Winner of the Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Award Gold Medal for health and medicine

Winner of the Firebird Book Award for medical nonfiction

Nominated for the prestigious Montaigne Medal science award

Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize

Finalist for the First Horizon Award

Every year, millions of baby boys are circumcised, either for purported health benefits, or for religious reasons. This book provides a comprehensive and clear explanation of the risks and rewards of that practice, which has significant effects on sexuality, psychology, and overall health.

Drawing on 869 research references and firsthand accounts, Dr. Lipman sheds light on the disparity between traditional views and contemporary medical perspectives.

Whether you're a parent contemplating the procedure for your child or an academic in search of an in-depth analysis, Circumcision provides a balanced and factual perspective on this widely performed yet increasingly debated surgery.

In this groundbreaking, meticulously rendered book, you will learn:

• Why circumcision does not improve a baby's health

• Why circumcision does not reduce the incidence of AIDS or urinary tract infections, as is often claimed

• The deep financial incentives behind the six billion-dollar circumcision industry

• That the pain of circumcision is equivalent to torture, and why anesthesia is rarely used

• Circumcision's significant physical and mental health risks, including death

• Why both men and women enjoy sex more if the man is uncircumcised

• That adherents to Judaism or Islam may not be required to ritually circumcise their child, as is often thought

• The history of circumcision

• The ethics and legality of circumcision

• Why America is the only country in the world with a high rate of medical circumcision