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The First Stone: Some Questions about Sex and Power by Leigh Sales, Helen Garner, Jennifer Vuletic
erinstewart's review against another edition
4.0
I don't really agree with Garner but her points around women portraying themselves as victims rather than agents is as important today as ever. Solutions to the problems facing women are complex and the changes we demand of others mark only the start of women's empowerment. Good change, after all, is endogenous.
I also get Garner's frustration of not being able to talk to the central women and being locked out of the feminist crowd. Although she vilifies this group it is clear that her work is subjective and even imaginative when it comes to their characterisation. It is easy to place these musings as conjecture because Garner is so transparent with her limitations. This may not be reassuring for those she writes about but I don't feel like I 'know' the figures from the book, only how Garner saw them from afar.
Plus, you know, Garner is one of Australia's best writers so she could be arguing for more umbrellas up Swanston Street and I'd still attend to each word.
I also get Garner's frustration of not being able to talk to the central women and being locked out of the feminist crowd. Although she vilifies this group it is clear that her work is subjective and even imaginative when it comes to their characterisation. It is easy to place these musings as conjecture because Garner is so transparent with her limitations. This may not be reassuring for those she writes about but I don't feel like I 'know' the figures from the book, only how Garner saw them from afar.
Plus, you know, Garner is one of Australia's best writers so she could be arguing for more umbrellas up Swanston Street and I'd still attend to each word.
donnawaters's review against another edition
5.0
I read this a few years ago after hearing furious debate over this book. I loved it. It wasn't an easy or comfortable read but I felt that Helen Garner raised some very legitimate questions and a debate should be had about such things. I didn't find her anti-feminist in any way and it was liberating as a strong minded woman to thing about things such as responsibility, power and the best way to handle things. No easy answers to difficult questions though. She is not only a fiercely intelligent woman, but a talented writer.
annieg's review
challenging
fast-paced
5.0
This book is challenging - there's a-lot in here that as a modern feminist makes me want to shake her and some strange expectations of victims. And I would indicate trigger warnings for sexual assault and harassment victim / survivors. But this is an interesting window into the different generations of feminism and how sexism, misogyny, sex and power are viewed by different waves. There are some interesting reflections of class and privilege and some excellent refusals to accept women as meek and passive victims. There's also a thorough discussion / reflection of how often men misunderstand women's anger. That rarely is the small incident on public transport what the reaction is about, it's the everyday, ongoing humiliations, that are so constant and frequent that it's hard to differentiate what is and isn't harmful. It's a short book but one that takes a lot of time to process.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
larrys's review against another edition
5.0
This book gave me something to think about after every chapter. I had to take frequent breaks to digest what I read. In a book about sexual harassment, I can't really ask any more than that.
sarahthornton's review against another edition
2.0
The misogyny is coming from inside the house.
Not sure if it was intentional, and not sure if this is a novel or journalistic work, but there is clear bias.
Examples of everyday sexism are strewn throughout along with outrage that anyone would bother to report sexual assaults, and the deep sense of shame of not having a clear way to escape a potentially dangerous situation that isn't, on the surface, compliance.
Not sure if it was intentional, and not sure if this is a novel or journalistic work, but there is clear bias.
Examples of everyday sexism are strewn throughout along with outrage that anyone would bother to report sexual assaults, and the deep sense of shame of not having a clear way to escape a potentially dangerous situation that isn't, on the surface, compliance.
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