Reviews

What We Talk About When We Talk about Rape by Sohaila Abdulali

dearbookshelves's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

4.5

I picked this up on a whim from my local bookstore and I really appreciate both the scope and structure of this collection. It provides a more global look at rape, rape culture, and the way it's handled across cultures. A lot of nonfiction about rape is very western and provides a limited view. I also enjoyed the way Adbulali chose to break up the information. Each section tackles a different element of the larger conversation about rape and it provided enough to get you thinking while still being relatively digestible given the content. I also appreciated her stance that being a rape victim shouldn't be something that defines a person's life. She's able to bring nuance to that conversation and how that works with being an activist for other victims.

loux_07_07's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

blafin's review

Go to review page

3.0

I want to begin by highlighting what this book does well, which is offer a broad discussion decentralized from the United States. Rape is a phenomenon that transcends culture; how we talk about it shouldn't be limited merely to one. Similarly, feminism is not a uniquely American phenomenon and how we talk about it should not pretend otherwise. The frequency at which Abdulali shifts between place highlights the universality of rape and offers a necessary global perspective for many of us all too accustomed to geographic / cultural bias.

That being said, the book reads more like a collection of conversational essays or journal entries than a cohesive work. It felt strewn together rather than planned and the lack of structure and shifting of focus every 5-10 pages offered little in the way of substantive discussion. The personal accounts were powerful, but ultimately, I don't feel as though I learned much from this book. That being said, I would not discourage anyone from reading it. Rape is a subject that is silenced enough as is and any discussion that can bring it to light is worth publishing.

emilyctrigg's review

Go to review page

4.0

4.5

jodiehall96's review

Go to review page

4.0

4.5

fevi's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Apesar do aviso prévio da autora em afirmar que o livro não discutiria o assunto de forma acadêmica ou profunda, eu estava esperando algo mais completo. Não foi o que encontrei. Isso não faz do livro um produto horrível, mas o torna menos impactante.

A autora traz relatos pessoais e de outras pessoas, inclusive homens, para discutir as várias formas de estupros, como as vítimas são condicionadas a todo estresse e o desfecho. Tudo isso em uma linguagem acessível e de fácil compreensão. Não há ao longo do texto descrições explícitas, mas isso não interfere no impacto. Apesar de forte, não é uma leitura impossível.

Em alguns momentos a autora foca mais nos relatos que em uma discussão sobre o assunto. Isso também afetou na minha avaliação. Apesar disso tudo acredito que seria um bom livro para introduzir em discussões com adolescentes com apoio de um texto mais sério e profundo. 

zaraishka's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

brynn_kathryn's review

Go to review page

emotional informative reflective

5.0

Everyone. Read. Now. 

dianawhit's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative medium-paced

gesa2357's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

5.0