Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Tomboyland: Essays by Melissa Faliveno

4 reviews

jenniferbbookdragon's review

reflective medium-paced

4.25

An introspective series of essays on gender, sexuality, nature, relationships,  and life in the Midwest,  this book is honest and raw. As a fellow Wisconsin native,  I recognize the deep connection to the earth, the stoic nature of the culture,  and the fish fries and potlucks that are much of life in communities across our state. The challenge of being different from the expectations in a small town,  and how that upbringing followed the author into larger, more liberal cities ties reflections on everything from guns, moths, to the choice to have children. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Homophobia, Dysphoria, Lesbophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, and Sexual content

BDSM

ciararenaud's review

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Dysphoria, Gun violence, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Alcohol, Animal death, Sexual violence, Biphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Sexism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Classism

katsbooks's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

"In a small town, the promises of religion are the language of protection..."

"I wonder, sometimes, if I believed in God, would I still feel so afraid?" 

"In a small midwestern town, darkness gets buried like a secret."

"So often, though, the things we hope to be true about ourselves and the things we really want are incongruous."

"...bucking a traditional system is never easy."

"It takes a great deal of privilege--by way of money, education, and access--to live within one's ideals."

"...there are no good guys or bad guys. There is only us."

I really enjoyed this collection of essays. Faliveno's writing was really amazing. I liked how the essays were split up into sections. The sections made it easy to pause when I needed to since the essay's were a little longer than I liked. I also liked how the different sections tied together larger themes within each essay, however, sometimes the sections could be a little disjointed. I expected these essays to focus more on gender and sexuality, and while that is definitely a large focus of many of the essays, they explore much more than that. I identified with a lot of the author's conversation on what it's like to grow up as a woman in the Midwest. In addition to midwestern culture, gender and sexuality, the text also explored themes like motherhood, grief, cultural expectations, gun culture and one essay about moths that, I have to admit, I didn't quite understand. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Death, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Abortion and Pedophilia

theinfinitebookcase's review

challenging hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book was everything I wanted and more. Faliveno touches on many more topics than I had expected - sexuality, gender, womanhood, motherhood, depression and self harm, sexual assault, our relationship with our body, our relationship with our homeland - and I enjoyed the highs and lows, the funny moments and the dark ones as well. Faliveno’s complicated relationship with gender and sexuality mirror my own, which was a comfort to read as I’d never found it expressed in the same way before.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Homophobia, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual assault and Self harm