The Wonder Down Under

Book excerpt: A joyful and indispensable guide filled with astonishing, important, and little-known information about the vagina that will equip a new generation to make informed choices about their sexual health and happiness. The Wonder Down Under is a comprehensive guide to a miraculous and complex part of the body that too few of us (regardless of gender) are all that familiar with--the vagina. With wisdom, humor, and scientific aplomb, medical student Ellen Støkken Dahl and Dr. Nina Brochmann take readers on a fascinating journey of female sexual organs and sexual health--from the clitoris to contraception to cervical cancer. More than a user's manual, this book is the funny, frank tribute to the vagina that we have been waiting for. The Wonder Down Under is filled with astonishing, essential, and little-known information--relayed with both medical expertise and genuine empathy. Did you know, for instance, that female and male sex organs are merely variations on the same basic structure? Or that there's no such thing as a virginity test--because examining the hymen cannot meaningfully indicate whether or not someone's had sex? Brochmann and Dahl have written a tour-de-force about the biology, anatomy, and reality of the female body, examining the many ways in which widespread misinformation and silence about the vagina have been harmful to women over time. The Wonder Down Under makes crucial contributions to the discussion: the book was an instant bestseller that sold out in its native Norway in just three days. Since then it has been acquired by publishers in more than two dozen countries around the world. The Wonder Down Under is a joyful and indispensable book that will educate readers of all kinds and equip a new generation to make informed choices about their sexual well-being.