"An engrossing examination of pain and the psychology and philosophy used to confront it. Kaysen's lack of conceit and straightforward prose keeps her story clean and absorbing. [She] successfully avoids the self-pity that often seeps into contemporary memoirs. Eve Ensler...pulled a private part out from under the covers. Kaysen dives back in, taking readers with her for a closer look. Even those who still blush when they utter the "V" word will find themselves completely enveloped."
--Susanna Baird, Boston Magazine

"A vagina dialogue: pithy, funny, adventurous, sexy, and eye-opening. . . . Disguised as plain, brown memoir, [this is] a voluptuous exploration of sexuality, aging, the failures of modern medicine, attempts at self-knowledge, and the meaning of pain."
-- Kirkus Review