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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
My favorite essays were Nasty Native Women and The Pathology of Donald Trump.
I’d love to read a follow up collection of essays from these same women now that Biden is in office. They had so many different perspectives!
"There is something to be said for opening your eyes to the world as it is, and not as we want it to be."
On 11/9/2016, that we're NOT living in a post-racial America was a sobering realization (for mostly white women I suspect).
Most powerful were the essays in which it was pointed out -- hey, white women, you may think Trump is the worst thing that's happened to America, but we're here to tell you, it's been horrible from the minute white men decided to take what wasn't theirs. And it's been happening every single day since then.
In other words, just because you are experiencing something for the first time doesn't mean that's the first time it's ever been or is currently being experienced by someone else or other peoples.
While I appreciated this collection as a whole, some of the essays fell flat for me; namely, Strayed's "She Will." The beginning of the collection is more focused on the election and Hillary's loss, then steadily they become more broad in the frame of feminism.
On my current journey to decolonizing my mind, these were my favorite essays: "Advice to Grace in Ghana"; "Beyond the Pussy Hats"; "Dispatches From A Texas Militarized Zone"; "We've Always Been Nasty" and "How to Build a Movement."
3.5 stars
On 11/9/2016, that we're NOT living in a post-racial America was a sobering realization (for mostly white women I suspect).
Most powerful were the essays in which it was pointed out -- hey, white women, you may think Trump is the worst thing that's happened to America, but we're here to tell you, it's been horrible from the minute white men decided to take what wasn't theirs. And it's been happening every single day since then.
In other words, just because you are experiencing something for the first time doesn't mean that's the first time it's ever been or is currently being experienced by someone else or other peoples.
While I appreciated this collection as a whole, some of the essays fell flat for me; namely, Strayed's "She Will." The beginning of the collection is more focused on the election and Hillary's loss, then steadily they become more broad in the frame of feminism.
On my current journey to decolonizing my mind, these were my favorite essays: "Advice to Grace in Ghana"; "Beyond the Pussy Hats"; "Dispatches From A Texas Militarized Zone"; "We've Always Been Nasty" and "How to Build a Movement."
3.5 stars
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Relevant and crucial to our next steps as a country, this book challenges readers to understand how the hell we are where we are now from the perspectives of thought leaders, activists, and generally kick-ass women dealing with the trauma of electing an unabashedly misogynistic, abelist, white nationalist (among his many -isms) president. Come prepared to ask what role you played in this last eye-opening election and what you will do to stop it from happening again.
I disagreed with most of the content in this book. Sometimes, I feel like certain women in America are living in completely different worlds from one another—not because of circumstance or physical location, but because of ideology. This book is an example of that.
That being said, I read this book in order to better understand one of those strange worlds I don’t live in: A Marxist world where everything about society can be sliced apart into micro-categories of oppression and privilege; where the 2016 election was this valiant battle of good and evil in the form of women’s empowerment vs. misogyny; where those who disliked Hillary Clinton largely did so for sexist reasons; where Clinton represented all that was new and progressive and forward-moving, and Trump represented all that was old and familiar and backwards (where I believe a solid argument can be made for the inverse); where Trump was elected largely by racists who were bitter over having a black man in the White House for eight years (when the data shows that many people who voted for Trump also voted for Obama); where Clinton’s defeat was a soul-crushing, tragic, even traumatizing affront for women in this country; etc., etc.
Reading this book certainly didn’t draw me into that world, though of course that wasn’t the intention at all—it’s a preach-to-the-choir type book that’s intended to pump up the #Resist activist crowd. As such, I spent much of the book either shaking or scratching my head, but I can say that it helped me to understand its audience a little bit better.
Furthermore, there were a few essays in here that, while I might not have 100% agreed with them, I found thought-provoking, memorable, and well-crafted. They are as follows:
• Advice to Grace in Ghana by Jill Filipovic: A potent reminder of how ideologically-driven policies can have damaging ripple effects on the lives of everyday people.
• Is There Ever a Right Time to Talk to Your Children About Fascism? by Kera Bolonik: This was just so cute, despite the dark subject matter.
• Country Crock by Samantha Irby: A pretty funny and overall enjoyable-to-read essay, which is, again, in spite of the dark subject matter. This writer did an excellent job handling a serious topic with a digestible dose of humor. (Although I have to add, I got rather angry when she referred to conservative blacks as “self-hating.” Can you not? Ughhhh)
• Refusing to Numb the Pain by Sarah Hepola: Just an overall well-written piece. I also appreciated the graceful, humanizing way this writer thinks about people who have differing political views from her. We could all use more of that perspective.
• The Pathology of Donald Trump by Sady Doyle: An EXCELLENT essay, easily the best part of the book, about why we should stop equating “mentally ill” with “evil.” Also, it helped me understand why the 2016 election was so distressing for a lot of people: Some of Trump’s behavior resembles that of an abuser, and for people who have been subject to certain kinds of abuse, it’s been deeply disturbing to see those patterns in the most powerful political leader on Earth. Fair enough.
• Nasty Native Women by Mary Kathryn Nagle: I learned some history about Native sovereignty, the court + executive decisions over the last two centuries that have undermined it, and the way these decisions have made Native people more vulnerable to abuse and criminal behavior from non-Native predators. I think it’s important for more Americans to understand this.
• All-American by Nicole Chung: A beautifully-crafted story about one woman's experiences as an adopted child who was, consequently, the only POC in an all-white family, and how she navigated political differences with her family as an adult.
tl;dr If you don't subscribe to a certain political framework, you won't connect with much of this book. However, it still has some gems. And if you (like me) like to read outside your own worldview, and are interested in learning from/coming to better understand those who see things differently (in this case, the perspectives of #Resisters), then it's worthwhile to at least skim through this book.
