Cunt: A Declaration of Independence by Inga Muscio 1998

Cuntlovin’ bitches all over the world will rejoice at Inga Muscio’s dialect surrounding the dangerously taboo word. Through these 300 pages the taboo itself reveals itself not around the word, but rather around society’s perception of females and of female’s reproductive system. Muscio finds her past ignorance about her own body comedic as she writes, “Given my swimmingly fetching cultural milieu, getting used to this bleeding business took quite a while. In the meantime, I fervently asked people why the hell this happened to us girls. Various sources consistently informed me that it was (big sigh) “just part of being a woman” (big sigh), or the good ol’ standby curse we inherited from Eve.” She writes to explain where this oppression and fear of the “cunt” came from, and how women (and men) can work together to get rid of these negative associations. If you have a problem with a woman bitchin’ about the patriarchy, then don’t read this book. For the rest of us, here is a cathartic and instructive text, a declaration of independence and a breath of fresh air.

Rating 4.5