You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.38 AVERAGE
4.38 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
fast-paced
fast-paced
The basis for the book is good and Adichie’s message is important, but at only 52 pages the discussion feels sadly superficial.
Its origins as a TED Talk are obvious, and to be honest, what’s here doesn’t really justify being published as a standalone book. It could easily have been a blog post or an article.
Considering that, the €10 price tag feels far too high.
Its origins as a TED Talk are obvious, and to be honest, what’s here doesn’t really justify being published as a standalone book. It could easily have been a blog post or an article.
Considering that, the €10 price tag feels far too high.
Read this for my undergraduate paper on Feminism and it really was an eyeopening essay for someone who hates reading anything other than fiction.
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
A few months ago, I started embroidering a t-shirt with he phrase "We should all be feminists" in order to make some stains and a hole disappear and, of course, to carry one of the best and most important feminist messages into the world. It occurred to me then that maybe it was time to actually read the text where the quote comes from.
A few weeks ago I read in a post here on Instagram that Adichie ostensibly said some transphobic things. I was quite surprised by that because Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is supposed to be one of the forethinkers of intersectional feminism. And disappointed that yet another outspoken feminist apparently turned into a TERF and that maybe I should buy her books from now on. So I googled. She said: "When people talk about, ‘Are trans women women?’ my feeling is trans women are trans women."
While I do criticise her statement (why can't she just say "yes"? Don't overthink and overcomplicate a simplified message!), I don't think that she meant to be transphobic. However, it seemed to me that she obviously did not understand the meaning of the phrase "trans women are women" because obviously there are differences between cis women and trans women, both in their experiences and their biology, no one denies that. But that's not the point. When we say "trans women are women" we don't negate that there are some differences, but we accept trans women and their identity. When we fight for our rights as cis women, we fight for their rights just the same. We say "You're one of us". And in today's world that message is so important! It is a simplification of a bigger concept and that concept is at the core of intersectional feminism.
So while I understand why some people interpret her statement as transphobic (because if she can't just say it, she must secretly be transphobic, right?), but I just think that for some reason she doesn't get why it's so important to just be content with a simplified message. So I decided that I can still buy her books, but also I will repeat that trans women are women every time I mention her.
Now back to the really short book. Can you even call it a book? I was surprised by how thin it is. 52 pages. And I paid €9 for that? 😅
I think it has to be read with the mindset of the time it was written in mind. I remember that time, it was not too long ago, but it sure feels like ages. It was a time when people still were afraid of the f word "feminist". Personally, I've always identified as a feminist, but back then I felt kind of alone (and I was still pretty clueless about much). It was a time when people still used something connected to women as an insult (some people still do that, of course, but I think nowadays most people got that being female is not an insult) and we all laughed at the misogynistic jokes on How I Met Your Mother and Scrubs. It was the era of postfeminism but that era was coming to an end and I think Adichie's TED talk was one of the markers of its death.
Reading it now, it holds little more than basic knowledge. It's not even very radical. But we have to remind ourselves that little more than ten years ago, it was all the buzz, it was mindbreaking stuff.
It often feels like we're going backwards as a society, with trad wives and so-called alpha males on the rise, with prevalent transphobia and femicides, with fascism coming back en vogue. But look at how far we've come in the last decade! (Of course this doesn't mean we shouldn't take those threats to our society seriously - they are very serious - but let's not despair and remind ourselves that 15 years ago, we all thought it was the height of fun if a man called another man by a female name and nowadays most of us wouldn't crack a smile at this.)
#weshouldallbefeminists #chimamandangoziadichie #transwomenarewomen #feminism #postfeminism #proudfeminist #transally #smashthepatriarchy #transrightsarehumanrights
A few weeks ago I read in a post here on Instagram that Adichie ostensibly said some transphobic things. I was quite surprised by that because Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is supposed to be one of the forethinkers of intersectional feminism. And disappointed that yet another outspoken feminist apparently turned into a TERF and that maybe I should buy her books from now on. So I googled. She said: "When people talk about, ‘Are trans women women?’ my feeling is trans women are trans women."
