The Curse


Everything You Need to Know About Getting Your Period
The Need to Know Library

These books are so important for adolescent girls!  We find them all the time tucked away in the dark corners of the library.  Poor things, they’re too embarrassed or shy to actually check them out!  That’s all the more reason to make sure that the books we have available are up to date. The cover of this book would surely keep those timid girls from checking it out.  Nothing like carrying around a book with a box of Lightdays and a calendar on the cover. That’s not obvious.  Teens and pre-teens might be more likely to check out books on this topic if the cover and title were more discreet.  Sure, they need to learn that it’s nothing to be embarrassed about, but they also need to learn about discretion and privacy.



  1. Was the broken pencil really necessary? I’m so sick of the “irritable irrational crazy angry woman on the rag” stereotype.

  2. You’re right about the cover. I wouldn’t have checked out this book because I’d have been too afraid a BOY would see it. (Good grief.) I wonder what kind of circulation this volume had.

  3. Wow that cover is… subtle. I thought the book with the bright red cover and the word “Period” that used to be in my school library was bad!

  4. Why is the pencil broken? Menstrual rage?! They should have spilled the coffee and knocked over the calendar too.

  5. Aww, look at that calendar, it’s so cute. It’s almost like they want you to think it’ll come at a regular time each month…

  6. Is there a sequel on Menopause? Not only would the pencil be broken, but the cup would be smashed (probably over someone’s head).

  7. Forget a calendar; I use an iPhone app. Betcha this book doesn’t cover that option, especially since no pencils are involved!

  8. Actually, I kind of disagree — not about the broken pencil and the cup of coffee and the pads, but actually having a book that didn’t have some horrible euphimism on the cover would have been a huge relief. I started menstruating when I was 12, and thanks to my mother the nurse I knew exactly what was happening to me — though not enough about how uncomfortable it would be and how hard to control. The most embarassing thing was having my mother call ALL HER FRIENDS with the big news!

    I never did buy into the idea that menstruating was supposed to be a great, big secret. And I would certainly have taken out a book that talked about “periods” instead of “that time” or something Even Worse. Even if it had the word “period” on the cover.

  9. I never would have taken this book out myself. The word ‘period’ in big capital letters made it way too conspicuous!

  10. Has this subject REALLY changed that much since 1995? Its not like a computer or cell phone manual from that era!

  11. @Amy: LOL at showing the string!

    Oh dear, I suddenly remembered an awful morbid joke from my childhood, concerning a tea-drinking vampire.
    I don’t really have to go into details on this one, do I?

  12. How can we classify our periods under categories such as “The Curse”? Come on ladies.
    I like to call it a blessing in disguise.

    We are blessed.

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