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jeanchristophe's review against another edition
4.0
This book does a wonderful job of showing how the patriarchy affects men. It helped me realize some of the more subtle ways men, and myself, have been trained to repress emotions. It also shows how society can help men heal.
That being said I would have liked to have more on how men can help themselves. I also felt there was a generational gap for some sections.
That being said I would have liked to have more on how men can help themselves. I also felt there was a generational gap for some sections.
madstar's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Such an interesting listen! It was a little repetitive in places but so thought provoking. Very progressive considering it was written in 2004! If you’re at all interested in feminism or patriarchy (not the horses kind) I really recommend this discussion around how the patriarchy damages men.
stringy's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
2.5
Giving this a precise 50% rating on purpose. Hooks starts off with a strong hypothesis: the first violence that the patriarchy asks of little boys is to harm themselves by cutting off their emotions. But the book has no data to back this up, only anecdotes and intuition. And hooks doesn't provide much of a path forward for anyone who does have the will to change. It just felt like a lot of fluff.
Hooks also seems to have missed all the work done on intersectionality. She uses the c-word to describe emotional impairments, glosses past LGBT issues, and is snobby about single mothers. There's a lot of respectability politics in here.
And yet... it's a really strong and persuasive idea. I see why a lot of people felt like this book was a revelation. Hooks has gotten hold of something important here. I just wish there was more substance in it.
Hooks also seems to have missed all the work done on intersectionality. She uses the c-word to describe emotional impairments, glosses past LGBT issues, and is snobby about single mothers. There's a lot of respectability politics in here.
And yet... it's a really strong and persuasive idea. I see why a lot of people felt like this book was a revelation. Hooks has gotten hold of something important here. I just wish there was more substance in it.