While I do criticise her statement (why can't she just say "yes"? Don't overthink and overcomplicate a simplified message!), I don't think that she meant to be transphobic. However, it seemed to me that she obviously did not understand the meaning of the phrase "trans women are women" because obviously there are differences between cis women and trans women, both in their experiences and their biology, no one denies that. But that's not the point. When we say "trans women are women" we don't negate that there are some differences, but we accept trans women and their identity. When we fight for our rights as cis women, we fight for their rights just the same. We say "You're one of us". And in today's world that message is so important! It is a simplification of a bigger concept and that concept is at the core of intersectional feminism.
So while I understand why some people interpret her statement as transphobic (because if she can't just say it, she must secretly be transphobic, right?), but I just think that for some reason she doesn't get why it's so important to just be content with a simplified message. So I decided that I can still buy her books, but also I will repeat that trans women are women every time I mention her.
Now back to the really short book. Can you even call it a book? I was surprised by how thin it is. 52 pages. And I paid €9 for that? 😅
I think it has to be read with the mindset of the time it was written in mind. I remember that time, it was not too long ago, but it sure feels like ages. It was a time when people still were afraid of the f word "feminist". Personally, I've always identified as a feminist, but back then I felt kind of alone (and I was still pretty clueless about much). It was a time when people still used something connected to women as an insult (some people still do that, of course, but I think nowadays most people got that being female is not an insult) and we all laughed at the misogynistic jokes on How I Met Your Mother and Scrubs. It was the era of postfeminism but that era was coming to an end and I think Adichie's TED talk was one of the markers of its death.
Reading it now, it holds little more than basic knowledge. It's not even very radical. But we have to remind ourselves that little more than ten years ago, it was all the buzz, it was mindbreaking stuff.
It often feels like we're going backwards as a society, with trad wives and so-called alpha males on the rise, with prevalent transphobia and femicides, with fascism coming back en vogue. But look at how far we've come in the last decade! (Of course this doesn't mean we shouldn't take those threats to our society seriously - they are very serious - but let's not despair and remind ourselves that 15 years ago, we all thought it was the height of fun if a man called another man by a female name and nowadays most of us wouldn't crack a smile at this.)
#weshouldallbefeminists #chimamandangoziadichie #transwomenarewomen #feminism #postfeminism #proudfeminist #transally #smashthepatriarchy #transrightsarehumanrights
I was watching the Sky Arts book club on TV a few weeks ago, and one of the questions they asked the group was to choose a book that they believed every person should read before they turned 21. One of the guests picked this, and now having read it I completely understand why. In addition to the content which I feel is crucial for both girls and boys to read and understand, it is also short, snappy, and makes you think about gender and the intrinsic beliefs that you were brought up with.
The word “feminist” has to be one of the heaviest words in the English language. Ask 100 people what it means and you will get a myriad of different answers, both good and bad. But to me it is an evolving word, one that changes as the world changes around us, and where we sit in it. But for a young girl, one trying to understand her place in society, and in her community, and the various constraints and obstacles that face her, this book is an excellent guide to understanding what it is to be a woman, and the gender politics that take place across the globe. And likewise for boys to understand how the concepts of masculinity affect their world.
Rather than writing a treatise on theoretical concepts, Chimamanda uses a series of anecdotes to drive her point, and she does this as a storyteller with a very well written and engaging narrative. This is an excellent book, and I cannot recommend it enough.
The word “feminist” has to be one of the heaviest words in the English language. Ask 100 people what it means and you will get a myriad of different answers, both good and bad. But to me it is an evolving word, one that changes as the world changes around us, and where we sit in it. But for a young girl, one trying to understand her place in society, and in her community, and the various constraints and obstacles that face her, this book is an excellent guide to understanding what it is to be a woman, and the gender politics that take place across the globe. And likewise for boys to understand how the concepts of masculinity affect their world.
Rather than writing a treatise on theoretical concepts, Chimamanda uses a series of anecdotes to drive her point, and she does this as a storyteller with a very well written and engaging narrative. This is an excellent book, and I cannot recommend it enough.
Clear and straightforward. It's a quick read that could be a good conversation piece between men and women and our "roles" in societal terms.
reflective
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
very simple, expected more but still a good read especially to anyone who hadn't read any other feminist works
reflective
fast-paced
I thought it would be more insightful or something new. It gave a different perspective on some things, but I’d expected more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism