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A review by zefrog
Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen by Alix Kates Shulman
3.0
Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen is apparently a feminist classic but I find it hard to believe that women reading it would feel inspired by it.
Yes, the book and engrossing and superbly written, but what is essentially a Bildungsroman comes with very little growth for the main character.
Sasha Davis is clever and educated but despite this, some travelling, and numerous experiences, she is not able to free herself from the misogynistic and patriarchal bullshit she has internalised from a very early age. She is and remains a product of her time.
Davis is also very self-centred (she tells very little of the circumstances of the people around her), a master at self-delusion, and despite her protestations to the contrary, she is both feckless and rudderless, making for a not altogether pleasant and likeable character.
So perhaps it is a feeling of recognition of all the unfairness and humiliations doled out by men that turned this book into a favourite for so many women, in addition to being a good read despite everything.
Yes, the book and engrossing and superbly written, but what is essentially a Bildungsroman comes with very little growth for the main character.
Sasha Davis is clever and educated but despite this, some travelling, and numerous experiences, she is not able to free herself from the misogynistic and patriarchal bullshit she has internalised from a very early age. She is and remains a product of her time.
Davis is also very self-centred (she tells very little of the circumstances of the people around her), a master at self-delusion, and despite her protestations to the contrary, she is both feckless and rudderless, making for a not altogether pleasant and likeable character.
So perhaps it is a feeling of recognition of all the unfairness and humiliations doled out by men that turned this book into a favourite for so many women, in addition to being a good read despite everything.