The rules were clear, and the expectations sky-high: Women should be virgins, but not prudes. Women should go to college, pursue a certain type of carThe rules were clear, and the expectations sky-high: Women should be virgins, but not prudes. Women should go to college, pursue a certain type of career, and then give it up to get married. And above all, living with these contradictions should not make them confused, angry, or worse, depressed. They should not take a bottle of pills and try to forget.
When I woke up on New Year's Day 2021, checked my email, and learned I had won an ARC of The Barbizon in a Goodreads giveaway, I literally clapped my hands with glee. For years I'd been fascinated by Mademoiselle magazine's college guest editor program, which had welcomed such soon-to-be-luminaries as Sylvia Plath and Joan Didion and put them all up at the Barbizon for the summer. I figured any history of the hotel would also be a history of the Mademoiselle program, and I was right.
Built in 1927, the Barbizon was a single-room-occupancy long-term hotel for women, abundant with amenities and restricting men to the lobby. Many women who came to New York City to make their fortunes found it a comforting nest from which to launch their lives. Any history of the Barbizon, then, is a history of single women and, more significantly, a history of working women. The book takes us from the relatively progressive flapper era through the Great Depression, when many states made it illegal for married women to work, and on to the war era when women filled positions men vacated for the battlefield. This, of course, was followed by the 1950s, when women were encouraged to find their fulfillment solely as mothers and wives, eventually inspiring a book (The Feminine Mystique) about how well that worked out.
Through it all, the Barbizon was there, housing models, actresses, and secretaries: the Katharine Gibbs secretarial school reserved several floors for its students, and Bren recounts the history of the school and the women who enrolled there. She then moves on to the Mademoiselle program, which understandably takes up a large portion of the book. If you're a fan of Sylvia Plath or Joan Didion, these sections may well be catnip for you, as they were for me. There's something fascinating about very young writers at the very start of their careers, and Bren did an impressive amount of research, hunting down their fellow guest editors and providing lots of firsthand perspectives. Plath in particular casts a very long shadow, and the portrait of her here is more rounded, in fewer pages, than the one in Pain, Parties, Work, which covers the same time period.
As Bren herself acknowledges, the Barbizon housed a certain type of woman: reasonably well-off, and almost always white. There are so many stories that can be told about women and work in twentieth-century America, and The Barbizon is only one of them. Still, it's a first: as Bren relates, other writers have attempted to write histories of the Barbizon and given up in frustration. Bren herself nearly gave up, but persevered, pulling and prying material from many different sources. The end result is meant for a general audience; if you're expecting deep historical analysis, you may be disappointed. But I wasn't. The Barbizon is right in my wheelhouse, and I found it illuminating and hard to put down. It's 5 stars from me....more
This was similar to the other Rebecca Solnit books I've read: Mostly her musings around issues of social injustice (primarily sexism), with some persoThis was similar to the other Rebecca Solnit books I've read: Mostly her musings around issues of social injustice (primarily sexism), with some personal aspects used to illustrate some of her points. That's fine, but since this one was specifically billed as a memoir, I was expecting a lot more of the personal. She did paint a good picture of the Bay Area in the 1980s and the personal aspects I did get were very interesting, but overall I was a wee bit disappointed. 3.5, rounded up because I still liked it better than The Faraway Nearby....more
Move over, Bad Blood—I've got a new favorite nonfiction read for 2019. The important story Catch and Kill tells—of Harvey Weinstein's horrifying bMove over, Bad Blood—I've got a new favorite nonfiction read for 2019. The important story Catch and Kill tells—of Harvey Weinstein's horrifying behavior and its decades-long cover-up—is disturbing in the extreme. Fortunately, it's also compellingly written by Ronan Farrow, who even manages to scrounge up a few moments of humor from his own experiences of being threatened and spied on in the course of his work. Exhaustively detailed and impressively current, Catch and Kill is one of those books everyone should read. Odds are it'll be on every single year-end best-of list come December; might as well get on it now....more
It's as if when we continuously pass up the opportunity to listen to those most affected by the shortcomings of our systems, and instead continue to rIt's as if when we continuously pass up the opportunity to listen to those most affected by the shortcomings of our systems, and instead continue to reward those who benefit most from those systems, we end up making no progress at all.
