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Summary Of America And The Contraceptive Pill

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When Birth Control first hit the market in the 1960’s, it took off in a way no one expected, not even the doctors. In the book, “America and the Pill”, Elaine Tyler May focuses on the revolution of birth control and the effects it’s had on society. One of May’s main arguments were that “the pill” gave women new power they didn’t have before. This new invention paved the way for women’s right’s in the United States. While the expectations of the pill have changed very much over the last fifty years, it still remains an important part of the American culture. Margaret Sanger and Katharine McCormick were part of the radical women’s movement. Sanger was driven by her own personal experiences, while McCormick had the financial means to help her …show more content…

She makes use of various books, newspapers, films, and magazines. For example, in chapter six, she references a book by Lara.V Marks called, A History of the Contraceptive Pill. She used this source to reference the troubles the pill caused medically early on. One of the side effects of the pill was blood clots. Many women got them and a few even died. Most of May’s research comes from an internet survey she ran. She got feedback from real women and their experiences with Birth Control. This is where most of her information from Chapter seven comes from. In chapter one, May begins by including a song by Loretta Lynn called, “(Since I’ve Got) The Pill”. This song was popular in the early 70’s and was an anthem for women on the pill. The author uses evidence by backing up her research with facts and …show more content…

I think the author was successful in her techniques and explanations when writing, “America and the Pill”. When she presents the information, she does it in a well-organized way. The chapters flow together nicely and she gets all the right information across. Even though she had many scholarly sources, she still made the book easy to understand. It is obvious May is Pro-Pill, but she refrains from letting that come in the way of her work. She stays neutral throughout. The internet survey where she got most of her original research from was a brilliant idea. She incorporated women into her project who can relate to her and her book the most. By using these women as examples, it makes her book more real to the readers. Overall, May did an excellent job writing this book.
On the other hand, I think that May lacked strength in the cultural history of the pill. Only because she didn’t give herself enough room to explain it more. She tried to confine it into one small section. For example, I think it would have been important to expand more on the Catholic Church’s opposition. Other than that, “America and the Pill” was a very informative

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