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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
A collection of thoughtful, intelligent essays that look at what it means to work as a woman writer, a geek, and a feminist in today's culture, with a particular focus on the Internet and social media. What I particularly enjoyed was that Hurley manages to be angry without ranting, and to point out systemic issues of sexism (and racism and other -isms) in society that we might not ordinarily notice because they are so much a part of our daily narrative since childhood. Plus she does it without making you feel stupid for not seeing it first, which is an accomplishment. There's some minor repetition of explanations, but that's natural in any collection of this kind where many of the essays were previously published elsewhere as stand-alone works. I'd recommend this for anyone who spends a fair amount of time in online circles, even if they don't consider themselves a geek and/or a feminist, and doubly if they do.
'Tea, Bodies, and Business: Remaking the Hero Archetype' was probably my favourite essay:
'We are so often limited by our own expectations of stories, by the stories that came before, by the heroes who came before…How is it we can bear to live with ourselves, as readers and storytellers, if we swallow those limitations without questioning them?
I like to challenge the expectations of story. I like the challenge the way I was taught language. I like to tear it down and remake it, because I see, so often, that what I was served up on a plate was, so often, in service to someone else’s narrative, to someone else’s wish for what the world would be – a world that did not include me, or people like me, a world that pretended we never existed at all. That’s not my world. And it’s not the world I write about. When our heroes are broken, it’s up to us to remake them.'
I'd also recommend 'Taking Responsibility for Writing Problematic Stories' and 'Unpacking the 'Real Writers Have Talent' Myth' to anyone interested in writing.
'We are so often limited by our own expectations of stories, by the stories that came before, by the heroes who came before…How is it we can bear to live with ourselves, as readers and storytellers, if we swallow those limitations without questioning them?
I like to challenge the expectations of story. I like the challenge the way I was taught language. I like to tear it down and remake it, because I see, so often, that what I was served up on a plate was, so often, in service to someone else’s narrative, to someone else’s wish for what the world would be – a world that did not include me, or people like me, a world that pretended we never existed at all. That’s not my world. And it’s not the world I write about. When our heroes are broken, it’s up to us to remake them.'
I'd also recommend 'Taking Responsibility for Writing Problematic Stories' and 'Unpacking the 'Real Writers Have Talent' Myth' to anyone interested in writing.
Hurley has a powerful voice and I learned allot from her.
Even though the Geek Feminist Revolution was published in 2015 and predates the Trump presidency and the Me Too movement, she already discusses the underlying issues that have now become more pronounced.
I'm now going to look for more recent essays by Kameron Hurley.
Even though the Geek Feminist Revolution was published in 2015 and predates the Trump presidency and the Me Too movement, she already discusses the underlying issues that have now become more pronounced.
I'm now going to look for more recent essays by Kameron Hurley.
This was really good. The author struck a great balance between social commentary, pop culture analysis, and personal stories and experiences. I think most people could find at least one of her essays that makes them go "Yeah!"
I did disagree on the author's statements about ignoring trolls. While generally I think that's good advice, I don't think it's fair to compare having hundreds or thousands of people targeting you with graphic descriptions of violence to living through Nazi occupied France. Both are horrible. Just because something isn't as bad as Nazi occupied France, doesn't make it not horrible in its own right.
I'd also be curious if the author changed any of her thoughts after the election of Trump. The chapter where she talks about no more Americans having to live through what she did in order to try and keep her health insurance was super uncomfortable, because it's something that could definitely happen again, and soon.
All in all, a great read for anyone who's geeky and wants to fight the patriarchy.
I did disagree on the author's statements about ignoring trolls. While generally I think that's good advice, I don't think it's fair to compare having hundreds or thousands of people targeting you with graphic descriptions of violence to living through Nazi occupied France. Both are horrible. Just because something isn't as bad as Nazi occupied France, doesn't make it not horrible in its own right.
I'd also be curious if the author changed any of her thoughts after the election of Trump. The chapter where she talks about no more Americans having to live through what she did in order to try and keep her health insurance was super uncomfortable, because it's something that could definitely happen again, and soon.
All in all, a great read for anyone who's geeky and wants to fight the patriarchy.
A bit uneven, the middle section titled 'Geek' was most enjoyable for me, that would be probably 5 stars and I would highly recommend. The beginning is about making a living as a writer, and the second to last more about her life, which was interesting at first but repetitive after she hit some of the same points in every essay. But the end section was fairly good, and I enjoyed the whole thing overall, lots of good, blood-boiling feminist propaganda!
I didn't love this. I adored it. I read it slowly, savored every essay, revisited most---this was awesome. If you are a woman writer, or a woman geek, you need to read this. If you are a woman. Or a writer. Or a geek. Or, well, heck, just read it.
The Geek Feminist Revolution is an interesting and engaging collection of essays. Sadly, however, the collection does feel repetitious at times - stemming from the fact that many of the pieces found herein are taken from Hurley's various independent blog posts - but the repetition is sometimes needed to hammer home a point.
Due to the repetitive nature of this collection, it might best be read over the course of a few weeks than downed in a couple of days as I did.
Due to the repetitive nature of this collection, it might best be read over the course of a few weeks than downed in a couple of days as I did.
How do I explain this rating? This is by no means a bad book, not at all. The writing is just fine and the ideas she presents are inherently great as well. I had, however, heard them before.
So, there were few ideas Hurley discussed that were new to me. Besides that, the essays are quite short, and I felt she often only touched the surface of what she wanted to talk about.
I think this book would, however, be a great introduction to topics such as geek culture, gender, or the Internet in general (read: Twitter); in that case you may find lots of interesting stuff in here.
Secondly, I found the topics of the essays to be quite repetitive. It's not a good sign that I only highlighted the introduction, which I thought was great. In hindsight, she recapped all her essays perfectly in the introduction. I like people to get to the point, which Hurley did in the introduction, but in the essays themselves I felt she didn't.
Don't get me wrong, I did learn some new stuff. I'd never before heard of Gamergate and Sad Puppies (who are really just... sad). I also found Hurleys essay on the American health care system extremely shocking. I knew it used to be very bad, but I didn't know it was that bad.
Some other essays I thought were interesting: "Tea, Bodies, and Business: Remaking the Hero Archetype", "In Defense of Unlikeable Women", and "Giving Up the Sky".
So, there were few ideas Hurley discussed that were new to me. Besides that, the essays are quite short, and I felt she often only touched the surface of what she wanted to talk about.
I think this book would, however, be a great introduction to topics such as geek culture, gender, or the Internet in general (read: Twitter); in that case you may find lots of interesting stuff in here.
Secondly, I found the topics of the essays to be quite repetitive. It's not a good sign that I only highlighted the introduction, which I thought was great. In hindsight, she recapped all her essays perfectly in the introduction. I like people to get to the point, which Hurley did in the introduction, but in the essays themselves I felt she didn't.
Don't get me wrong, I did learn some new stuff. I'd never before heard of Gamergate and Sad Puppies (who are really just... sad). I also found Hurleys essay on the American health care system extremely shocking. I knew it used to be very bad, but I didn't know it was that bad.
Some other essays I thought were interesting: "Tea, Bodies, and Business: Remaking the Hero Archetype", "In Defense of Unlikeable Women", and "Giving Up the Sky".