Mediocre is that rare book that overdelivers on what it promises. In our current moment, it's easy to be frustrated by struggling working-class white men who blame people of color for their problems rather than the generations of (mostly white, male, and privileged) politicians who were actually in a position to solve those problems and didn't; by the supposedly progressive white straight men who reveal racism and sexism the moment a movement threatens not to center their own wants and needs; and by the white people who would vote for an incompetent bigot like Trump rather than accept a candidate who recognizes diversity and the need for social justice. All of these groups are discussed in Mediocre, but the book also dives into the history of the United States and makes clear that the profound inequities of our society, which seem to get worse instead of better, are all by design.
From the violent founding of this country to Great Depression recovery plans that prioritized white men over everyone else to housing covenants that prevented Black people from being able to participate in homeownership to the constant assault on voting rights—all of this has been geared toward maintaining a white supremacist patriarchy, and all of it has taken a monumental amount of effort. Oluo makes a convincing and inspiring case that change is possible if we can all (all of us!) look at our own complicity and redirect our efforts. We don't lack the "strength or endurance" to make such change happen, as Oluo puts it. "We just seem to lack the imagination."
I was a fan of Oluo's earlier book So You Want to Talk About Race, but I think this one is even better—more comprehensive, more profound, and more compelling. Her first book has gained some attention this year as Black Lives Matter protests have continued; I hope this new book gets similar attention because it is similarly worthy.
I received this ARC via NetGalley. Thank you to the publisher....more
So what's a trick mirror, anyway? Seriously, what is it? I googled three different ways and all I found was references to this book. (If you know, pleSo what's a trick mirror, anyway? Seriously, what is it? I googled three different ways and all I found was references to this book. (If you know, please tell me in the comments! Edit: Thanks, Marchpane!) I'm assuming a trick mirror is a mirror that shows you something different depending on how you look at it, blurring the lines between what's real and what isn't. If I'm right, it's an apt title for the book as well as an apt description of the experience of reading it.
When I began Trick Mirror, I was quickly impressed by Tolentino's writing, so unlike previous essay collections I'd read by people around her age. She wasn't just speaking off the cuff; everything she said was backed up by copious secondary sources. And yet, eventually all those secondary sources made me feel like I was reading a series of term papers. So much synthesis of other people's work! Haven't we covered a lot of this ground already? Haven't we been debating "girl power" feminism since the Spice Girls? Didn't we go just go over whether feminists need to support all women's choices back when Sarah Palin was hunting wolves by shooting them from a helicopter (or whatever the hell it was)? Rape culture on campus; the commercialization of weddings—these are worthy topics, as evidenced by the fact that they've already been written about over and over again.
But every time I thought my skepticism would torpedo my experience of this book, Tolentino would express something in a way I'd never heard it expressed before. Ultimately, her fluency is in the contradictions, the way the mirror shows us different things from different angles. It's true that in some ways women are in a better position than ever before: We can get a credit card or loan without a man's permission; we can hold virtually any job and attend virtually any university; it's now illegal to beat or rape us even if you're married to us, and more people than ever seem to get that sexual harassment is a thing. In this atmosphere, Tolentino worries that by discussing sexist sentiments we're actually helping to perpetuate them. On the other hand, the fact that we keep discussing them seems to imply they still hold quite a bit of significance, and of course they do. On paper, we have most of the same rights as men (save reproductive rights), yet things still seem pretty bad out there, in any number of ways. This is a murky, murky time, and the only way out is through it. I applaud Tolentino for being willing to wade into these muddy waters, and I hope she continues to do so. She's a serious thinker, and we've got a lot to think about....more
The Independent Woman is a tiny book, approximately 100 pages and with dimensions about half those of a standard trade paperback; it includes "extractThe Independent Woman is a tiny book, approximately 100 pages and with dimensions about half those of a standard trade paperback; it includes "extracts" from The Second Sex, namely the introduction, a chapter entitled "The Independent Woman," and the conclusion. You can hardly blame Vintage for wanting to contribute to thetinyfeministbookcraze, and upon reflection it's kind of surprising that they haven't thought of doing this before, given what an intimidating behemoth The Second Sex is. But it's precisely the fact that this is a tiny excerpt of a much larger work that makes it impossible to review. It made some arguments I thought were excellent and some I thought were ridiculous, but how do I know she doesn't address my criticisms in some other part of The Second Sex? The Independent Woman mostly just made me realize I should try to get to the complete work. Maybe that was its true intention all along? Well, if that's the case, I'll add that the writing was awkward enough that it made me wonder if I should try the older, disdained H.M. Parshley translation rather than the newer Borde/Malovany-Chevallier translation. If anyone has an opinion on this, please weigh in! I have copies of both translations. What's that you're asking? I own two copies of The Second Sex but still paid money for this small extract? Well yeah. I mean, am I a book lover or aren't I?...more
