What does a woman want? Sigmund Freud once asked. And the answer he'd most likely hear these days is: Good health.
Myriad books come out each year on the subject, but one of the best is award-winning writer Colette Bouchez' The V Zone, which gives women a no-nonsense yet brightly written explanation of such woes as yeast infections; what itches, rashes and bumps may mean; and other problems your mother never told you about. Alternative, mainstream -- all the options are discussed. It belongs on every woman's bookshelf.
And, of course, there's the old standby, Our Bodies, Ourselves from the Boston Women's Health Book Collective. This was a groundbreaker back in 1970 when it was first published, and it's still a solid choice if a bit plain-jane graphically. Holistic healing, birth control, abortion, violence -- all the sweeping issues addressed in one volume.
For a wide-ranging list of books that tackle everything from the problems of menopause to cooking with soy, take a look at Women's Health Interactive.
