Wow, this updated version is excellent! It covers issues in womens' physical, mental and emotional health and tells it in a very straightforward way. It gives information that is relevant to women of all ages from adolescence to old age. It is a book that can be revisited throughout one’s life. I revisited it when I was pregnant with my children and now again as a woman in middle age. I am old enough to have purchased the first edition of this book in the early 1970’s. It was a revolutionary book back then and it is still a solid resource today. It changed my life back then. I was only fourteen when I read it and I remember that I hid it in my closet so that my parents wouldn’t get wrong ideas about me and find out that I knew about all that stuff! The information I got from the book back then gave me a sense of self-knowledge and empowerment that is still relevant for today’s teens. It was very liberating at that age to know that much of what was in the book was going to be my own private business in life and I was taking my own voluntary steps to educate myself in preparation for adulthood. Every young woman deserves to feel that sense of empowerment.
This new edition of course has expanded on the first edition a great deal. I was glad to see more information on Violence and Abuse because I don't remember reading about that in the first edition. I highly recommend this book be part of high school library collections. ( )