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maisoncetacea's review against another edition
3.0
As much as I like the argument that Shlain makes, I think that there is less of a case of any point in history when femaleness was truly exalted than there is a case of female equality simply eroding quickly at the point of literacy. I found that his analysis sort of made 'feminine' ways of thinking seem... primitive, casting literacy as a sort of necessary evil in order for human society to progress. I just have a hard time fully buying it.
seregelda's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing! I can't wait to read more of Mr. Shlain's work!
hannahkkitchen's review against another edition
Do I really want to listen to a 24 hour audio book on this? I did but also reviews don't look great haha
erikars's review against another edition
At times compelling, at times ridiculous, and always an amusing read. The basic thesis is that the growth of literacy and the prevalence of the written word has over the last n-thousand years, upset the balance between the right and left brain. This, in turn, has promoted linear masculine values or holistic feminine values. While I think the idea is interesting to play with, Shlain tries to take it farther than it was ever meant to go. He ends up trying to explain everything and then some in terms of his thesis. That said, I still think that the idea that there is an imbalance between word and image, with image coming out the loser, is interesting.
kipahni's review against another edition
5.0
This book was amazing, puzzling, insightful and really thought provoking. Leonard Shlain speculates that because of alphabet literacy the left side of the brain becomes more dominate which is also related to the hunter/killer, the linear and logical part of thinking and all around patriarchal values.
How ironic that he uses the medium of a book to inform his readers that reading is propagating the patriarchy!
That being said I wish that he was still alive so that he could make further predictions with the internet and the youtube and the netflix. Are we on the brink of a matriarchal return?
How ironic that he uses the medium of a book to inform his readers that reading is propagating the patriarchy!
That being said I wish that he was still alive so that he could make further predictions with the internet and the youtube and the netflix. Are we on the brink of a matriarchal return?
kyootfaerie's review against another edition
3.0
He had me until he started talking about Hitler. His whole premise is that oral language and icons are good and written language and books are bad. However when talking about Hitler he says that Hitler used icons and symbols to brain wash the highly literate Germans to do the unthinkable like a "modern day pied piper." How does that work? I see nothing of the goddess and his so called "goodness" of oral traditions in the works of Nazi Germany. It seemed like he was reaching for straws at this point and cheapened every good point he had made in the first 400 pages. Thanks for trying...
sabrinahughes's review against another edition
It feels like a person writing far outside of their expertise. Ahistorical comparisons and gender essentialism abound.
curiousnoel's review against another edition
5.0
This book is about the transition from goddess-based polytheism to god-based monotheism, from holistic thinking to linear thinking, from compassion to aggression, and from egalitarian society to patriarchal society, all connected to the advent of writing. It's a radical theory and an absolutely fascinating look at not just gender dynamics, but also the evolution of the brain. The writing style of the book is wonderfully engaging, even beautiful at times, making this study feel fresh and not like a textbook. I have never read a nonfiction book that affected me in such a monumental way as this, staying in my thoughts long after reading it and inspiring many conversations. I strongly recommend it for the intellectual reader, the anthropology student, or the gender studies buff.