We recently had the opportunity to speak with award-winning science journalist Rachel E. Gross and ask a few questions about her new book, Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage.
Published by W.W. Norton & Company in 2022, Vagina Obscura tells the story of how early anatomists mapped our lady parts—and how a new generation is wresting them back.
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What was the biggest challenge or surprise you encountered when writing this book?
I set out wanting to take readers on a wonder-filled journey to the center of the female body — a Magic School Bus ride that would enthrall and empower people about their own biology. But I quickly learned that our knowledge about the female body was filled with holes, myths, and misconceptions. So instead, I had to write, in a way, a book about why we don’t know what we don’t know. That turned out to be a much more difficult challenge, but also much more rewarding. (more…)