'Our Bodies, Ourselves,' Updated

New Info, Angles In Feminist Women's Health Book

(CBS)  In explaining other reasons for the updated version of the book, Norsigian noted, "We also wanted to focus in on the questions like body image and the environment, and sexually transmittable infections and growing older and menopause. We included all of this and it grew over the years, partly because of reader input, and the growing body of literature on women's health and sexuality."

Norsigian says a trend of particular urgency is the push to be thin: "We all want to look good. But what happens to many young women is they get caught up in a spiral of spending all their time and energy in looking good or aspiring to some ideal that's inappropriate so they go on starvation diets or engage in risky cosmetic surgery."

An entire chapter in the update is devoted to violence. Says Norsigian: "The sad fact is for women around the world, violence is a stark reality. We have to know as much as we can about protecting ourselves."

To read excerpts of "Our Bodies, Ourselves: A New Edition for a New Era," click here.

Our Bodies Ourselves describes itself as a nonprofit, public interest women's health-education, advocacy, and consulting organization. It provides clear, evidence-based information about health, sexuality, and reproduction from a feminist and consumer perspective. It is one of the few women's health groups in the U.S. that doesn't accept funds from pharmaceutical companies.

"Our Bodies, Ourselves" is published by Touchstone, which is owned by Viacom, the same company that owns CBSNews.com.