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neni's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
I liked this, but it didn’t blow my mind.
The author is consistent in the structure of her chapters. She always explores both sides of a particular argument, including interview bits and data from several scientists and studies on both sides of the discussion. This is, in principle, a good and noble way to explore a subject, but in practice it made the chapters extremely long, sometimes quite boring and hard to get through. I get that she’s a journalist and this is a non-fiction book that’s supposed to explore the science around women and feminism and all the ideas and principles that have been associated with them throughout history, but there must be a way to structure the information so it is easier to understand and more engaging for the reader. Frequently I found the chapters, while interesting and with lots of relevant and important information, to be super infodumpey. They often felt like a shopping list of arguments and scientists names around a certain topic, instead of a structured narrative meant to make you think about things.
Overall, I liked this and I think it’s an important piece of non fiction to read because it includes a ton of information on subjects that would be hard to read in such detail by oneself. However, I didn’t love the structuring of the book, it could have been more effective and engaging in the way it was organized, and the writing style felt a bit dry (which is partly expected, but not necessary, in a non fiction book).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
Minor: Infertility, Suicide, Domestic abuse, and Abortion
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