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A review by a_ab
Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
This book was a very pleasant surprise.
If approached as a definitive manual on how "feminism should be done" (which, based on the reviews, some readers have expected it to be for some reason - why???), it would be judged as a pretty spectacular failure.
But as a book about highschoolers sensing the oppressive weight of misogyny, racism and other forms of harmful discrimination, and trying to figure out how to rise up above and against this unfairness and start building a better and freer future for themselves, this story a roaring success.
The characters try to figure things out as they go and nobody in the book gets it entirely right - stumbling all the time against internalized prejudices, biases and unquestioned societal norms, which is both realistic and sad. But it's the effort and openness to course-correct and do better next time that count and help move us all towards that better future idea[l], and this book illustrated this process perfectly.
I wish I could send this book into the past for my highschooler self to read and discuss with friends at that time.
If approached as a definitive manual on how "feminism should be done" (which, based on the reviews, some readers have expected it to be for some reason - why???), it would be judged as a pretty spectacular failure.
But as a book about highschoolers sensing the oppressive weight of misogyny, racism and other forms of harmful discrimination, and trying to figure out how to rise up above and against this unfairness and start building a better and freer future for themselves, this story a roaring success.
The characters try to figure things out as they go and nobody in the book gets it entirely right - stumbling all the time against internalized prejudices, biases and unquestioned societal norms, which is both realistic and sad. But it's the effort and openness to course-correct and do better next time that count and help move us all towards that better future idea[l], and this book illustrated this process perfectly.
I wish I could send this book into the past for my highschooler self to read and discuss with friends at that time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Racism