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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
I finally managed to read The Second Sex and I’ll try to be brief as opposed to this book.
I rated it 4 stars because even though it’s such an important book, it’s a really difficult one too. It’s really dense and it’s hard to find a stone that wasn’t turned in the subject of feminism here. There is a reason people call it the feminist bible because it is.
Another reason I don’t rate it 5 stars is because even though it’s said to be ahead of its time, it’s behind ours so some sections might be dated. The book is divided in 2 parts, the first one focusing on human history and how women have been “the other” since the beginning of time. The second one focuses on the stages of a woman’s life and how she behaves and is perceived at these stages, all of this focusing on how she’s always “the other”.
This book made me want to set men on fire, made me feel called out, pointed out structures in society that explain the behaviour of every woman in my life. It’s so detailed and has so many examples of women in real life and fiction, there is no way to read this book without finding something to relate to your own life experiences, even if you are a man. I feel like I’ve learned a lot and it’s fascinating to see a book from 1949 still being so powerful in making you truly understand that “One isn’t born, but rather becomes a woman.” Everything is structured by society to make women be inferior, be the other, be the second sex.
What helped me keep my pace was the audiobook, at times it was really hard to focus and the audiobook made it better. I took 12 days to read the whole book but according to GoodReads I read 80% of it on a Saturday, so don’t trust my reading habits. I’d recommend taking your time if you’re going to try this one out. Download the audiobook, read it without pressure and take as many days, weeks, months or even years as you want, there’s no need to rush it, this is not a fun read, this is informative and important above everything else, and god knows we are not always in this kind of mood.
I rated it 4 stars because even though it’s such an important book, it’s a really difficult one too. It’s really dense and it’s hard to find a stone that wasn’t turned in the subject of feminism here. There is a reason people call it the feminist bible because it is.
Another reason I don’t rate it 5 stars is because even though it’s said to be ahead of its time, it’s behind ours so some sections might be dated. The book is divided in 2 parts, the first one focusing on human history and how women have been “the other” since the beginning of time. The second one focuses on the stages of a woman’s life and how she behaves and is perceived at these stages, all of this focusing on how she’s always “the other”.
This book made me want to set men on fire, made me feel called out, pointed out structures in society that explain the behaviour of every woman in my life. It’s so detailed and has so many examples of women in real life and fiction, there is no way to read this book without finding something to relate to your own life experiences, even if you are a man. I feel like I’ve learned a lot and it’s fascinating to see a book from 1949 still being so powerful in making you truly understand that “One isn’t born, but rather becomes a woman.” Everything is structured by society to make women be inferior, be the other, be the second sex.
What helped me keep my pace was the audiobook, at times it was really hard to focus and the audiobook made it better. I took 12 days to read the whole book but according to GoodReads I read 80% of it on a Saturday, so don’t trust my reading habits. I’d recommend taking your time if you’re going to try this one out. Download the audiobook, read it without pressure and take as many days, weeks, months or even years as you want, there’s no need to rush it, this is not a fun read, this is informative and important above everything else, and god knows we are not always in this kind of mood.
One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.
Welche gesellschaftlichen Entwicklungen dazu geführt haben, dass unsere Auffassung von Frau und Mann so ist, wie sie heute ist, und wie wir zur Gleichberechtigung betragen können, erfahren wir in diesem umfassenden Werk. Simone de Beauvoir durchleuchtet auf 900 Seiten alles von Biologie über Historie bis zum Mythos der „Frau“ und eröffnet uns Einsichten, welche verinnerlichten Vorstellungen wir möglicherweise noch in uns tragen. Viele Missstände die sie erörtert, sind immer noch erschreckend aktuell. Leider sind ihre Ansichten, vor allem zu Homosexualität und Rassismus stark veraltet. Das muss mMn im Kontext der Zeit gesehen werden und daher kann ich dem Buch nicht weniger als 5 Sterne geben. Ich empfehle jedem und jeder, es einmal im Leben zu lesen.
This is a difficult book and not only for it's length. 60 years later and still so much remains to be thought and worked through existentially, philosophically, socially, theologically, etc on women. I was surprised at her reach, impressed by her candor and thankful for her contribution. It is not an easy read, especially if one is not terribly comfortable thinking about the realities of what women have faced and continue to face (I had to put it down several times in order to release myself from the devastating accounts she includes). She explores at length female sexuality from various angles, which sometimes digresses into a version of rumination that I tend to find tiresome. I understand why she does it, however, especially considering her context and also considering her own personal journey, which I think is best put aside so as not to divert from this work.
Her historical work is not where I would like it to be although this is mostly due to scope. I also think that while she is certainly entitled to her bone that she picks with religion (she deals mostly with Christianity although she has choice things to say about others as well) and goodness knows she is right on many counts, there is more there than she wants to allow. She hints at it at times, but doesn't really offer a challenge of Christianity in the ways that I think would be most fruitful. Of course, this is not her project but it does frame a conversation that Christianity really needs to engage.
This is a book women need to pick up with boldness and face. She is much less strident than I thought she would be and also more hopeful in many regards. The scope is refreshing since so much on the feminist end tends to be on the narrow end of scope. It is dated of course, so her examples, books and method of writing reflect that, but the book is important enough to deal with such things.
Her historical work is not where I would like it to be although this is mostly due to scope. I also think that while she is certainly entitled to her bone that she picks with religion (she deals mostly with Christianity although she has choice things to say about others as well) and goodness knows she is right on many counts, there is more there than she wants to allow. She hints at it at times, but doesn't really offer a challenge of Christianity in the ways that I think would be most fruitful. Of course, this is not her project but it does frame a conversation that Christianity really needs to engage.
This is a book women need to pick up with boldness and face. She is much less strident than I thought she would be and also more hopeful in many regards. The scope is refreshing since so much on the feminist end tends to be on the narrow end of scope. It is dated of course, so her examples, books and method of writing reflect that, but the book is important enough to deal with such things.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I had waited for this book - waited to read the ideas I have read and waited to read the book itself. It was a great read, awakening and transformative, not because it changed my trajectory in life now, but because it helped me understand deeper and re-frame my past. I particularly loved the first part and the short but concise history of the situations of women. Many points well proven - I can see how revolutionary the book was for the time.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Brb gonna go buy a felt hat cause I’m ugly and therefore must be a lesbian
It's depressing how relevant so much of this still is
i read this for my sociology essay. hate sociology liked this book
Very hearty material. I'll get back to it one day.