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4.41 AVERAGE
4.41 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
medium-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
I read this book as part of Emma Watson's feminist bookclub, Our Shared Shelf and I know I am late to the game as this book was chosen for November and December 2018 (shame on me, shame on my cow) but I didn't manage to read this earlier. For me personally it was a very exhausting read: I got angry and resigned in one go. I am not a fan of non-fiction books because they oftentimes lack a sort of narrative that keeps me interested.
In "Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger" Rebecca Traister, an American author and journalist, writes about feminism, #metoo, and in general female anger. She covers not only today's political situation but incorporates a sort of history of women's anger.
However, even though I really liked parts of the book (it was incredibly informative) it lacked an inherent structure and there were too many persons mentioned that I, as a European reader with her fair share of knowledge about American politics etc., did not know. I got confused by all the names and the narrative was sort of lost to me then.
As a feminist, reading hundreds of pages about the struggles of women made me feel a sort of futility. What can we do, as women, to change things? If I'm angry, nobody will listen. If I cry, nobody will listen. If I am harassed, nobody will listen. Even though #metoo changed things, it did not solve any of the underlying problems. This book didn't offer any advice either...
"For women, both poles are toxic: to be fearsome is to be vilified and unpalatable, unnatural and monstrous. To be adorable is to be unserious and incompetent. The strategic problem for women is that the work to balance both poles is delicate and precarious: As it turns out, for men, a little warmth goes a long way. For women, a little strength goes way too far." (66)
If you like non-fiction books, are interested and already well informed in connection to American politics and you are interested in feminism, this book might be for you. It wasn't really the book for me though. 3 Stars because it took me ages to finish.
In "Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger" Rebecca Traister, an American author and journalist, writes about feminism, #metoo, and in general female anger. She covers not only today's political situation but incorporates a sort of history of women's anger.
However, even though I really liked parts of the book (it was incredibly informative) it lacked an inherent structure and there were too many persons mentioned that I, as a European reader with her fair share of knowledge about American politics etc., did not know. I got confused by all the names and the narrative was sort of lost to me then.
As a feminist, reading hundreds of pages about the struggles of women made me feel a sort of futility. What can we do, as women, to change things? If I'm angry, nobody will listen. If I cry, nobody will listen. If I am harassed, nobody will listen. Even though #metoo changed things, it did not solve any of the underlying problems. This book didn't offer any advice either...
"For women, both poles are toxic: to be fearsome is to be vilified and unpalatable, unnatural and monstrous. To be adorable is to be unserious and incompetent. The strategic problem for women is that the work to balance both poles is delicate and precarious: As it turns out, for men, a little warmth goes a long way. For women, a little strength goes way too far." (66)
If you like non-fiction books, are interested and already well informed in connection to American politics and you are interested in feminism, this book might be for you. It wasn't really the book for me though. 3 Stars because it took me ages to finish.
It is both infuriating/igniting and a balm to have validated what I know in my blood and my bones to be true. This book puts in to (accessible and invigorating) words what I have been feeling but have been, up to now, unable to express. Yes, yes, yes ,yes, yes, yes, YES.
It's a bit difficult to assign a star rating to this book. It feels very much like someone had a bunch of pent-up, jumbled thoughts that needed to be let out, which is a fine way to start writing a book -- but then the writing / editing work was terribly rushed. I had this feeling throughout, and it was confirmed plainly by the author in the closing pages. She said she felt the need to publish while the rage was still raw, before it had been blunted by sober hindsight and remade.
In that light, as an outpouring of emotion to capture a moment, the book succeeds wonderfully. It is a lot to pour through, with a lot of anecdotes about more-or-less the same topic and a lot of women doing more-or-less the same thing. This makes reading a bit of a chore, but you know the number of stories reinforces the universality of the experience. Not only a few women were enraged enough to take action; millions were.
The author recounts that people asked, "Is this a moment, or a movement?" While writing the book, she may not have been certain of the outcome, but the 2018 mid-term elections made it obvious that the moment has transformed into a movement that has brought real change. This book does a good job of explaining how it all happened.
In that light, as an outpouring of emotion to capture a moment, the book succeeds wonderfully. It is a lot to pour through, with a lot of anecdotes about more-or-less the same topic and a lot of women doing more-or-less the same thing. This makes reading a bit of a chore, but you know the number of stories reinforces the universality of the experience. Not only a few women were enraged enough to take action; millions were.
The author recounts that people asked, "Is this a moment, or a movement?" While writing the book, she may not have been certain of the outcome, but the 2018 mid-term elections made it obvious that the moment has transformed into a movement that has brought real change. This book does a good job of explaining how it all happened.
How excellent that I end my 2018 reading year with Good and Mad, a fascinating historical overview of revolutionary change driven by women's anger, a thoughtful appraisal and critique of this moment in time (the 2016 election, the women's marches, #metoo), and a passionate commiseration and call to arms for any woman feeling fresh out of fucks these days, no matter how much it alarms and confuses their parents at the dinner table (*ahem*). Please, please read this book. If you want to understand women's anger, if you want to understand your own anger, and if you want to read about how it can change, and has changed, the world.
Thanks, Jenia, for the recommendation. More wine and feminist book readings together, please!
Thanks, Jenia, for the recommendation. More wine and feminist book readings together, please!
I listened to the audio book which was read by the author and thoroughly enjoyed the content as well as the authors reading style. Hearing about these women’s stories throughout American history including not just the versions I already know but the angrier versions I had never heard. This really helped me to see these women from and entirely different light. It also helps me see myself in a different light. If the greatest change makers of this country were allowed to be angry then maybe so am I.
informative
slow-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Wow. Just wow. This book put into words so many of my own thoughts and feelings that l've long struggled to articulate. And it opened my eyes to the ideas and experiences of others as well. I learned so so much, but I think I missed even more than I learned. There was a lot to take in.
This is the kind of book where when you get to the end you immediately go back to page one and start again.