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alexisrt's review against another edition
2.0
The book has a good thesis--that women should seek to maximize their happiness. There's a lot of good material scattered through the book. Despite that, it doesn't really succeed, largely because Filipovic doesn't know what kind of book she wants to write. The scope is too wide: each chapter focuses on a part of women's lives that could take a book to cover thoroughly on its own. The content flips between research, interview material, and her own thoughts, and it's an uneven mix. She's upfront that she's exactly the kind of middle class white woman that's been too visible in feminist texts, and she does try to bring in data and interviews from people who aren't like her, but in sections, her voice dominates. It's most noticeable in the Parenting chapter, where her lack of personal experience with the topic makes her musings sit somewhat uneasily and her recommendations feel too packaged. In addition, while she is aware of her race and class, and religion gets a nod in the sex chapter, other issues go unmentioned--disability is barely spoken about.
It's not bad, but if you've read any of the recent books about feminism as applied to people's lives, it probably won't tell you anything new.
It's not bad, but if you've read any of the recent books about feminism as applied to people's lives, it probably won't tell you anything new.
karenleagermain's review against another edition
4.0
Thank You to Perseus Books Group, PublicAffairs Books, and Nation Books; for providing me with an advanced copy of Jill Filipovic's The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness, in exchange for an honest review.
PLOT- Can American women truly find happiness? Jill Filipovic explores the issue of happiness and feminism, looking at the history of the United States, statistics, and personal stories.
LIKE- I was raised by a strong, single mom, and from birth, I was always told that I can do/be anything I want. I never felt like being female limited my possibilities. That said, I'm not blind to the fact that things are not equal. I guess I chalked things up to we've come a long way, but there is still further to go and it takes time. Rome wasn't built in a day, et... I'm an optimist. However reading The H-Spot was eye-opening. Filipovic made me realize that maybe I should reconsider my optimism, by showing me ways that the system has been stacked against women.
For example, Filipovic talks about the expectation that women will give up their last names when they marry. I've been married twice. The first time, I kept my maiden name and it bothered family members/friends: I got heat for my decision. The second time, I took my husband's name. I'm proud to have my husband's last name, but it's the societal expectation that is troublesome. She explains that the burden is on women alone, and when surveyed, it became clear that most men, would not even entertain the idea of taking their wives last name, and many would be upset if she didn't take his. To take this further, Filipovic links the last name to identity and power, something that a woman is pressured to give up. This idea of a lost identity is something that I had never given much thought, but in retrospect, I believe it is why I was reluctant to change my name in my first marriage.
Filipovic put it in terms of a power play, men get to keep the power, while women are expected to sacrifice. The same thing happens when it comes to careers and children. Yes, there are stay-at-home dads, but more frequently, the woman is expected to give up her career or take the time away to be at home. The worst of the situation is when there is a lack of support from the community, including other women. The decisions that women make, often pit them against other women: working mothers vs stay at home moms, those who breastfeed and those who don't, mom's vs childless women, et...the support system is flawed, making security and happiness hard to come by.
I liked how Filipovic balanced the content of her book, not just relying on history or personal stories, but blending the two. This made her exploration feel more comprehensive. I was most interested in the latter chapters, those dealing with subjects like fertility and body image. I wish that she had included even more interviews and personal stories. As she mentions, it's impossible to write a book that is exhaustive on this subject, but Filipovic does a solid job at hitting the main points.
DISLIKE- I was unevenly interested in the chapters, especially the early chapters. I've taken several college level women's history courses, so the history was very familiar: I wasn't learning anything new, it was more of a refresher. However, to someone who hasn't had the exposure, the history should be enlightening and interesting.
RECOMMEND- Yes. The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness is a must-read for women. Filipovic's honest exploration of modern feminism is a worthy read.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
PLOT- Can American women truly find happiness? Jill Filipovic explores the issue of happiness and feminism, looking at the history of the United States, statistics, and personal stories.
LIKE- I was raised by a strong, single mom, and from birth, I was always told that I can do/be anything I want. I never felt like being female limited my possibilities. That said, I'm not blind to the fact that things are not equal. I guess I chalked things up to we've come a long way, but there is still further to go and it takes time. Rome wasn't built in a day, et... I'm an optimist. However reading The H-Spot was eye-opening. Filipovic made me realize that maybe I should reconsider my optimism, by showing me ways that the system has been stacked against women.
For example, Filipovic talks about the expectation that women will give up their last names when they marry. I've been married twice. The first time, I kept my maiden name and it bothered family members/friends: I got heat for my decision. The second time, I took my husband's name. I'm proud to have my husband's last name, but it's the societal expectation that is troublesome. She explains that the burden is on women alone, and when surveyed, it became clear that most men, would not even entertain the idea of taking their wives last name, and many would be upset if she didn't take his. To take this further, Filipovic links the last name to identity and power, something that a woman is pressured to give up. This idea of a lost identity is something that I had never given much thought, but in retrospect, I believe it is why I was reluctant to change my name in my first marriage.
Filipovic put it in terms of a power play, men get to keep the power, while women are expected to sacrifice. The same thing happens when it comes to careers and children. Yes, there are stay-at-home dads, but more frequently, the woman is expected to give up her career or take the time away to be at home. The worst of the situation is when there is a lack of support from the community, including other women. The decisions that women make, often pit them against other women: working mothers vs stay at home moms, those who breastfeed and those who don't, mom's vs childless women, et...the support system is flawed, making security and happiness hard to come by.
