Review - Vagina Love: An Owners Manual by Lili Sohn

This February Street Noise Books is releasing the English translation of Lili Sohn’s Vagina Love: An Owners Manual. 

When Sohn was diagnosed with breast cancer at 29, she began to document her experience through her diagnosis and treatment. Through this she realized the gaps that existed in her understanding of her body. Vagina Love was born.

Part manual, part memoir, it’s an informative tour of not just the vagina, but gender, sexuality and the health stuff that comes with being a person that has a vagina.

The mix of personal and medical offers a really compelling insight into how cis women understand their bodies. Sohn treats this with a sensitivity and humor that winds her experience with other voices. From the first few pages we’re offered perspectives beyond hers as she asks her friends and peers questions about gender and the defining terms of womanhood. 

This humble approach to the complexity of the subject matter continues throughout the story as she weaves medical knowledge with personal anecdotes. In a lot of ways I’d consider this less a comic and more an illustrated guide that assembles illustrations, hand drawn text and found images. Think the visual language of essays over at The Nib. It’s a powerful contribution to the growing genre of Graphic Medicine. 

Originally published in French by Belgium publisher, Casterman in 2018, I’m curious about how this would have read in its original form. What cultural edits were made to bring this to an English speaking audience? What ideas about women’s body didn’t translate? Regardless I’m excited to see this brought to a whole new audience. 

I really recommend this as an educational and entertaining tool for better understanding the human body and all the social, political, economical implications of having a vagina.

Don’t just take my word for it!

“A refreshing conversation that disarms limiting gender beliefs and debunks patriarchal myths, allowing those of us with vaginas to look directly at our bodies with curiosity and love.” —adrienne maree brown, author of the New York Times best seller Pleasure Activism

“Like a savvy big sister who just found out and can't wait to share, Lili Sohn takes us on a wild ride through our anatomy, and the attitudes that have kept us in the dark.” — Sabrina Jones, author of Our Lady of Birth Control

“Simultaneously provocative, educational, and disarmingly charming. It's not just a great read for people with vaginas; I think other curious people will love this book too!” —Kriota Willberg, author of Draw Stronger