King Helen

''Illuminating, thoughtful and scholarly'' FINANCIAL TIMES''Does a fascinating job of exploring the history of women''s bodies'' GREG JENNER''Mind-blowing, fascinating stuff'' BBC WOMAN''S HOUR''Authoritative, rich and wide-ranging, this is an immensely impressive work of scholarship'' GUARDIANThroughout history, religious scholars, medical men and - occasionally - women themselves, have moulded thought on what ''makes'' a woman. She has been called the weaker sex, the fairer sex, the purer sex, among many other monikers. Often, she has been defined simply as ''Not A Man''. Today, we are more aware than ever of the complex relationship between our bodies and our identities. But contrary to what some may believe, what makes a woman is a question that has always been open-ended. Immaculate Forms examines all the ways in which medicine and religion have played a gatekeeping role over women''s organs. It explores how the womb was seen as both the most miraculous organ in the body and as a sewer; uncovers breasts'' legacies as maternal or sexual organs - or both; probes the mystery of the disappearing hymen, and asks, did the clitoris need to be discovered at all?

Az éjszaka sötétje gyakran ijesztő tud lenni, de nem az éjszakától kell igazán félni. A legnagyobb, legveszélyesebb sötétség az emberi szívekben lakik, mert az embert kívülről nappal megvilágítja a fény, de a szívébe, ahol a sötétség lappang, nem érhet el. Márpedig a szívből származik minden gonosz gondolat. Helen King hosszabb és rövidebb lélegzetvételű kriminovellái és thrillerei lebilincselően izgalmas olvasmányok.