses or obstetricians — or perhaps in the pornography industry — cannot. A girl who is curious or nervous that her body is abnormal will have no choice but to google vagina to satisfy her curiosity or allay her fears.”

Our Seven Qtpies went over the book with her daughters. “I recommend this book for those women who are just unable to speak with their daughters about everything. Maybe your daughter just won’t talk to you, like mine, or you don’t really know the answers, then this is a great book for you.”

Katie Allison Granju and seventh grader, J, gave the book two thumbs up. “I can’t recommend this book highly enough for teenage girls. It’s a no-punches-pulled look at a wide variety of real girls’ bodies, including photo galleries of everything from all kinds of breasts and breast shapes to actual photos of the physical symptoms of venereal diseases.”

So a Blonde Walks Into a Review liked that it taught her daughter about real bodies. “It was of particular interest to my teenage daughter, who exclaimed, ‘Do women really look like that?’ After being bombarded with images of women from the media, it was a big wake up call to see that not everyone is thin, perfect and beautiful.”

aka Monty thinks reading the book together with a daughter is a great plan. “But here’s the great thing: if you’re not comfortable handing the book over to your daughter to read alone, it IS completely necessary for YOU to read this because it will serve as a guidebook when your girl starts asking you questions. Or when she starts feeling bad and uncomfortable and so not confident about her body. AND SHE WILL. You did, didn’t you?”

the hidden side of a leaf thought the book brought people back to reality about the human body. “We’re not really used to seeing actual images. The women in this book, though, range from very thin to very heavy; from flat-chested to so endowed that back problems are occurring; from very pale to very dark. Their skin is sometimes blemished, sometimes clear, and it may be freckled or have cellulite, or it may not.”

Lastly, Allied talks about why it is important to start now discussing healthy body image with her ten-year-old daughter and how this book is going to help her do that.  “But the full color, up close pictures of women’s bodies both inside and out are something I’m glad to have on our bookshelf. Because this book really does celebrate our non-sameness, the magnificence and amazing variations in features and forms that is our ‘body drama.’  Got a daughter? Get ready for the body drama.”

This entry was posted on Monday, January 7th, 2008 at 9:21 pm and is filed under Blog Tours, Books. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.