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juliarziegler's review against another edition
5.0
fucking brilliant thinker and person. put words to things i’d notice and understood but didn’t have the language to really call out. helped me reshape what my commitment to feminism means to me and how i want to proceed with incorporating feminist activism in my life. everyone should read. literally everyone.
deirdre16's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
2.0
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Do you know how lucky you have to be to win a giveaway? The fact that I didn’t like it is a tragedy.
The anchor of this book is that most mainstream feminist rhetoric has been hijacked by white feminism. White feminism is feminism that lacks intersectionality, that is, it’s feminism that primarily centers cisgender heterosexual white women of a certain tax bracket. Note, trans and queer individuals absolutely do still perpetuate this because the operative word here is white. It’s about the privilege whiteness affords you regardless of disparate factors.
Feminism is not one size fits all and valuing gender over race or not seeing the way race intersects with feminism allows for gaps when fighting for the rights of marginalized groups. Everything that affects women on a systemic scale is a feminist issue. Period.
White feminism is extremely limiting in what it cares about because the purpose is to uplift white women to the coveted status of white men rather than ensure equality for all. It's primarily motivated by what is immediately significant to white women which obviously skews the movement because their wants are prioritized over legitimate needs. This book seeks to explore why it’s so important for feminism to be varied.
Ironically my chief complaint is that this book is too broad.
I have this problem with a lot of nonfiction. There are unnecessary divisions to the subjects resulting in chapters where it feels like the author is grasping at straws because the point being made is too small to actually justify getting an entire chapter. From what I can see it seems to stem from an aversion to having books with fewer chapters. I’m not sure if it’s a publisher or author thing or if there are industry reasons for it. Nevertheless, it’s annoyingly common.
Chapter 6 is about beauty standards. Black women are held to white ideas of attractiveness. Adhering to these ideas as a means of getting ahead may help you individually, but conformity means perpetuating these harmful values to the masses. On the other hand women who do fit in will never be equal to that of a white woman anyways so why even try? On the other other hand, by virtue of their race Black women will always run the risk of being exoticized or fetishized because those same features revered on a white woman are viewed differently on a Black woman. So regardless of what avenue is chosen Black women can’t win for losing.
Chapter 7 is about how it’s a myth that Black people don’t get eating disorders which easily could have folded into chapter 6 since much of disordered eating is about the painful dissonance between how a person perceives themselves vs how the world perceives them. That’s literally everyday life for the Black woman. Additionally the bulk of the chapter ends up reverting to a discussion of how eating disorders fit into the framework of beauty aesthetics so why not combine the chapters?
Chapter 11 and 12 both talk about how white women make decisions based on their own self interest. The difference is that 11 is supposed to be about how white women use their power to make harmful decisions regarding minorities and 12 is supposed to be about how white women use their power to make harmful decisions in politics - pedantry at its finest. Justice Kavanaugh is used as an example for both chapters, a particularity that further conveys how unjustified the demarcation of chapters is.
The outcome is that the book becomes repetitive and unsubstantial. Half the book would be better suited as subsections. Each chapter posits a statement then it goes onto abandon the specific point and extrapolate on a bunch of things that are only generally related to it instead of fleshing out the initial concept. It’s all fluff to fill pages. It’s not like what Kendall is saying should be disregarded completely. It’s that she rests on generalizations too often and doesn’t provide enough specific evidence to support her conclusions.
Chapter 9 is literally just 10 pages and almost 4 are Kendall dictating her own backstory not even asserting anything. This problem persists in several chapters. Using your own experiences as a jumping off point is perfectly fine. I dislike when a book relies heavily on this writing device when it’s not made expressly clear the book is intended to be somewhat autobiographical. The synopsis makes no mention of Kendall’s background being so much of a foundation. Compare it to the synopsis for another nonfiction Black book I read Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen where it is outright stated Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler will be using her personal story when relevant. The broader criticism here is that the book does not have enough statistics or outside perspectives.
The chapter also tells half of the story in an obvious bid to lead the reader to a certain conclusion. Chapter 9 asserts that it's easier to push the narrative that Black people hate smart people or those who excel among us because it puts the onus back on Black people to shape up rather than the world at large. It ignores the counter argument that there are absolutely Black people who do not wish for you to succeed. I am Black and I have seen it happen and I have no idea why it’s so prevalent. Kendall does not acknowledge this at all. While I understand the book is trying to show Black people in a positive light and combat flawed misconceptions rooted in stereotypes it comes off as manipulative to not engage in the conversation in its entirety because it might cause people to disagree if given more information. It wouldn’t undercut the point to show that she’s thoroughly looked at her argument from all sides.