I liked how Filipovic balanced the content of her book, not just relying on history or personal stories, but blending the two. This made her exploration feel more comprehensive. I was most interested in the latter chapters, those dealing with subjects like fertility and body image. I wish that she had included even more interviews and personal stories. As she mentions, it's impossible to write a book that is exhaustive on this subject, but Filipovic does a solid job at hitting the main points.
DISLIKE- I was unevenly interested in the chapters, especially the early chapters. I've taken several college level women's history courses, so the history was very familiar: I wasn't learning anything new, it was more of a refresher. However, to someone who hasn't had the exposure, the history should be enlightening and interesting.
RECOMMEND- Yes. The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness is a must-read for women. Filipovic's honest exploration of modern feminism is a worthy read.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
bootman's review against another edition
5.0
Jill Filipovic is an incredible writer, and I was excited to find out she had another book after I finished her newer book OK Boomer, Let’s Talk. There are so many issues the women deal with that men don’t have to, but it’s still ignored or denied by many. In this book, Filipovic takes a deep dive in each chapter of how women face biases, challenges, and even potential dangers in a variety of different situations. The overall topic of the book is (as the subtitle suggests) the female pursuit of happiness, but it’s difficult in many different areas that the author covers in various chapters. The chapters dive into friendships, relationships, careers, female bodies, motherhood, and so much more. Aside from providing a ton of data and research, Jill opened my eyes to many topics that I hadn’t even thought of, and it has me asking, “Yeah. Why is this the norm?”.
Jill Filipovic is now 2 for 2 with great books she’s written, and she’s also a phenomenal journalist who is passionate about many social issues. I’m extremely glad I came across her work and am always excited to read just about anything she writes.
Jill Filipovic is now 2 for 2 with great books she’s written, and she’s also a phenomenal journalist who is passionate about many social issues. I’m extremely glad I came across her work and am always excited to read just about anything she writes.
gtrue21's review against another edition
3.25
The part about female friendships was very sweet. The part about food and nutrition really missed the mark and felt like “I don’t care if you’re fat as long as you’re healthy.” It really stopped short of a radical fat liberation lens which is needed when we talk about women’s happiness in a country where the average woman is plus size.
siria's review against another edition
3.0
I'd class this as a solid introductory overview to some feminist ideas about everything from sex to food to motherhood to names. Jill Filipovic doesn't cover particularly new ground here, but I liked—and wished she'd hammered home more—her framework as to how misogyny and the U.S.'s toxic approach to pleasure and happiness reinforce one another.
katielanza's review against another edition
4.0
One one hand this book is not particularly novel to feminists. Most of us have heard and largely agree on these ideas. But on the other it is incredibly well researched and brings together so many details that satisfy you with feeling recognized (the ‘yes! I’ve experienced that too/always thought that’ moments). As well, the idea that focusing policy on pleasure and happiness rather than equality is something I have not heard as a mainstream argument. As for the writing itself: She also brings up some great ironies, rights common misconceptions, and gives a reasonable solution that bolsters women’s pleasure.
One of my favorite examples that culminates all of this: women cook ~70% of the meals in the US but don’t get to enjoy the pleasure of eating them because we have so much guilt about food and weight and health and eating ‘good’ foods. At the same time, we have all this processed food that’s making us sicker, and people think feminism (taking women out of the kitchen and into the workplace) brought on the packaged food industry (more working hours = fewer cooking hours = more ‘instant’ food). But the industry actually came about in the 50s when women were still ‘in the kitchen’ and were expected to entertain at a moments notice, and hence hello and boxed cake was touted as the homemakers solution (surprise: sexism, not feminism, makes things worse). The actual solution to this all could be in several changes: we drastically change our narrative around food and health (and thus health education as well), all adults in the household could contribute to cooking (somehow still a radical thought), we could reduce working hours/change them to give adults the time to both work and cook a nutritious meal, we can pay people enough to purchase nutritious food (again, radical), and food assistance could be expanded to increase access to nutritious food.
One of my favorite examples that culminates all of this: women cook ~70% of the meals in the US but don’t get to enjoy the pleasure of eating them because we have so much guilt about food and weight and health and eating ‘good’ foods. At the same time, we have all this processed food that’s making us sicker, and people think feminism (taking women out of the kitchen and into the workplace) brought on the packaged food industry (more working hours = fewer cooking hours = more ‘instant’ food). But the industry actually came about in the 50s when women were still ‘in the kitchen’ and were expected to entertain at a moments notice, and hence hello and boxed cake was touted as the homemakers solution (surprise: sexism, not feminism, makes things worse). The actual solution to this all could be in several changes: we drastically change our narrative around food and health (and thus health education as well), all adults in the household could contribute to cooking (somehow still a radical thought), we could reduce working hours/change them to give adults the time to both work and cook a nutritious meal, we can pay people enough to purchase nutritious food (again, radical), and food assistance could be expanded to increase access to nutritious food.
monstergirlreading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
lraeskat's review against another edition
4.0
Probably 3.5 stars but closer to 4 so that’s what I went with. Interesting information throughout, some I knew already and some that was new. Would be worth an updated version already only five years after being published.