#56, 2007

This is a collection of 40 stories by women with tattoos; stories about why they made the decision to get tattooed, the meaning of their tattoos, and their experiences of being a tattooed woman. It's a wonderful collection, from a diverse group of women - some have only one tiny tattoo; others are extensively tattooed. They range in age from late teens to a woman who got her first tattoo on her 80th birthday. Reasons and experiences are diverse, as well. I'm feeling inspired to write an essay about my own tattoos and experiences. I think this book would be of interest to any woman who has tattoos, or is considering one, or just interested in the subject. On the whole, the message here is that all sorts of women get tattoos for all sorts of reasons, yet one thing that they all have in common is being changed by the experience. It also becomes obvious that tattoos change the way others see us, and it's up to us to fight for being seen in a positive light because of it, rather than the old-fashioned negative stereotypes which still exists at times.

My only complaint is that I'd have liked to have seen photos of some of the tattoos described. But the content itself was very interesting. 8/10 ( )