Looking through the Speculum

“A well-researched, eye-opening book about the evolution of the women’s health movement. Highly recommended for readers interested in feminist theory and activism. It’s also a must for people frustrated with and angered by the prevalent biases within the medical system.”  * Library Journal * “Looking through the Speculum offers a careful exploration of the history of women’s health activism in the United States, much of it anchored in the 1970s. . . . This meticulously detailed study of the feminist health movement shows the passion and commitment of its participants, as well as the numerous challenges inside and out. This history is grounded in women’s bodies, in all their messy complexity.” * Journal of American History * “Houck provides a timely analysis of how late-twentieth-century feminists challenged the patriarchal foundations of the US healthcare system. Houck . . . explores how political goals honed in the first few decades of activism (such as the right to bodily autonomy and the feminist reclamation of medical knowledge) were implemented through organization and institution building. . . . I hope that Houck’s account of the women’s health movement will reach a wide range of readers, from seasoned health justice organizers to curious undergraduates. These activists’ determined, imperfect, and willful refusal to accept the inequitable status quo of US healthcare might be just the dose of inspiration we need right now.” * Nursing Clio * “[Looking through the Speculum] is a meticulously researched, thoroughly engaging book organized in chapter dyads around four topics: the gynecological self-exam, feminist abortion provision, lesbian health, and Black feminist self-help. . . . Houck’s account is a reminder that activism and allyship are important social medicine skills we practice in family medicine, and it should be of particular interest to those specializing in women’s health and gender-affirming care.” * Family Medicine * “In this deeply researched and engaging work, Houck examines the impact of the women’s liberation movement on healthcare options for American women over the last fifty years. . . . Extensive use of existing secondary sources as well as a wealth of primary sources, including interviews done by the author with a variety of participants and activists, makes this a compelling and informative read.” * Choice * “Looking through the Speculum also adds to an important trend in feminist and activist historiog­raphy as [Houck] engages with the historical stories of the women’s health movement to grapple with contemporary issues. . . . Her analysis about intersectional power dynamics within and outside of these grassroots spaces challenges contemporary readers to think about collaboration, inclusion, diversity, and solidarity within their own everyday lives and organizing spaces.” * Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences * “At a moment when reproductive and bodily autonomy are under threat more than ever, Houck tells a timely story of women’s health movement activists who demystified and transformed reproductive medicine to establish liberatory health practices and institutions. Houck’s protagonists also grappled with intersectional marginalization, leading many to demand healthcare that embraced the particular needs and demands of lesbians, trans people, and women of color.” -- Jennifer Nelson, University of Redlands “Looking through the Speculum is a gripping account of the women’s health movement and the institutions women’s health activists built and ran from the 1970s into the twenty-first century. Houck chronicles how feminist health activists established women’s health clinics to offer an alternative to the patriarchal model of medicine in which male physicians controlled procedures, information, and medications central to women’s intimate lives. Houck takes us inside the clinics to illustrate how feminist activists put into practice ideas about feminist health care and feminist leadership models. Over time, as the patient population became less white, less heterosexual, and less cisgender, clinics had to deliver more expansive services and adjust to new leadership models to appeal to poorer and less privileged women, women of color, and patients seeking trans care. This is a book not only about women’s attempts to take control of their intimate health care needs, but also about struggles for democracy and leadership these changes brought. It is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand how political ideals were negotiated and renegotiated as women’s health activists struggled to adjust to the changing needs of their clients and the health care field at large.”  -- Johanna Schoen, Rutgers University