What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About(TM): Circumcision: Untold Facts on America's Most Widely Perfomed-and Most Unnecessary-Surgery

by Paul M. Fleiss, Frederick Hodges

"Packed with sensible information, practical solutions that work, and landmark information on male health and child care...an indispensible guide for parents" - Dr Dean Edel Each year, almost two million boys are routinely circumcised after birth -- even though there is rarely a sound medical reason to do so! The foreskin is more than just a piece of It's a very important, specialized, and unique part of the male body. Now a leading pediatrician exposes the myths and misconceptions of America's most commonly performed surgery, including little-known religious support for not circumcising, in this balanced, comprehensive, and compassionate guide that will change your mind about everything you thought you knew about this procedure

Genres: Psychology, Parenting, Nonfiction, Sociology

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to see if it was something I could use to help people make the decision not to circumcise their baby boys. As a book about the procedure, history (which was particularly striking and valuable), effects, risks, etc, it was great. I don't think it's something I could recommend to everyone, though, as it is so against the procedure I think it could turn some people off. Especially if they had had a child circumcised before. I personally think it's immoral to do at all and therefore agree with the book wholeheartedly. However, as something to use to convert people who don't think that way, I think it could be a tad less dogmatic. Alternatively, I'd like to see a book written for a more wishy-washy audience. Something like how "So That's What They're For" works for breastfeeding wishywashiness.

So overall, I think I would give it to people who were on the fence, but I'd be wary of recommending it to people who might be likely to have guilt issues about, say, their other children.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is probably an essential read for any parent who has a new baby boy and wants to know the facts behind circumcision. It has very firmly cemented my opinion that the surgery is unnecessary and does more harm than good.

One of the downsides of the book is that the author is sometimes a bit too aggressive and vehement in the style in which he speaks, sometimes feeling a little uncomfortably like a fanatic. While I can appreciate the passion behind writing this work and arguing the point, I feel like it could be a turn off to those who disagree about the issue and may make them less likely to consider changing their minds. If the author could write with just a little more compassion and a little less condescension, I think this work would be much more highly effective.

I feel the need to warn the reader, this book is VERY graphically descriptive of potential surgical errors and complications that can arise during or after the performance of the circumcision. It is likely, therefore, to be disturbing and unsettling at times.

I highly recommend this to any parent considering circumcising their son.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly disturbing but an essential book to read for future parents of boys.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a school read for me and it is a must read I would say for anyone considering circumcision for their child. Even for those who aren't I think it has a lot of valuable information about the function of the foreskin and the the natural variations in intact males that anyone with an intact partner or child could benefit from. I am very glad I read it and in fact am getting DP to read it as well, minus the parts on actual circumcision as our boys are intact and I don't feel that most people who already have made up their minds to keep their children intact will need the level of knowledge that is there about the process of circumcision. It is written by a doctor who used to preform circumcisions and now is an intactivist.

[Cyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading for everyone - doctors and parents alike. It's unfortunate that most of our American medical professionals remain too mired in ignorance and cultural bias to provide objective information to people about the subject of infant genital mutilation ... specifically that it's NOT necessary (except in very rare cases, despite what many people erroneously believe).

This practice has no place in a society that is supposed to care about human rights. Maybe one day our politicians and doctors will finally come to their senses and ban this barbaric custom. Then little boys will finally receive equal protection under the law, which they are currently (and unconstitutionally) being denied.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I expected bias. I was not expecting untruths and such ridiculous bombast. There was a lot of head shaking and eye rolling on my part. I want to do my research and consider all aspects of circumcision before making a decision. This book isn't science from a doctor but twisted pathology from a blind ass.