An emotionally literate, culturally sensitive, yet fearless exploration of why the United States is the only country in the world to circumcise a majority of its baby boys for supposedly medical reasons. Includes various aspects of the practice, including its impact on sexuality.
Read this book a couple of years after we made a choice to keep our son whole. In light of the recent goings on in Florida where a handcuffed, crying woman "consented" to circumcise her 4 and half year old son. Forced consent is not consent. Is this America?
Please America wake up! The foreskin is a standard human issue for all males. Sex is better for both partners with one and to cut infant boys permanently damages their brains. Not kidding.
Before making any decision on circumcision I felt obligated to educate myself first on the topic. The book is short and to the point, at times drifts to deep into other then circumcision territory, but not for long. Overall it is worth the read to do some self erudition before making any such decision in my opinion.
This book is a fairly good intactivist tract, other than that it at times probably comes off as more emotional than is optimal.
As someone who's been following intactivist websites since the early 2000's, it did feel a little outdated. In particular, instead of "intactivist," Boyd uses "preservationist," a term I've never heard before in this context. A number of the graphics are ones I've since seen in many places on the intactivist internet, but I imagine this book is where they originated? I did learn a little bit of interesting stuff about the history of circumcision in the 20th century.