UW-Superior professor publishes new book on women’s health and rhetoric

Jamie White-Farnham, UW-Superior associate professor of writing, has published a new book on the topic of women's health and rhetoric — the arguments women make on their own behalf during health concerns and crises. The book, which is her second edited collection, is titled Women's Health Advocacy: Rhetorical Ingenuity for the 21st Century and is published by Routledge. It is co-edited with Dr. Bryna Siegel Finer of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Cathryn Molloy of James Madison University in Virginia.

The book brings together academic studies and personal narratives to demonstrate how women use a variety of forms of writing and rhetoric to effect change in a health system that is not only often difficult to participate in, but which can be actively harmful. For instance, one contributor writes about how she argued to push up her mammogram date after finding a lump, advocating for herself when doctors told her she could wait. She couldn't — she was immediately diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer.

Another study in the book describes the frustration of injured women runners whose doctors suggested they quit running before they offered available treatments. These are the types of arguments women want to share with others who face similar situations.

White-Farnham said, “Women’s health concerns are at the center of national debate, and women are seeking to influence the big picture, such as research and funding, as well as one-on-one encounters with doctors."

This accessible collection is intended for an audience of both interested academics in the humanities or health care, as well as the everyday patient or self-advocate who is looking for strategies to improve their health care conditions today.

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