I <3 "Inga la Gringa" (as she calls herself on her website). I even dedicated my M day in the A to Z Blog Challenge to Ms. Muscio. (Check it out here: http://buttontapper.com/2012/04/14/a-to-z-challenge-inga-muscio/)
This book, if it isn't already considered required reading for all women and girls, should be on all Feminist Studies syllabi throughout the world. It's an excellent combination of historical facts and personal essays, just the way "history" ought to be taught to interested students. Nothing dry and boring here. It's all relevant. Don't be alarmed by the flower on the cover. Don't be alarmed by the "dirty word" in the title. Read it and see why the ladies love Inga. You will too!
I loved this book. It reminded me of the only thing I liked about grad school: my friends. The women in my grad program were very tight knit. Every one of them were terrifyingly intelligent and radical thinkers. They were also snarky, irreverent, and had speech patterns very reminiscent of 'Buffy.' Reading this book was like talking to them. It's full of interesting, intelligent ideas (which is not to say that I agreed with everything, but it's all worth reading and thinking about), but the tone is about as far from academic as you can get. Which is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned.
At its heart, this book tries to show women how to start developing an appreciation of their own bodies, minds, and other women; it's something that's desperately needed in this day and age.
