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mgmferrer 's review for:
The Second Sex
by Simone de Beauvoir
A dense read. I worked through it for 12 weeks–it's not really the kind of book you can rush through. There's absolutely no sugarcoating in this book. It presents the raw, uncomfortable reality of gender inequality, and that's what makes it so impactful.
The second part of the book, "Situation", was definitely the hardest for me to get through (who would've thought I'd get emotional in this book? I'm a delicate human being!). Simone de Beauvoir looks at the lived experience of women at every stage of life, and much of it felt like a mirror to the internalized oppression that so many women carry with them. At some point, it even felt like I was having an existential crisis (not quite the fun kind, either). The way she talks about how society limits women's freedom and sense of self really made me rethink and reflect.
I'm glad I picked up this book at my ripe age of 27. It feels like the perfect time for it. It's not like a solution book or a quick fix. Instead, the book presents you with knowledge–raw and hard-hitting–and leaves it up to you to figure out how to respond. No templates here. And that's what's so empowering about it. It's not about giving answers; it's about giving you the tools to think for yourself. You just might have to sit with discomfort first.
Even after 12 weeks of reading, I gotta admit I still feel like I'm only scratching the surface. I will probably revisit this book again some other time.
The Second Sex does not offer quick solutions. It gives you hard truths and intellectual freedom to figure things out for yourself.
The second part of the book, "Situation", was definitely the hardest for me to get through (who would've thought I'd get emotional in this book? I'm a delicate human being!). Simone de Beauvoir looks at the lived experience of women at every stage of life, and much of it felt like a mirror to the internalized oppression that so many women carry with them. At some point, it even felt like I was having an existential crisis (not quite the fun kind, either). The way she talks about how society limits women's freedom and sense of self really made me rethink and reflect.
I'm glad I picked up this book at my ripe age of 27. It feels like the perfect time for it. It's not like a solution book or a quick fix. Instead, the book presents you with knowledge–raw and hard-hitting–and leaves it up to you to figure out how to respond. No templates here. And that's what's so empowering about it. It's not about giving answers; it's about giving you the tools to think for yourself. You just might have to sit with discomfort first.
Even after 12 weeks of reading, I gotta admit I still feel like I'm only scratching the surface. I will probably revisit this book again some other time.
The Second Sex does not offer quick solutions. It gives you hard truths and intellectual freedom to figure things out for yourself.