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A review by jireh
The Mother of All Questions by Rebecca Solnit
5.0
"There is no good answer to how to be a woman; the art may instead lie in how we refuse the question."
Rebecca Solnit's The Mother of All Questions (Further Feminisms) is an incredibly smart and sharply written collection of essays exploring the rampant misogyny and sexism in Western society and how, at around the time the essays were written (2014-2016), the Western world was starting to see radical changes in the form of women protesting and raising awareness of their everyday battles with the patriarchy.
The first grouping of essays talk about silence as a major force in women's oppression. The essay "A Short History of Silence" is probably one of the best essays on feminism I've ever read. It explores the idea that to be rendered voiceless is to be dehumanized, and this silencing is central to women's history. The silencing takes different forms, and even goes so far as to discuss male silencing (how patriarchy also requires silencing of certain aspects of a man's humanity). This silence is constantly being broken, but it requires incessant work to completely break free. Other remarkable essays include "Cassandra Among The Creeps" (laying out the pattern of targeting a woman's credibility to silence her and have her truths dismissed) and "The Short Happy Recent History of the Rape Joke" (the rise of jokes that transfer the shame from the victim to the perpetrator).
In the second set of essays, Rebecca Solnit writes about calling out myths regarding the origins of gender roles, blurring categories in which men and women are pigeonholed in, not allowing for the erasure of the woman, and celebrating their lives and stories, which are breaking through the silence imposed on them. My personal favorite is the "The Case of the Missing Perpetrator", in which she highlights the ways in which men are taken out of the narrative when it comes to violence against women and assault, instead finding other things to blame (ex. women should avoid getting drunk because it may lead to unwanted pregnancy, according to an infographic from the CDC about the dangers of drinking for women, as if it's the alcohol that's causing the unwanted pregnancy/violence/assault).
The main draw for me was Solnit's eloquence- to be able to be succinct, cutting, and clear in the way she expresses her thoughts on subjects that are absolutely enraging if you think about it something I greatly admired (although it may be imperative to point out that she is a highly intelligent white woman, which affords her some degree of privilege that allows her to write thinkpieces like this).
Highly, highly recommend especially for people looking for more feminist texts.
Rebecca Solnit's The Mother of All Questions (Further Feminisms) is an incredibly smart and sharply written collection of essays exploring the rampant misogyny and sexism in Western society and how, at around the time the essays were written (2014-2016), the Western world was starting to see radical changes in the form of women protesting and raising awareness of their everyday battles with the patriarchy.
The first grouping of essays talk about silence as a major force in women's oppression. The essay "A Short History of Silence" is probably one of the best essays on feminism I've ever read. It explores the idea that to be rendered voiceless is to be dehumanized, and this silencing is central to women's history. The silencing takes different forms, and even goes so far as to discuss male silencing (how patriarchy also requires silencing of certain aspects of a man's humanity). This silence is constantly being broken, but it requires incessant work to completely break free. Other remarkable essays include "Cassandra Among The Creeps" (laying out the pattern of targeting a woman's credibility to silence her and have her truths dismissed) and "The Short Happy Recent History of the Rape Joke" (the rise of jokes that transfer the shame from the victim to the perpetrator).
In the second set of essays, Rebecca Solnit writes about calling out myths regarding the origins of gender roles, blurring categories in which men and women are pigeonholed in, not allowing for the erasure of the woman, and celebrating their lives and stories, which are breaking through the silence imposed on them. My personal favorite is the "The Case of the Missing Perpetrator", in which she highlights the ways in which men are taken out of the narrative when it comes to violence against women and assault, instead finding other things to blame (ex. women should avoid getting drunk because it may lead to unwanted pregnancy, according to an infographic from the CDC about the dangers of drinking for women, as if it's the alcohol that's causing the unwanted pregnancy/violence/assault).
The main draw for me was Solnit's eloquence- to be able to be succinct, cutting, and clear in the way she expresses her thoughts on subjects that are absolutely enraging if you think about it something I greatly admired (although it may be imperative to point out that she is a highly intelligent white woman, which affords her some degree of privilege that allows her to write thinkpieces like this).
Highly, highly recommend especially for people looking for more feminist texts.