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lavao 's review for:
Men Explain Things to Me
by Rebecca Solnit
Cw: sexism, discussion of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, sexual assault and threat, briefly discussed homophobia and transphobia
One sentence summary: random essays on feminist topics
Writing: 2/5
Accessibility: lay person
Anecdotes vs data: predominantly stories
Applications: unclear effect on life
Favourite quote: “For women, confinement is always waiting to envelope you.”
Comments (spoilers!): Unfortunately, she never really goes into much depth on the essay title - she briefly shared a time where someone mansplained something that she had written a book about but we never really delve into the history or consequences of Men Explaining Things. Then we get a collection of disjointed essays that are Intro to Feminism at best, with nothing added to the discussions already had by other feminist writers. There is not only a lack of intersectionality, but what feels like a dismissal of it - everything is viewed through the very narrow lens of sexism existing independently and above other forms of discrimination. Some essays feel like she’s just paraphrasing (not even critically appraising) Virginia Woolf and never quite makes a point that hadn’t been made in the essay title / first para. (Though I love VW!)
Disclaimer: this is my opinion.
One sentence summary: random essays on feminist topics
Writing: 2/5
Accessibility: lay person
Anecdotes vs data: predominantly stories
Applications: unclear effect on life
Favourite quote: “For women, confinement is always waiting to envelope you.”
Comments (spoilers!): Unfortunately, she never really goes into much depth on the essay title - she briefly shared a time where someone mansplained something that she had written a book about but we never really delve into the history or consequences of Men Explaining Things. Then we get a collection of disjointed essays that are Intro to Feminism at best, with nothing added to the discussions already had by other feminist writers. There is not only a lack of intersectionality, but what feels like a dismissal of it - everything is viewed through the very narrow lens of sexism existing independently and above other forms of discrimination. Some essays feel like she’s just paraphrasing (not even critically appraising) Virginia Woolf and never quite makes a point that hadn’t been made in the essay title / first para. (Though I love VW!)
Disclaimer: this is my opinion.