Those who find the negatives as a reason to rationalize racism were looking for an excuse to discount the facts anyways. Those who are truly committed to the cause will not throw a salient point away because they will understand it’s a complex issue. And I’m willing to admit I could be wrong here, and the crabs in a bucket mentality amongst Black people is a sign of my own internalization of white supremacist conditioning. But, I can’t know for sure when Kendall does not provide any proof by way of studies or research.
In chapter 10, Kendall covers how women of color are infinitely more likely to go missing and be killed without finding the people/person responsible because women of color are targeted purposely for being valued less by society. Kendall talks about how some women in India and Kenya have done a better job of fighting against gender based violence than we have in the purportedly more progressive/developed west yet she doesn't indicate any actionable steps to follow in their stead. The best we get is a vague 'they band together'.
A weird thing I want to note is that Mikki Kendall does not mention until the last chapter of the book, her ex-husband is white. Her ex husband being white offers a very interesting insight into some of her proclamations in this book as she has been privy firsthand to the machinations of malicious white men. Him being white recontextualizes several different aspects of her anecdotes. It's strange that she never considered the relevance of his race to her situation up until the chapter in regards to parenting. It’d be different if she never brought him up at all as that would be her prerogative to not share all parts of her life. However, she brings him up a few times meaning she does feel comfortable talking about him. Plus, if she was going to disclose it eventually anyways why wait so long?
I could go on, I took extensive notes. I won’t though or I’d run up against the Goodreads character limit. I may have given the impression the book is a wash, it’s not. Paying special attention to the aspects of feminism typically ignored is essential to pushing the feminist movement forward. Gun violence, food insecurity, hypersexualization, respectability politics, double consciousness, carceral solutions versus restorative justice are just a handful of the things feminism should be more informed and/or concerned with. The first seven chapters do a great job emphasizing the significance in broadening the scope of feminism in order to continue evolving.
To be fair my enjoyment was hindered by this being more entry level feminist literature. I’ve come far enough in my journey such books are more confirmation bias than anything. They offer some benefit because of phrasing or testimonials or unique analysis by the author, but it’s not the same as going in blind. If it weren’t so long I might have rated this 3 stars as I can’t hold my personal preferences against it. The length is part of what makes it so tedious to get through.
If you’re looking for a really good Black nonfiction book about combating white supremacy I’d recommend The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto. It isn’t centered on feminism, but it’s a much better call to action for Black people in general.
The anchor of this book is that most mainstream feminist rhetoric has been hijacked by white feminism. White feminism is feminism that lacks intersectionality, that is, it’s feminism that primarily centers cisgender heterosexual white women of a certain tax bracket. Note, trans and queer individuals absolutely do still perpetuate this because the operative word here is white. It’s about the privilege whiteness affords you regardless of disparate factors.
Feminism is not one size fits all and valuing gender over race or not seeing the way race intersects with feminism allows for gaps when fighting for the rights of marginalized groups. Everything that affects women on a systemic scale is a feminist issue. Period.
White feminism is extremely limiting in what it cares about because the purpose is to uplift white women to the coveted status of white men rather than ensure equality for all. It's primarily motivated by what is immediately significant to white women which obviously skews the movement because their wants are prioritized over legitimate needs. This book seeks to explore why it’s so important for feminism to be varied.
Ironically my chief complaint is that this book is too broad.
I have this problem with a lot of nonfiction. There are unnecessary divisions to the subjects resulting in chapters where it feels like the author is grasping at straws because the point being made is too small to actually justify getting an entire chapter. From what I can see it seems to stem from an aversion to having books with fewer chapters. I’m not sure if it’s a publisher or author thing or if there are industry reasons for it. Nevertheless, it’s annoyingly common.
Chapter 6 is about beauty standards. Black women are held to white ideas of attractiveness. Adhering to these ideas as a means of getting ahead may help you individually, but conformity means perpetuating these harmful values to the masses. On the other hand women who do fit in will never be equal to that of a white woman anyways so why even try? On the other other hand, by virtue of their race Black women will always run the risk of being exoticized or fetishized because those same features revered on a white woman are viewed differently on a Black woman. So regardless of what avenue is chosen Black women can’t win for losing.
Chapter 7 is about how it’s a myth that Black people don’t get eating disorders which easily could have folded into chapter 6 since much of disordered eating is about the painful dissonance between how a person perceives themselves vs how the world perceives them. That’s literally everyday life for the Black woman. Additionally the bulk of the chapter ends up reverting to a discussion of how eating disorders fit into the framework of beauty aesthetics so why not combine the chapters?
