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mmehra606's review
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Racism, Misogyny, and Domestic abuse
lunarxcross's review
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, War, Biphobia, Child abuse, Classism, Sexual violence, Racism, and Pedophilia
zombiezami's review
medium-paced
3.25
As others said, it's more academic than you might expect. Also, I wonder if hooks really believed that feminism is for everybody. I've been meaning to read this book for years, and it wasn't quite what I was expecting. She made statements like anti-choice people and conservatives can't be feminists. I agree with this, but that undermines the title!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Racism, and Classism
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Cursing, War, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, and Sexual violence
jayisreading's review against another edition
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 The main one is not really hooks’ fault, which is that the book is, in many ways, outdated.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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Classism, and Sexism
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
chaptersofchilly's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
This is a great beginner level book for people joining the feminist movement. I recently reread this to analyze bell hooks’ postmodernist undertones in her work, but I really enjoyed my time with the book. This was written right before the turn of the century, so some of her arguments and solutions are outdated, but overall she highlights some persistent problems in the movement. I loved her discussion about the explosion of discourse around feminism and who gets to be a feminist. This is a conversation the movement must have and make clear that anyone can be a feminist as long as they grapple with their internalized sexism and work to dismantle the systems that continue to oppress people.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Homophobia, and Racism
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