That being said, I read this book in order to better understand one of those strange worlds I don’t live in: A Marxist world where everything about society can be sliced apart into micro-categories of oppression and privilege; where the 2016 election was this valiant battle of good and evil in the form of women’s empowerment vs. misogyny; where those who disliked Hillary Clinton largely did so for sexist reasons; where Clinton represented all that was new and progressive and forward-moving, and Trump represented all that was old and familiar and backwards (where I believe a solid argument can be made for the inverse); where Trump was elected largely by racists who were bitter over having a black man in the White House for eight years (when the data shows that many people who voted for Trump also voted for Obama); where Clinton’s defeat was a soul-crushing, tragic, even traumatizing affront for women in this country; etc., etc.
Reading this book certainly didn’t draw me into that world, though of course that wasn’t the intention at all—it’s a preach-to-the-choir type book that’s intended to pump up the #Resist activist crowd. As such, I spent much of the book either shaking or scratching my head, but I can say that it helped me to understand its audience a little bit better.
Furthermore, there were a few essays in here that, while I might not have 100% agreed with them, I found thought-provoking, memorable, and well-crafted. They are as follows:
• Advice to Grace in Ghana by Jill Filipovic: A potent reminder of how ideologically-driven policies can have damaging ripple effects on the lives of everyday people.
• Is There Ever a Right Time to Talk to Your Children About Fascism? by Kera Bolonik: This was just so cute, despite the dark subject matter.
• Country Crock by Samantha Irby: A pretty funny and overall enjoyable-to-read essay, which is, again, in spite of the dark subject matter. This writer did an excellent job handling a serious topic with a digestible dose of humor. (Although I have to add, I got rather angry when she referred to conservative blacks as “self-hating.” Can you not? Ughhhh)
• Refusing to Numb the Pain by Sarah Hepola: Just an overall well-written piece. I also appreciated the graceful, humanizing way this writer thinks about people who have differing political views from her. We could all use more of that perspective.
• The Pathology of Donald Trump by Sady Doyle: An EXCELLENT essay, easily the best part of the book, about why we should stop equating “mentally ill” with “evil.” Also, it helped me understand why the 2016 election was so distressing for a lot of people: Some of Trump’s behavior resembles that of an abuser, and for people who have been subject to certain kinds of abuse, it’s been deeply disturbing to see those patterns in the most powerful political leader on Earth. Fair enough.
• Nasty Native Women by Mary Kathryn Nagle: I learned some history about Native sovereignty, the court + executive decisions over the last two centuries that have undermined it, and the way these decisions have made Native people more vulnerable to abuse and criminal behavior from non-Native predators. I think it’s important for more Americans to understand this.
• All-American by Nicole Chung: A beautifully-crafted story about one woman's experiences as an adopted child who was, consequently, the only POC in an all-white family, and how she navigated political differences with her family as an adult.
tl;dr If you don't subscribe to a certain political framework, you won't connect with much of this book. However, it still has some gems. And if you (like me) like to read outside your own worldview, and are interested in learning from/coming to better understand those who see things differently (in this case, the perspectives of #Resisters), then it's worthwhile to at least skim through this book.
Exceptionally Well Put Together Anthology
I read this for the PopSugar Challenge 2020
Prompt 11: An Anthology
This anthology is so wonderfully put together. Not every essay is one that I agreed with which is why I loved it so much. It has pushed me to explore my own feminist perceptions and ideals. It was exceptionally heartbreaking to read this week, the week of Super Tuesday during the 2020 election cycle while watching Elizabeth Warren drop out of the Presidential race. But it’s well worth the read if you are willing to get uncomfortable.
I read this for the PopSugar Challenge 2020
Prompt 11: An Anthology
This anthology is so wonderfully put together. Not every essay is one that I agreed with which is why I loved it so much. It has pushed me to explore my own feminist perceptions and ideals. It was exceptionally heartbreaking to read this week, the week of Super Tuesday during the 2020 election cycle while watching Elizabeth Warren drop out of the Presidential race. But it’s well worth the read if you are willing to get uncomfortable.
I received an eGalley of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
"Nasty Woman" became a feminist rallying cry brought about after (and during) the Third Presidential Debate of 2016. It's bold, angry, and kind of fun. But on Election Night, many women watched in horror and heartbreak as DJT was elected President and they feared what this new administration meant for them. NASTY WOMEN is a chorus of diverse voices and experiences: Immigrant, native, women with disabilities, queer and trans women, all with various ethnicities and religious adherence. No issue is unrelated in feminism, and the reflections of each writer address the multitude of causes worthy of our time. By the last page, one thing is clear: We need a multifaceted, intersectional, INCLUSIVE feminist movement, and all hands are on deck to resist further damage to our democracy.
"Nasty Woman" became a feminist rallying cry brought about after (and during) the Third Presidential Debate of 2016. It's bold, angry, and kind of fun. But on Election Night, many women watched in horror and heartbreak as DJT was elected President and they feared what this new administration meant for them. NASTY WOMEN is a chorus of diverse voices and experiences: Immigrant, native, women with disabilities, queer and trans women, all with various ethnicities and religious adherence. No issue is unrelated in feminism, and the reflections of each writer address the multitude of causes worthy of our time. By the last page, one thing is clear: We need a multifaceted, intersectional, INCLUSIVE feminist movement, and all hands are on deck to resist further damage to our democracy.
It was really interesting to get so many perspectives from so many different women. Throughout the essays, some points of view seemed to butt heads, but all had the same underlying message.