Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics

I love bell hooks. When her writing hits the mark, it leaves an imprint on my heart. Her point of view was one of the first I encountered when I was introduced to feminism over 20 years ago. This is absolutely a 5-star book when I consider how she argues that feminism is not anti-men but rather anti-sexism, and how she challenges whiteness and class privilege within the movement and argues that truly dismantling patriarchy requires an intersectional approach.

What I struggle with is that something that unfortunately still remains relevant today in so many ways (white women are still wielding feminism in was that harm BIWOC, class and education privilege still keep feminism at an academic level that perpetuates the polarization we see today), it is also deeply rooted in gender binary and not trans inclusive. The way sexual orientation is described sounds straight out of a playbook on homophobia, so deeply rooted in choice and with so many examples of women “choosing lesbianism” in response to harmful experiences with men and patriarchal systems. While some of what she had to say was actually at odds with this language, it was still a bit uncomfortable to consume.

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marissasa's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

This is the first of bell hooks' works that I've read. Feminism is for Everybody is a great intro to feminist theory with an emphasis on intersectionality, the role of everyone (not just women) in the fight against patriarchy, and the need for feminist discussion on accessible levels for the widest range of people as possible. Although I am not new to feminism and its politics, I still learned quite a bit and was prompted to think about specific intersections within feminism I hadn't thought of before. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of the necessity of intersectionality on all levels, including race, religion, class, and age, as well as the way hooks addressed how patriarchy harms children. This is a very important read and a great resource for starting conversations with people who don't know much about feminism and what it really means, or who have false preconceived notions about it being a movement for female supremacy as opposed to a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.

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jayisreading's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

I hesitantly say that this is one of those so-called “must read” books on feminism for those who want to think about what feminism means, as well as what it means to live in a feminist world. If you’re looking for a more textbook approach to feminism, then this book might be a bit disappointing since it’s more on the anecdotal/reflective side of things, but I think it’s important to amplify these perspectives (which hooks acknowledges), especially ones that aren’t from academic circles and (cisgender) white women who come from financially comfortable backgrounds. I also liked that hooks highlighted the importance of class and race when discussing feminism, which I think both still get lost in conversation today.

The reason why I expressed my hesitation at the start is because it has its shortcomings. The main one is not really hooks’ fault, which is that the book is, in many ways, outdated. For one, I was shocked (yet not) that hooks made no mention of trans women and their relationship to feminism and the movement, considering her insistence that feminism is for everybody. There were also language issues, mostly the whole referring to men and women as “males” and “females.” Lastly, I’d say some of her opinions may have been more reflective of what was pervasive at the time and are more egregious today. Her comments on (cisgender) queer women were... interesting, to say the least.

Maybe it would be better to say that this is a book to check out after reading some more contemporary works on feminism, that way you can critically think about what hooks is discussing, but also acknowledge her shortcomings. It’s certainly an important book, but one that requires some scrutiny.

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culown's review against another edition

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informative

bell hooks succeeded in what she wnated to do with this book: she created a deeply accessible and intuitive manual that can teach whomever some pillars of feminism.
Her view on men and their role in the movement was very interesting and definitely something I'll think about 🌹

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aecorsilva's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

4.25

Generally, I think this book does a great job at giving someone a basic rundown of feminist thought, and of persuading those who quasi-agree with feminism to become more strongly feminist. However, I don't think it would persuade an anti-feminist, and I found parts of the book to digress from the feminist cause (I don't think women should devote significant aspects of feminist movement to "fixing" men, as hooks slightly suggested, and I don't think parents being placed above children in a hierarchy is a symbol of patriarchal violence (though I did find the suggestion interesting)).

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dania_'s review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring fast-paced

4.5

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