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4.15k reviews for:
Men Who Hate Women: From incels to pickup artists, the truth about extreme misogyny and how it affects us all
Laura Bates
4.34 AVERAGE
4.15k reviews for:
Men Who Hate Women: From incels to pickup artists, the truth about extreme misogyny and how it affects us all
Laura Bates
4.34 AVERAGE
If you are a terminally online person, or already know the terms "Manosphere," "incel," or the connotations behind the phrase "men's rights," then you won't find too much new in this book (the author does define what Reddit is and what trolling means for the people in the back), but as an introductory guide to those concepts and the very real threat they pose to society at large and women in specific, this is a really good place to start.
Of course, internet discourse and language changes so quickly that parts of this book is already a little outdated but seeing as it generally serves as an overview and history of the various manosphere subgroups, I found it quite comprehensive. But man, this one is rough to get through. Bates' commitment to not censoring the hate speech she has personally received and seen online is admirable and makes the book's message hit that much harder, but it's also depressing. Seeing as this was written before Donald Trump's second term, there is an element of dread that comes from reading this in a meta sense. But just because a topic is difficult, doesn't mean it shouldn't be engaged with, nor should it discourage finding ways to solve it. In that regard, I applaud the empathy Bates routinely shows throughout this book, both in understanding of how easy these manosphere traps are to fall into (and as a man who grew up in the Internet age, I've seen that myself) but also has a strong shield against the inevitable criticism this book has and will continue to receive.
My only complaint, and I think it's a relatively minor one, is that I wish a chapter had been dedicated to "Women Who Hate Women," because while the manosphere is ultimately supporting a tyrannically patriarchal worldview, Bates does a good job of showing how that world view ultimately hurts men and women alike. Similarly, that would've been nicely contrasted with the women who've bought into manosphere-centric ideology, though to be fair "trad-wives" and other similar ideas didn't become a strong idea until after this book's publishing date.
In short, a great introduction and refresher, but if you're already actively aware of this ideology and the threat it poses, you won't find much new save for a well-done summary of the issue.
Of course, internet discourse and language changes so quickly that parts of this book is already a little outdated but seeing as it generally serves as an overview and history of the various manosphere subgroups, I found it quite comprehensive. But man, this one is rough to get through. Bates' commitment to not censoring the hate speech she has personally received and seen online is admirable and makes the book's message hit that much harder, but it's also depressing. Seeing as this was written before Donald Trump's second term, there is an element of dread that comes from reading this in a meta sense. But just because a topic is difficult, doesn't mean it shouldn't be engaged with, nor should it discourage finding ways to solve it. In that regard, I applaud the empathy Bates routinely shows throughout this book, both in understanding of how easy these manosphere traps are to fall into (and as a man who grew up in the Internet age, I've seen that myself) but also has a strong shield against the inevitable criticism this book has and will continue to receive.
My only complaint, and I think it's a relatively minor one, is that I wish a chapter had been dedicated to "Women Who Hate Women," because while the manosphere is ultimately supporting a tyrannically patriarchal worldview, Bates does a good job of showing how that world view ultimately hurts men and women alike. Similarly, that would've been nicely contrasted with the women who've bought into manosphere-centric ideology, though to be fair "trad-wives" and other similar ideas didn't become a strong idea until after this book's publishing date.
In short, a great introduction and refresher, but if you're already actively aware of this ideology and the threat it poses, you won't find much new save for a well-done summary of the issue.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
slow-paced
i really enjoyed the parts when the author talked about the work they did at schools and with young people!! the name dropping was a bit too much for someone who’s neither from the us or the uk but damn this was informative
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
dark
reflective
sad
challenging
informative
tense
This took me a very long time to read, there is never a good time to read this book and it is sadly the most depressing book I have ever read. Perhaps more hard hitting and shocking when listening as an audio book. I really admire Laura for taking the time to research and write this book. It was draining and incredibly shocking and concerning to read it, so I can't imagine just how hard it was to write. But I am so glad she did. This stuff needs to be talked about more often and the manosphere and all the horrific and insidious parts of it need to be uncovered for what they are. A must read but by no means an easy one.
challenging
emotional
this book is full of important stuff, i’ve never seen anything cover online misogyny so comprehensively but like,,, reading it was honestly pretty harrowing