A review by ialja
Cassandra Speaks: When Women Are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes by Elizabeth Lesser

challenging emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

The book starts with a deconstruction of the stories embedded deeply in our culture, from Eve eating the forbidden fruit of knowledge to Pandora opening the box that unleashed all sorts of trouble and similar narratives in which women are blamed for woes of humanity.  The author then explores how our world and civilization could be different if we didn't see "female" traits and interests as less important. What would our world be like if we celebrated nurses and teachers as much as we currently celebrate generals and battles? Rather than just blaming the patriarchy, the author invites all of us to dig deeper into our own biases and deconstruct the hidden stories that shape our thinking. By challenging the ways we think of power and leadership, the author also makes the case for a new kind of leadership we'll need to deal with the challenges of the 21st century that cannot be brute-forced. What if we were all willing to sit at the table and work through our differences instead of threatening violence? These are the sort of questions we should all, regardless of gender, ask ourselves more.