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A review by veleda_k
We Who Are About To . . . by Joanna Russ
3.0
A fascinating, difficult book. It makes the reader uncomfortable, but a good kind of uncomfortable.
The odd brilliance of "We Who Are About To" is that its hero is not a particularly likable person. She's prickly and doesn't try to make friends or alliances. This is one of the main aspects that makes this work as a feminist novel. Should a woman have to be sympathetic, or noble, or likable in order to control her body and her life? And I admit the cynic in me just enjoys this whole take on "stranded on a strange planet."
That said, I feel the book is strongest in its first half. The second half is absolutely necessary to the story, but I still felt that it lagged.
The odd brilliance of "We Who Are About To" is that its hero is not a particularly likable person. She's prickly and doesn't try to make friends or alliances. This is one of the main aspects that makes this work as a feminist novel. Should a woman have to be sympathetic, or noble, or likable in order to control her body and her life? And I admit the cynic in me just enjoys this whole take on "stranded on a strange planet."
That said, I feel the book is strongest in its first half. The second half is absolutely necessary to the story, but I still felt that it lagged.