It's good that there are people out there trying to fight some of the sexism in tech and encourage female tech entrepreneurs. I'm glad that's happeninIt's good that there are people out there trying to fight some of the sexism in tech and encourage female tech entrepreneurs. I'm glad that's happening and I was happy to learn about it from this book. Beyond that, though, Geek Girl Rising had so many issues that I can barely understand why it was published. For starters, there is way, way too much emphasis on how glamorous and girly female tech entrepreneurs and venture capitalists are. I mean, it's fair enough to say that if women were equally represented in tech, business, and finance, things would be somewhat more girly, and maybe we should try to get used to seeing that. But I was really put off by the woman quoted early on who proclaimed that tech was now for everyone, not just "fat nerds" (really?), and I got very, very tired of constantly hearing about every woman's hairstyle and fashionable ensemble as soon as she was introduced. To be fair, the authors clearly made an effort to feature women of different races and backgrounds, but beyond that race and class are given a superficial treatment and every opportunity to delve deeper is squandered. As for the writing, it was like reading a bunch of magazine articles all in a row—it got tedious fast, and it took me much longer than it should have to read such a lightweight treatment of the subject. Not recommended!...more
What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape is one of those books I would never discourage anyone from reading. Certainly, it deals with an important tWhat We Talk About When We Talk About Rape is one of those books I would never discourage anyone from reading. Certainly, it deals with an important topic, and its virtues are many. The writing is engaging. The author, who recounts several of her own experiences here, is great company. And the wide-ranging perspective, covering many countries and cultures, is exactly what a typical self-centered American like myself needed; I learned a lot and was grateful for it.
Unfortunately, though, this book has some drawbacks I can't ignore. While it definitely supplied many facts I'd never heard before, I can't say it provided any new and original insights. If you're already pretty well-read on this topic, there's nothing here that's going to blow your mind. The book also, sadly, has kind of a thrown-together feel; its short chapters skip around from topic to topic in an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink way, but never alight on any particular issue for long. Ultimately, despite this book's brevity, I found myself growing impatient and just looking forward to being finished.
I kept trying to convince myself to give this book 4 stars because of its many attributes, but when I finally allowed myself to consider a 3-star rating, I knew that was where this book landed for me. Again, if you're interested in this at all, I would encourage you to give it a try—especially if you haven't done much reading in this area. For me, though, this wasn't quite the experience I'd been hoping for....more
Meh. This was rather dry. Although its subtitle, A Graphic Guide, might lead the reader to expect a comic-book format, Introducing Feminism is text-baMeh. This was rather dry. Although its subtitle, A Graphic Guide, might lead the reader to expect a comic-book format, Introducing Feminism is text-based, albeit with a lot of unremarkable accompanying illustrations. An introductory note points out that it would be next to impossible to encompass all of feminism in a small overview and that, as a result, the book will focus mostly on Western feminism—specifically the U.S. and England, with a bit of Europe and Australia thrown in. This caveat was fair enough, but some of the choices of what to include were baffling to me. Spice Girls but no riot grrrl? Multiple mentions of literary critic Elaine Showalter but virtually no mention of Gloria Steinem? Near-complete omission of Roe v. Wade or anything related to reproductive rights and abortion?!? When I reached the end and saw the "further reading" list—mainly academic texts—and the author bio—she's (surprise!) an academic—I finally understood. This is a book for academics, not activists or general readers. Still, it's accessible and a decent overview of many (not all) aspects of feminism, so if you're looking for a quick read that packs a lot into a small volume, maybe check this out....more
Given the way the last couple years have gone, I expected The Witches Are Coming to be about all of the elements of Trump's America that are relevant Given the way the last couple years have gone, I expected The Witches Are Coming to be about all of the elements of Trump's America that are relevant to Lindy West's interests: reproductive rights, pussy grabbing, Brett Kavanaugh. And certainly the book is about those things, but it also deals with some unexpected topics: South Park, Joan Rivers, West's husband's audiophile gear swap & sell group on Facebook. West always has a larger point to make, of course, and it's always a good and relevant point, but it took me a minute to get used to it, that this book is about... just whatever Lindy West feels like writing about.
