Susanna Kaysen, author of books such as "Asa, As I Knew Him," and "Girl, Interrupted," has written a hilarious book called, "The Camera My Mother Gave Me."

I picked this book up because I recognized the author's name. When I turned to the inside flap, I was very surprised to see that this book was not about a camera at all... it is about Susanna Kaysen's vagina.

Susanna begins by stating the obvious: vaginas are often without sensation. She then tells the reader that in the case of hers, "Something went wrong with it." 20 years previously, she had an operation to remove a cyst, and now something has again been upset in her most private of areas.

This book takes the reader through Susanna's trips to several doctors, as she quests for the reason her vagina is misbehaving. She begins at her gynecologist, but throughout the book she also makes trips to an internist, an alternative health expert, and a biofeedbackologist. Each trip she takes produces a new possibility and new treatments, including vinegar rinses, oatmeal baths, antidepressants, and novocaine. She also talks to her friends and gets their advice, though her friends often have different opinions. Amidst all this she must deal with her boyfriend, who is upset that he can't have sex every night despite Susanna's pain.

This book journeys through Susanna's months of treatments, vaginal pain, emotional pain, and even some self-discovery. It is very funny, Susanna keeps a sense of humor throughout the whole ordeal, and though some of the things she goes through seem painful, you will still find yourself laughing at this hysterical book. "The Camera My Mother Gave Me" is also easy to read; I read it in one day.

Susanna Kaysen is an excellent author, and this book is proof of it. The only problems with this books were the bluntness with which Kaysen writes. It actually does not bother me, and I found it rather funny, as I'm sure many other readers will, but it is definitely something worth mentioning before suggesting this book to just anyone. She often talks about sex and her vagina in somewhat vulgar ways, which some readers will disapprove of. Also, Susanna does not use quotation marks in this book, which may throw the reader off at times.

This book is definitely something worth reading, its humor will have you laughing until you cry.

Recommended: Yes