Stolen Women

Reclaiming Our Sexuality, Taking Back Our Lives 

Published in 1997, Stolen Women was the first book to study and empirically address how black women's bodies and identities are shaped by deeply rooted myths and cultural stereotypes. Tracing black women's body images and sexuality from childhood to adolescence to adulthood, Wyatt powerfully explains in her introduction that "to the degree that we allow our sexual self-image to be defined by others, we will remain, as our ancestors were, stolen women, captives not of strangers but of the past, and of our own unexamined experiences. The challenge we face is to see ourselves not as others see us or want us to be seen, but as we are, as we were, and as we want to be."

"Stolen Women gives us what Mama couldn't - a way to be in charge of our own bodies. This probing, fact-based book dissects the myths, discards the stereotypes, and unshackles our minds. - Bebe Moore Campbell, Author of Brothers and Sisters

"The culmination of twenty-two years of clinical practice and in-depth interviews with hundreds of African American women." - Ebony

"Groundbreaking research breaks down why we came to be at increased risk and how we can protect ourselves for the future." - Essence

"Finally, we have the first book that breaks the silence. Dr. Wyatt presents a well-researched and balanced perspective of the sexual experiences of African American women. It explodes the myths, examines our past, and sets the path for our healing and our future survival. This is a book that should be read by anyone who knows or cares about African American women." - Gloria Johnson Powell, M.D. Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard University

"A long-awaited look at the stereotypes and sexual myths that surround African American women." - The Chicago Tribune