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catsarecool43's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
seems like a good jumping off point to get into feminist theory, lots of references to explore
mwplante's review against another edition
3.0
Solid introduction. More technical than Feminism is for Everybody, in a good way and understandably, as it was published decades before.
michaelashsmith's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
yikesbmg's review against another edition
4.0
learned a lot more then i arrogantly expected to, feel like every chapter could’ve been it’s own chapter, thought i knew what bell hooks was going to say and she slapped me with something else. a great read and not dense — easy to follow stuff, one start knocked off because it isn’t blanket accessible and i think it aims to be
asanchezg72's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
julialoupratt's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Spent my time with this to really dig in, understand, think, and reflect. There are some parts of this that hit so hard I found myself shouting out, highlighting like mad, and monologuing to nobody in particular. hooks is popular for a reason and there are some great takes in here, specifically those surrounding race and whiteness. Several sections made me put the book down and just stare into space in deep thought, which is fantastic and needed.
On the other hand, there were some truly unhinged and ridiculous bits, specifically some of those regarding sex and sexuality. I felt like hooks sometimes overcorrected against “men-as-enemy-no-exceptions” into a “need-for-men” place, which often led to really reductive takes about community and family. There was lots of language around media and sex that was certainly a product of its time, now reading as liberal pseudo hot takes rather than anything revolutionary. In general, there was such a dualist emphasis on biological sex (with no room for trans identity) and gay/straight binaries, that the last quarter or so of the book fell pretty flat.
The thing that makes this book great is that it emphasizes the need to constantly unlearn and rebuild - break down the parts of feminist thinking that don’t work and create new theory and praxis that does. At the very end hooks says “while we must recognize, acknowledge, and appreciate the significance of feminist rebellion and the women (and men) who made it happen, we must be willing to criticize, re-examine, and begin feminist work anew.” This book is the ultimate exercise of that concept. Take the parts that still ring true and tear up the bits that no longer serve the movement to end oppression in its various forms. We must engage in the parts that make us uneasy because we feel called out, the parts that annoy us because they’re outdated, AND the parts that spark joy because they’re affirming. Those that take this at face value and smile and nod through the whole thing have missed the point entirely.
If you’re not willing to critique this, rip it up, scratch out and circle, question, and passionately disagree with certain parts - reread immediately.
On the other hand, there were some truly unhinged and ridiculous bits, specifically some of those regarding sex and sexuality. I felt like hooks sometimes overcorrected against “men-as-enemy-no-exceptions” into a “need-for-men” place, which often led to really reductive takes about community and family. There was lots of language around media and sex that was certainly a product of its time, now reading as liberal pseudo hot takes rather than anything revolutionary. In general, there was such a dualist emphasis on biological sex (with no room for trans identity) and gay/straight binaries, that the last quarter or so of the book fell pretty flat.
The thing that makes this book great is that it emphasizes the need to constantly unlearn and rebuild - break down the parts of feminist thinking that don’t work and create new theory and praxis that does. At the very end hooks says “while we must recognize, acknowledge, and appreciate the significance of feminist rebellion and the women (and men) who made it happen, we must be willing to criticize, re-examine, and begin feminist work anew.” This book is the ultimate exercise of that concept. Take the parts that still ring true and tear up the bits that no longer serve the movement to end oppression in its various forms. We must engage in the parts that make us uneasy because we feel called out, the parts that annoy us because they’re outdated, AND the parts that spark joy because they’re affirming. Those that take this at face value and smile and nod through the whole thing have missed the point entirely.
If you’re not willing to critique this, rip it up, scratch out and circle, question, and passionately disagree with certain parts - reread immediately.