Chapter 11 and 12 both talk about how white women make decisions based on their own self interest. The difference is that 11 is supposed to be about how white women use their power to make harmful decisions regarding minorities and 12 is supposed to be about how white women use their power to make harmful decisions in politics - pedantry at its finest. Justice Kavanaugh is used as an example for both chapters, a particularity that further conveys how unjustified the demarcation of chapters is.
The outcome is that the book becomes repetitive and unsubstantial. Half the book would be better suited as subsections. Each chapter posits a statement then it goes onto abandon the specific point and extrapolate on a bunch of things that are only generally related to it instead of fleshing out the initial concept. It’s all fluff to fill pages. It’s not like what Kendall is saying should be disregarded completely. It’s that she rests on generalizations too often and doesn’t provide enough specific evidence to support her conclusions.
Chapter 9 is literally just 10 pages and almost 4 are Kendall dictating her own backstory not even asserting anything. This problem persists in several chapters. Using your own experiences as a jumping off point is perfectly fine. I dislike when a book relies heavily on this writing device when it’s not made expressly clear the book is intended to be somewhat autobiographical. The synopsis makes no mention of Kendall’s background being so much of a foundation. Compare it to the synopsis for another nonfiction Black book I read Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen where it is outright stated Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler will be using her personal story when relevant. The broader criticism here is that the book does not have enough statistics or outside perspectives.
The chapter also tells half of the story in an obvious bid to lead the reader to a certain conclusion. Chapter 9 asserts that it's easier to push the narrative that Black people hate smart people or those who excel among us because it puts the onus back on Black people to shape up rather than the world at large. It ignores the counter argument that there are absolutely Black people who do not wish for you to succeed. I am Black and I have seen it happen and I have no idea why it’s so prevalent. Kendall does not acknowledge this at all. While I understand the book is trying to show Black people in a positive light and combat flawed misconceptions rooted in stereotypes it comes off as manipulative to not engage in the conversation in its entirety because it might cause people to disagree if given more information. It wouldn’t undercut the point to show that she’s thoroughly looked at her argument from all sides.
Those who find the negatives as a reason to rationalize racism were looking for an excuse to discount the facts anyways. Those who are truly committed to the cause will not throw a salient point away because they will understand it’s a complex issue. And I’m willing to admit I could be wrong here, and the crabs in a bucket mentality amongst Black people is a sign of my own internalization of white supremacist conditioning. But, I can’t know for sure when Kendall does not provide any proof by way of studies or research.
In chapter 10, Kendall covers how women of color are infinitely more likely to go missing and be killed without finding the people/person responsible because women of color are targeted purposely for being valued less by society. Kendall talks about how some women in India and Kenya have done a better job of fighting against gender based violence than we have in the purportedly more progressive/developed west yet she doesn't indicate any actionable steps to follow in their stead. The best we get is a vague 'they band together'.
A weird thing I want to note is that Mikki Kendall does not mention until the last chapter of the book, her ex-husband is white. Her ex husband being white offers a very interesting insight into some of her proclamations in this book as she has been privy firsthand to the machinations of malicious white men. Him being white recontextualizes several different aspects of her anecdotes. It's strange that she never considered the relevance of his race to her situation up until the chapter in regards to parenting. It’d be different if she never brought him up at all as that would be her prerogative to not share all parts of her life. However, she brings him up a few times meaning she does feel comfortable talking about him. Plus, if she was going to disclose it eventually anyways why wait so long?
I could go on, I took extensive notes. I won’t though or I’d run up against the Goodreads character limit. I may have given the impression the book is a wash, it’s not. Paying special attention to the aspects of feminism typically ignored is essential to pushing the feminist movement forward. Gun violence, food insecurity, hypersexualization, respectability politics, double consciousness, carceral solutions versus restorative justice are just a handful of the things feminism should be more informed and/or concerned with. The first seven chapters do a great job emphasizing the significance in broadening the scope of feminism in order to continue evolving.
To be fair my enjoyment was hindered by this being more entry level feminist literature. I’ve come far enough in my journey such books are more confirmation bias than anything. They offer some benefit because of phrasing or testimonials or unique analysis by the author, but it’s not the same as going in blind. If it weren’t so long I might have rated this 3 stars as I can’t hold my personal preferences against it. The length is part of what makes it so tedious to get through.
If you’re looking for a really good Black nonfiction book about combating white supremacy I’d recommend The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto. It isn’t centered on feminism, but it’s a much better call to action for Black people in general.
ccaitlinranae's review against another edition
i don’t rate nonfiction i but would highly recommend