You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
meghankg 's review for:
I find it difficult to offer a review of Valenti’s book without it quickly turning into a social commentary, so I’ll keep this relatively brief. Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book. Yes, much, if not all, is preaching to the converted (I simply cannot imagine a far right-wing conservative voluntarily picking up this book and having his/her mind changed), but Valenti includes enough specifics, facts and figures to give even those already on her side more information to support his/her opinions. That being said, I found some of the author’s sweeping generalizations and connections a bit difficult, as well as seeing her own confusion on some of these issues shining through in certain chapters (see: “The Porn Connection”). Perhaps if she had been more open and honest about her own confusion I would have cared less, but even upon completing the chapter I found myself still struggling to understand the argument Valenti was attempting to make at times. However, where this book gains nearly all of its strength and impact comes not from the author pushing her opinions and beliefs, but when she takes the opposing side, those she classifies as part of the “Cult of Purity,” and uses their own words and actions to highlight the dangers that such extreme views pose to the very people they profess to be protecting. Additionally, the (all too) short chapter on “Manliness” offers a different perspective on how this “Cult of Female Purity,” that has slowly been pushing its way into Western social norms since the Victorian era, has not only negatively impacted women, but has fundamentally impacted how “men” are expected to act, think and even dress. Overall, I believe that Valenti’s book offers many interesting arguments, but never really offers a clear step toward fixing the problem she has outlined. Even for those who may not subscribe to all of the opinions presented, I believe this is a book worth reading, if only to give yourself a better understanding of an increasingly visible contemporary social problem.