Like Shrill, The Witches Are Coming never fails to be sharp, intelligent, interesting, and funny, but I found myself wishing West would apply her skills to a more sustained work. A nonfiction book that's an in-depth exploration of a single topic, maybe. Or even a novel: West's first love is comedy, and I kept thinking I'd like to see her use it in service of fiction (as she did, to a certain extent, in the Shrill TV series). I just think West's obvious talents could be used for something other than somewhat casual essays on somewhat related topics.
Which, I realize, kind of makes it sound as if I didn't like The Witches Are Coming. But I did! The highest compliment I can pay this book is that it makes clear that its author is talented enough to do something even better....more
There have been a lot of tiny feminist books published recently, and there's not much point in comparing them—just read them all; they all have worthwThere have been a lot of tiny feminist books published recently, and there's not much point in comparing them—just read them all; they all have worthwhile things to say. Nevertheless, I thought Women & Power was more fun to read than Rebecca Solnit's small volumes and had more depth than Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie's. I liked the look at the classical world (something I haven't thought about much since my university days), and I thought she made some interesting and timely arguments. Of course, the book was so short that nothing was as developed as it could have been, but this was still well worth the read....more
This is an informative overview of reproductive rights issues in the U.S., from the nation's founding through the Margaret Sanger era and up to the prThis is an informative overview of reproductive rights issues in the U.S., from the nation's founding through the Margaret Sanger era and up to the present day. That said, I read this for an organization I'm involved in, and I never would have read it on my own because it's not meant for a general reader. It's a short reference book meant for school libraries. If you're a junior high or high school student writing a paper on these topics, this would be a useful text. General readers looking to learn about reproductive rights issues can probably find something more sophisticated and reader-friendly (not to mention less expensive). No rating; it would probably get 4 or 5 stars for helpfulness to students, but since I'm not a student I'm a little annoyed that I had to read this and I found it to be a chore....more
Good and Mad was illuminating, even for someone (like me) who considers herself reasonably well-read on feminist issues. Inspired, obviously, by womenGood and Mad was illuminating, even for someone (like me) who considers herself reasonably well-read on feminist issues. Inspired, obviously, by women's anger in the aftermath of Trump's election, the book delves into other times when women's anger has resulted in massive change (abolition, votes for women, second-wave feminism) and rightfully identifies it as patriotic and in fact emblematic of the values on which the U.S. was founded—despite the derision with which it is viewed by those who feel threatened by it.
In addition to looking at the many issues related to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Rebecca Traister provides a sophisticated analysis of the Harvey Weinstein accusations and the many additional accusations that followed in their wake. While attention-seeking antifeminists like Katie Roiphe moan that #metoo is turning us into a crowd of fearful prudes, Traister sheds some actual light on the situation, pointing out that, as unwelcome as unwanted sexual attention can be in a university or work setting, the sex itself isn't the entire point. Women's career opportunities can be severely limited by a sexually hostile environment, and not just in the typical "have sex with me or you're fired" sense. Think about the women who worked for Weinstein's company: Who was more likely to advance in her career, the woman who was willing to abet his activities, to play along, to roll her eyes and say "that's just Harvey," or the one who refused to have any part of it? I've never been sexually harassed in the literal sense, but I have definitely seen women advance ahead of me who were more willing to laugh at the boss's obvious sexism and gross pervertedness than I was. Regardless of whether you're offended by the actual behavior of (certain) men in power, the fact that it can limit women's opportunities in this way is reason enough to call it out and demand change. I guess I knew all of this already, but hearing Traister frame it this way made so much sense. It's also a great argument to introduce to clueless people who think talking about workplace flirtation and ass-grabbing in the same breath as actual assault is somehow cheapening the issue. Oh, and speaking of Matt Damon, Traister provides a fabulous discussion of men's and women's reactions to the many accusations, and how those reactions were judged.
