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Unscrewed: Women, Sex, Power, and How to Stop Letting the System Screw Us All by Jaclyn Friedman
sondosia's review against another edition
5.0
I’m absolutely in love with this book (no surprise given that I loved Friedman’s previous two books). This is such a nuanced take on “sex positivity” that takes it way beyond the typical sex-is-awesome cheerleading. Friedman interviews a wide variety of people doing important work, including many women of color (including a Native activist and researcher), sex workers, men promoting healthy masculinity, and trans and queer folks.
I would’ve loved to see more from/about people with disabilities, but overall this is so great.
I would’ve loved to see more from/about people with disabilities, but overall this is so great.
msjones12's review against another edition
5.0
This book was such a sharp analysis of why individual solutions (women's empowerment/faux-powerment) fail to meaningfully address the systemic issues facing women/femmes/female-identifying folks and society at large today (gender violence, women's sexual disatisfaction, economic injustice and inequity etc.). The cultural analysis is deep, smart, historically accurate and thorough and the anecdotes are moving, compelling and diverse. As a Black progressive Christian feminist, I rarely feel like my specific perspective is being addressed; I have to do a lot of interpretive work and application work when I approach any text, but this book spoke to me in a way no other contemporary feminist text has.
mag_e_h's review against another edition
5.0
Jaclyn Friedman introduces us to a cast of dynamic professionals, organizers, educators, and artists that are working to restructure and reframe norms and possibilities regarding power, sex, and gender.
I welcomed the good chunk of time Friedman spent mapping out where often times empowerment is really capitalism in disguise (fauxpowerment, as she calls it). Honing in on the systems rather than individual behaviors, she calls on entire industries to do and be better, recognize nuances, and ask deeper questions.
Inspired by one expert interviewee Sarah Deed, I got my hands on her book The Beginning and End of Rape: Confronting Sexual Violence in Native America, my next read in this topic.
There is no panacea to this structural and cross-sectional dilemma, nor does Friedman give the illusion that she can offer one. She does, however, offer a list of learnings that can act as a framework or guideline for action: give someone the chance to do the right thing, find the Achilles heal of powerful people and institutions, break down goals into small steps, celebrate wins, pitch in where you can. Maybe they’re obvious, but the best advice usually is.
Friedman speaks about her background in feminist blogging, and her writing style shows. The book is approachable, and often feels conversational- which makes consuming stark realities bearable. The conversational tone also allows room for questions. We don’t have all the answers, there’s plenty of room for growth, and she speaks candidly about her own evolvement in thought and action over time.
I did, however, find myself wondering if I’m the choir to which she I singing. What would this book mean to someone who is less inclined to click the articles that lead to its recommendation, borrow it from the library, and sit on the couch with it through the holidays? Serious inquiry.
I welcomed the good chunk of time Friedman spent mapping out where often times empowerment is really capitalism in disguise (fauxpowerment, as she calls it). Honing in on the systems rather than individual behaviors, she calls on entire industries to do and be better, recognize nuances, and ask deeper questions.
Inspired by one expert interviewee Sarah Deed, I got my hands on her book The Beginning and End of Rape: Confronting Sexual Violence in Native America, my next read in this topic.
There is no panacea to this structural and cross-sectional dilemma, nor does Friedman give the illusion that she can offer one. She does, however, offer a list of learnings that can act as a framework or guideline for action: give someone the chance to do the right thing, find the Achilles heal of powerful people and institutions, break down goals into small steps, celebrate wins, pitch in where you can. Maybe they’re obvious, but the best advice usually is.
Friedman speaks about her background in feminist blogging, and her writing style shows. The book is approachable, and often feels conversational- which makes consuming stark realities bearable. The conversational tone also allows room for questions. We don’t have all the answers, there’s plenty of room for growth, and she speaks candidly about her own evolvement in thought and action over time.
I did, however, find myself wondering if I’m the choir to which she I singing. What would this book mean to someone who is less inclined to click the articles that lead to its recommendation, borrow it from the library, and sit on the couch with it through the holidays? Serious inquiry.
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