Anne Frank referred to the onset of her first period as a “sweet secret,” and anticipated its arrival with “wonder, joy, confusion and fear.” This new anthology combines adult reminiscences and candid adolescent reactions to menarche and menstruation with factual explanations and multicultural and anthropological data. It covers the emotional aspects of menstruation in addition to the usual sex-and-hygiene agenda of health class.

At least half a dozen books about menstruation are currently in print, in addition to a plethora of books and videos that approach the broader subject of puberty in a fresh (and often funny) way. A new trend also includes the publication of separate editions for each gender, such as Paulette Bourgeois’s Changes in You & Me: A Book About Puberty Mostly for Girls – and I expect Puberty for Dummies is imminent. Things have progressed substantially since the Disney films shown in health class (which are also frequently mentioned in this book). Today’s books on puberty and menstruation also include information about AIDS, STDs, gay sex, and sexuality in persons with disabilities in a straightforward and helpful manner unknown in previous decades. We’ve come a long way.

So this book builds on ground broken by other pioneers, especially Period, from Volcano Press. This work’s value lies in its friendly combination of first-person anecdotes, interviews, and stories. The tales of nervous anticipation, stained gym clothes, proud female relatives, prying brothers, and female solidarity will evoke immediate reaction among female readers. There is even a charming story of a single dad running to the drugstore to buy one package of each brand of napkins for his crying daughter, who is barricaded in the bathroom, longing for her mother.

The factual information in the first section is straightforward, and additional sidebars scattered among the stories cover sex, hygiene, cramps, herbal remedies, and alternatives to commercial sanitary products. A calendar, glossary, and bibliography are appended. The book will be a useful and welcome addition to the growing body of material on puberty and sexuality for adolescent girls and a nice bridge for discussion with adults. The impressive list of contributors includes doctors, social workers, teen advocates, and feminist journalists, and of course the teens who shared their own experiences. Note, however, that the reading level and sophistication of the text may put the book beyond the reach of those girls experiencing puberty as early as eight and nine years old.