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A review by whatcourtneyreads
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
5.0
I read this teeny book-length essay (essay-length book?) after seeing it around for ages and for some reason never picking it up. The audiobook is read by the author, who has a truly beautiful reading voice and I could honestly listen to her read a shopping list.
The content was fairly entry-level feminism for those who are already well read, but I really enjoyed the intersectional lens and discussions of systems and levels of oppression, and the anecdotes of personal experiences in Adichie’s country of origin Nigeria as well as USA.
There was a really great passage about the cultural shift over time in what we consider necessary leadership qualities, and how that has fed male dominance and our patriarchal society. Early humans valued physical strength, which the men could provide, whereas now we value characteristics such as intelligence, which can be equally provided by a female leader.
There were so many poignant statements and beautifully-worded paragraphs, I found this book packed a really big punch for its small size. I want to end this review on a quote that really stayed with me, because of its truth and also how it was worded:
“Masculinity is a hard, small cage, and we put boys inside this cage, and we teach them to be afraid of fear, of weakness, of vulnerability.”
Set aside an hour and read this book. You can thank me later.
The content was fairly entry-level feminism for those who are already well read, but I really enjoyed the intersectional lens and discussions of systems and levels of oppression, and the anecdotes of personal experiences in Adichie’s country of origin Nigeria as well as USA.
There was a really great passage about the cultural shift over time in what we consider necessary leadership qualities, and how that has fed male dominance and our patriarchal society. Early humans valued physical strength, which the men could provide, whereas now we value characteristics such as intelligence, which can be equally provided by a female leader.
There were so many poignant statements and beautifully-worded paragraphs, I found this book packed a really big punch for its small size. I want to end this review on a quote that really stayed with me, because of its truth and also how it was worded:
“Masculinity is a hard, small cage, and we put boys inside this cage, and we teach them to be afraid of fear, of weakness, of vulnerability.”
Set aside an hour and read this book. You can thank me later.