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booksjessreads's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
2.0
This book grapples with some concepts of feminism, interlaced with experiences and stories from Chimamanda's Nigerian upbringing which adds depth to her piece. I feel this book is suitable for someone who needs introducing to the idea of feminism, as I did feel that I was quite familiar with the topics talked about through my own reading.
I liked some of the quotes that came out of this book also:
"I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femaleness and my femininity. And I want to be respected in all my femaleness because I deserve to be." - I embrace this quite fully and has been a sentence that has summed up my journey to being unapologetically myself.
"I am angry. We should all be angry. Anger has a long history of bringing about positive change."
Whilst I know this book was based off a TedX talk which is why the book/essay is so short, I wanted more. I felt I was left short-changed of some important themes. I felt there was an absence of class discussion, as well as LGBT intersectionality (I later found out she sides with Rowling on the trans debate and so this will perhaps explain why???) These issues are pertinent and the absence of these issues and in fact, the emphasis on heteronormative, cisgendered language, just didn't sit right with me.
I wanted more from the book. I wanted a deeper discussion. The title 'We Should All Be Feminists' suggests to me a bullet-point list of the injustices in society and how feminism need to embrace all of these under its wing. I wanted this to explore the ideas of Lorde and Angelou, I wanted to see how we are not all free until everyone is free. This includes every single group that is not an able-bodied, cisgendered, heteronormative white male. The disappointment I faced was quite a lot. I wanted so much more.
However, this doesn't mean that the book isn't useful. If you need an introduction to 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 social issues and injustices, then it is a good start for sure. But learn to branch out, learn to challenge yourself and your biases. Strive to learn more.
I liked some of the quotes that came out of this book also:
"I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femaleness and my femininity. And I want to be respected in all my femaleness because I deserve to be." - I embrace this quite fully and has been a sentence that has summed up my journey to being unapologetically myself.
"I am angry. We should all be angry. Anger has a long history of bringing about positive change."
Whilst I know this book was based off a TedX talk which is why the book/essay is so short, I wanted more. I felt I was left short-changed of some important themes. I felt there was an absence of class discussion, as well as LGBT intersectionality (I later found out she sides with Rowling on the trans debate and so this will perhaps explain why???) These issues are pertinent and the absence of these issues and in fact, the emphasis on heteronormative, cisgendered language, just didn't sit right with me.
I wanted more from the book. I wanted a deeper discussion. The title 'We Should All Be Feminists' suggests to me a bullet-point list of the injustices in society and how feminism need to embrace all of these under its wing. I wanted this to explore the ideas of Lorde and Angelou, I wanted to see how we are not all free until everyone is free. This includes every single group that is not an able-bodied, cisgendered, heteronormative white male. The disappointment I faced was quite a lot. I wanted so much more.
However, this doesn't mean that the book isn't useful. If you need an introduction to 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 social issues and injustices, then it is a good start for sure. But learn to branch out, learn to challenge yourself and your biases. Strive to learn more.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism and Transphobia
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