The female body, with its history as an object of social control, expectation, and manipulation, is central to understanding the gendered construction of shame.

DIVFrom a highly respected thinker on race, gender, and American politics, a new consideration of black women and how distorted stereotypes affect their politic

Examines how twentieth-century women writers depict female bodily shame and trauma.

First published in 2007 with the title: I thought it was just me: women reclaiming power and courage in a culture of shame.

Award-winning ergonomist Karen Messing is talking with women—women who wire circuit boards, sew clothes, clean toilets, drive forklifts, care for children, se