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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Disappointed with the feminist essays in this one, they were quite lukewarm — not what I was expecting from Solnit. Even the titular essay, while probably groundbreaking at the time, seemed to backpedal into “not all men” territory.
3 stars purely for the essay on Virginia Woolf and hope.
“To me, the grounds for hope are simply that we don't know what will happen next, and that the unlikely and the unimaginable transpire quite regularly.”
“Despair is a form of certainty, certainty that the future will be a lot like the present or will decline from it; despair is a confident memory of the future…Optimism is similarly confident about what will happen. Both are grounds for not acting. Hope can be the knowledge that we don't have that memory and that reality doesn't necessarily match our plans.”
3 stars purely for the essay on Virginia Woolf and hope.
“To me, the grounds for hope are simply that we don't know what will happen next, and that the unlikely and the unimaginable transpire quite regularly.”
“Despair is a form of certainty, certainty that the future will be a lot like the present or will decline from it; despair is a confident memory of the future…Optimism is similarly confident about what will happen. Both are grounds for not acting. Hope can be the knowledge that we don't have that memory and that reality doesn't necessarily match our plans.”
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
absolutely hands-down a fantastic read, and highly recommend to any man or woman who is looking to educate themselves on the feminist movement (while also adding a big asterisk here for trigger warnings and rage). solnit is a master of weaving complex ideas and emotions into prose that supports, while also educating, on a topic that is known to be particularly tricky to navigate. her mixture of personal experiences, friends' experiences, and historically crucial turning points in the feminist movement were perfectly combined. a wonderful collection that is sure to shine a light on the unspoken (with a healthy dose of humor mixed in).
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
A quick, concise group of essays on feminism 101. This is my second Solnit book and I just love her writing voice. She interlaces eye-opening and horrifying statistics with modern and historical politics with ease and does a great job of cutting off certain arguments before they can even start. An important book for everyone to read, no matter their gender, it will drop you into the rough waters of gender inequalities but still throws you a floatation device in the end. Some of these essays show some age (I'm reading this almost a decade after publication) but for the most part, they sadly stand the test of time. Solnit is a master.
reflective
medium-paced
Somewhat outdated, the topics are covered only surfacially
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
It was just....a lot. I was hoping for a few more entertaining stories like the first one presented and instead was beat over the head with stories of rape. Although the statistics were disturbing. they were very moving and educational and brought up a lot of discussion topics. I appreciated the effort and research that went into this book but it was not exactly what I was expecting to read. Maybe I misunderstood the description or the reviews previously posted. It will definitely get you thinking but it's not really necessary to read the whole thing.
informative
medium-paced