The Camera My Mother Gave Me (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780679763437)

Susanna Kaysen, who wrote about her teenage depression in the bestseller Girl, Interrupted, now takes on another taboo: her vagina-which suddenly and inexplicably starts to hurt. And neither Kaysen's cheery gynecologist, nor her internist, nor a laconic "vulvologist" has the cure. An alternative health nurse suggests direct application of tea, baking soda, and boric acid. Others recommend novocaine, oatmeal, "bio-feedback," and anti-depressants. Nothing works. As sex becomes more and more painful, Kaysen's relationship with her boyfriend disintegrates and she turns to her best friends, her wicked sense of humor, and finally wry self-reflection to get herself through.

Using this unusual lens, Kaysen challenges us to think in new ways about the centrality and power of sexuality. The Camera My Mother Gave Me is an unexpected and revelatory book from one of our most candid, insightful and consistently surprising writers.



Author: Susanna Kaysen
ISBN-10: 0679763430
ISBN-13: 9780679763437
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Language: English
Published: 10/08/2002
Pages: 160
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.38lbs
Size: 8.18h x 5.18w x 0.45d