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stevia333k's review
5.0
i listened to readings & TTS of this book. it's from 1981 (such as we don't need to refer to fiction to call out paternalism anymore. we have books like "pushout" & "they were her property". that being said the reference to fiction on that point made me realize that history was conflated with whatever white supremacist bourgeois patriarchs allowed.) so some parts are outdated, but a ton of it holds up, partly because a lot of the white supremacist dynamics within feminist movements hadn't changed. like chapter 2 on white women organizing having paternalism problems articulated the problems i'm having right now to a tee, and the other chapters gave me information about corners i need to back out of (3 point turn). this book is considered a foundation for intersectionality & uses the triple jeopardy model. basically this is a book that a lot of the people i listen to have read.
as i was reading this book i was also listening to "rest is resistance" by tricia hersey, which is giving me a lot of insight on abolitionism & preventing burnout & self-forgiveness. i mention this because this book also critiques bourgeois praxis, and that's important because to say the least of it the labor theory of value, business expansion & imperialist expansion mean the wage gap will exist as long as there is capitalism because otherwise employers wouldn't be able to figure out ranking among themselves.
this was such a good book, i wish i had been given this book instead of being offered "ain't i a woman" by bell hooks & "luna" back in elementary school. like seriously, the covers & fictionality scared me on some of those, but omg. like my transfeminism came from me being 2 years old & in reconciling why racism is bad & feminism is good figured out that the genitalia is in fact a policing stereotype as other gender stereotypes, hence girlhood is separate from genitalia, and this book was speaking to that.
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
konstantina's review
5.0
A masterpiece of intersectional feminism, a necessary read for all, even non-Americans.
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Rape, and Slavery
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Genocide
kenzierobyn's review
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Murder
Minor: Abortion
tenori's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
jaiari12's review
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism and Domestic abuse
scribblesandsuch's review
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, and Colonisation
reverie_and_books's review against another edition
5.0
Abolitionists and suffragettes - did they go hand in hand or were they more foes than friends? Written in 1981, this short book contains some insightful history lessons that help explain US politics today. Davis writes straightforward, no nonsense, with many citations and context information.
One insight is how white women supported the abolition of slavery, demanded women's suffrage to do so, and then turned their backs once the power balance started shifting.
Another are the consequences of said abolition and actions took: former slave owners had trouble to keep the margin up. But there was a new law which relied on convicts. Guess who was convicted for nothing and everything and put under even worse conditions as prior to the abolition? Mostly Black men.
Yet another insight concerns the bourgeoisie and bored white housewives who fought for women's rights but totally disregarded the horrendous working conditions of the labour class.
And there are quite a few more things to take away, for me anyway. Davis essays are about the common human behavior of seeking power and status and – once gained – step on those who were formerly fighting alongside them. It’s seriously f*cked up.
Intersectionality is the key word here. The idea: If people thought more about the combination of different kinds of discrimination, structural jigsaw pieces would fall together more easily. Davis takes gender, race and class, but there’s certainly more.
I highly recommend this read, especially if you care about history and it’s part in political currents. I’ve read books about women’s rights and racism before, but separately. This was eye-opening on another level.
Moderate: Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault
nessakate's review
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Rape, and Sexism
ynit_g's review against another edition
4.5
The warnings of discussion of rape are no joke and definitely were kinda triggering despite knowing a lot of this history
Chapter 12 also seems as an important note during these times
The last chapter did feel off to me for the ending of the book
A good read was recommended by another black person so glad I listened to them, knowing a lot of history but reading some new quotes and info got me riled up (mostly because of racism obviously)
Graphic: Racism, Rape, and Slavery
Moderate: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Abortion
cocolopsapotamus's review
4.25
Graphic: Racism and Slavery
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Police brutality, and Medical trauma
Minor: Suicide