The Vagina Monologues

First of all, I was amused by the title. What would a vagina have to say? As a man, I could understand some female sensitivities, since men are a minority in my family. The Brazilian edition of the book has a microphone placed in front of a female pubis, and that surely looked funny to me.

I showed it to my wife, but she didn't have much of a positive reaction due to her conservative upbringing(she tries, though), but when I read her one of the stories she was amused

A few weeks later "The Vagina Monologues"was all the rage here. The Brazilian version of the play(directed and adapted by actor/director Miguel Falabella) opened in Rio de Janeiro, and suddenly everyone was talking about it. Even Eve Ensler, the author of the play, gave an interview to a local newsmagazine directed to the female public. One could not turn on the TV or open a newspaper without stumbling into a Vagina Monologues comment.

I havent (as of this writing) yet seen the play, but I found reading the book very enjoyable. It is a collection of very short stories related to various vagina-related subjects, such as the discovery of pleasure, childbirth, and even rape. There are also a few facts of the vagina world.

Personally, there are two favorite stories, in my opinion. The first is a married woman who dislikes having her pubic hairs shaved - she feels like a child when it is done to her, and the story on rape; the metaphorical description is so clear that brings tears to one's eyes.

As any other collection, there are also a bad moments - the introductiuon is sometimes annoying, for it reads like an outdated sixties feminist chant - but, all in all, the play, as a reading piece, is utterly enjoyable.

Bottom line: A good piece for both women and men, regardless of sexual option


An incredible empowering walk through a womans best asset.   February 18, 1999
46 out of 55 found this review helpful

This book had to be the most amazing book I have read in years. I picked it up and didn't put it down until I was finished. What Eve Ensler has done to reclaim the word "vagina" and make it ours again it both breathtaking and brave. She has started the break down of so many sexual and societal barriers and has started the road to shameless sexual sucess. But the book is not only about having better sex and knowing how to please yourself. It is about becoming more comfortable with being a woman and knowing who you are and where to locate all of your parts. I have been waiting for a book like this for years and I am so proud that it should come in such a wonderful form as the beautiful and moving poetry/prose of this wonderful author. To any man or woman who feels that they know everything there is to know abot a woman's vagina, read this book. It will not only change your views but it will rock your world. I'm in love with this book. Well done.


I had no idea how much I'd like this book   December 20, 2000
Leigh Anne Robison
58 out of 71 found this review helpful

I received "The Vagina Monologues" as an early Christmas present this year, and I finished it in one quick sitting. While I wouldn't consider myself a "feminist" in the strictest sense of the word -- rather an enlightened, liberal woman -- this book forced me to realize how much women are NOT talking about important issues. There was nothing shocking or revolting about this book, as the average person might predict from the title. Rather, I was moved by each chapter, as women of all ages and backgrounds shared their memories, fears and celebrations of the one thing that makes them the most feminine. I plan to give this book to all my girlfriends; it is definitely a work everyone should read. I would like for my husband to read this as well - while he is a sensitive and intelligent man, this book could certainly teach him a thing or two about the female experience.


reclaiming ourselves   February 23, 2001
E. (Boise, ID, USA)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

This book was incredible. I laughed and I cried. It should definetly be on every woman's bookshelf, as a reference for themselves and for future generations of women. In my after- teen life I have wished so many times that women would get a better initiation into what they are about to become, a creation of a more positive atmosphere for the "acceptance of our new bodies". Eve Ensler has made an important step exactly towards this point. Women have to perceive their bodies, not as objects of manipulation or sublimination but as parts of our own identity. Too often women are separated beings: body vs. mind/soul. The V-Day has given women of all possible age-groups a chance of reconciliating, introverting and discovering or rediscovering as well as defining and redifining their Vaginas and within this scope themselves. Eve has interviewed a wide scope of women from various backgrounds. It is great to be a woman. Vaginas forever. Thank you Eve.

PS.: I can only recomend this book to guys as well - You know how you always complain that you can't understand women, well maybe after this book you might or at least you will be close to it.