A great thing about Rebecca Traister is that she's so knowledgeable, so good-humored and sensible, that when she goes for the jugular it feels totally earned and so satisfying. But more than that, this book was inspiring—I loved hearing about all the women who've become newly engaged in activism and even decided to run for office, and I greatly appreciated the way Traister put this new round of activism, including its clashes and disagreements, in historical context.
I really hope Good and Mad becomes a bestseller in the U.S. Obviously a lot has gone on in the past two years, and we definitely need a voice like Traister's to sum it up and analyze it and provide a way forward. If you read and appreciate Good and Mad, be sure to check out her earlier books, Big Girls Don't Cry and All the Single Ladies. There are a lot of feminist writers publishing books these days and all of them are valuable and welcome, but by every possible metric, Rebecca Traister is one of our very best....more
As Philadelphia writer R. Eric Thomas is fond of saying, "masculinity is a prison." By now it should come as no surprise to anyone that rigid gender rAs Philadelphia writer R. Eric Thomas is fond of saying, "masculinity is a prison." By now it should come as no surprise to anyone that rigid gender roles limit everyone, and while women have made some advances in areas previously seen as "male," men generally seem more reluctant to embrace their so-called feminine side, despite the obvious drawbacks to having to be seen as hypermasculine all the time. It's not clear how much farther the project of gender equality can go without men being fully on board, though, which makes books like The Descent of Man especially valuable.
This book definitely makes some fascinating points, particularly in its first half. Chief among these points is the idea that men's traditional advantage—brute strength—has become less of an advantage in a world that's become more and more geared toward emotional intelligence. "The brain, the very organ that has given the human race its success, may have long ago set in train a process—modernity and democracy—that may be incompatible with traditional masculinity," Grayson Perry notes. Men's traditional conditioning to feel superior is at odds with the notion of a world where everyone is truly equal, which explains why some men "feel feminism is an attack on their core identity rather than a call for equality."
Perry then goes on to discuss the idea of gender performance and how being forced to limit themselves to the most narrow idea of masculinity can have a disastrous effect on the lives of men and boys, leading to widespread unhappiness and discontent, not to mention violence among men and between men and women. The "men's rights" movement and generally appalling internet behavior of a certain segment of the male population are touched upon. For me, this second half of the book contained fewer new insights than the first half did, but the fact that these points have been made before doesn't make them any less important. In fact, repetition of these ideas may be one of the only things that will eventually make them stick, so their inclusion here is a no-brainer, both as a logical aspect of the book's argument and as a vital element of the larger ongoing project of equality the author seeks to foster.
I was less enthused by Perry's conviction that the only way to get men on board with feminism is to show them how it will help them (i.e., men). Shouldn't decent people recognize that equality is important regardless of what side of the divide they're currently standing on? And, practically speaking, will men genuinely learn to embrace feminist ideas if they're allowed to believe it's still all about them? The whole notion is depressing to me, but it's admittedly still worth thinking about.
Grayson Perry is apparently well-known in the UK but, as far as I am aware, not at all known in the U.S., so it's something of a mystery why this book was released here. I wish a different, less "who's this guy?" cover design had been used for U.S. audiences who won't recognize the author photo. Still, there's no doubt that the messages in this book deserve to be heard, and if Americans don't embrace this particular book, perhaps it'll open the door for others that have a better shot at getting noticed here.
I won this book in a giveaway here on Goodreads. Thank you to the publisher....more
