Go With the Flow

Product Information

Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. A beautiful graphic novel that is a must read for teenagers, teachers, parents; and women of all ages.

Due to the nature of the subject matter, I didn’t have that hard a time believing that Abby’s story would catch national attention … except that the blog post doesn’t appear to show any images from the shocking display she made in the school hallways.This is one of those rare books that raises awareness not simply for the kids reading it but the parents, teachers, and librarians that find it as well. Stigmatizing a natural part of life isn't fair to all the girls, women, and trans men (as the authors point out in their afterward) who experience menstruation. It's no easy task, especially while grappling with everything from crushes to trig to JV track but they have each other's backs. After noticing bloodstains on new-girl Sasha’s white pants, longtime friends Abby, Christine, and Brit swoop in and save the day.

It sounds so empowering and important, and I love that it’s also funny and about girls helping girls. Enter Stanley Yelnats IV, great-grandson of one of Kissin' Kate's victims and the latest to fall to the family curse of being in the wrong place at the wrong time; under the direction of The Warden, a woman with rattlesnake venom polish on her long nails, Stanley and each of his fellow inmates dig a hole a day in the rock-hard lake bed. High school students embark on a crash course of friendship, female empowerment, and women's health issues in Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann's graphic novel Go With the Flow.And run they have, with a fabulous graphic novel about periods, focusing on a group of friends who campaign to get free sanitary supplies for their school. Or to enjoy it when Brit tells everyone that in the event that she can’t have kids, Sasha volunteered to have her children for her. So it was with great surprise that I found the characters in this book weren’t the usual middle school troupe but out and out high schoolers. The story is well paced, with enough character development to make you feel a warm kinship with the girls and enough information to spur you to action to fight against the unjustifiable stigma that accompanies periods.

This novel reaches out to important women’s issues of our time and begins discussions around these taboo (yet relevant to every woman) topics. Interestingly, the Acknowledgments at the back are where some of the most egregious double entendres lurk. It mentions several medical issues with no further explanation, like toxic shock syndrome [i] [sudden possibly fatal; caused by growth of certain bacteria; mainly from ”super-absorbent” tampons; < 20,000 people/year in U. But by depicting menstruation in the context of adolescent social minefields, Williams and Schneemann rescue the topic from dull health manuals. Readers who find the topic a little embarrassing will see the word "period" used so often that it becomes casual conversation within the book.Sick of an administration that puts football before female health, the girls confront a world that shrugs - or worse, squirms - at the thought of a menstruation revolution. The support the girls show their diverse friend group is powerful, and a great example of female friendship at an especially vulnerable age. It’s no easy task, especially while grappling with everything from crushes to trig to JV track but they have each other’s backs. She reads up on menstruation, blogs about it, meets with the principal, and conducts a letter-writing campaign. And again, I’m aware this is by design, but I think a huge opportunity is missed by only paying lip service to the fact that trans men and gender nonconforming trans people can also menstruate.