Scan barcode
A review by jeanwatts
The Feminist Killjoy Handbook by Sara Ahmed
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! There was a lot of great theories, discussions, points, and suggestions in this book. It was full of information, heart, and motivation. That being said, I do think that this is not an entry level feminist work. I am not saying it should be, as it is clearly for feminists who want to be "feminist killjoys." At the same time, I always try to rate my nonfiction in terms of readability. I understood this novel perfectly well, but I have a strong background in academic writing, theories, and feminist work/discussion. I do not think every feminist should start with this novel (and show grow their readership and understanding before diving in) and therefore I took a few "stars" off. I also felt that while the novel flowed well, I felt like some sections could have been better grouped. It made it hard to read this book in chunks as I felt like I needed to read a good portion of it to understand it fully.
This novel was phenomenal on so many levels, though. It looks at intersections in feminism with race, gender, age, sex, culture, work, academia, etc. and I loved each part! It was so informed and well flushed out. I also loved the idea of moving from theory to action, from taking what we know and believe and applying it to life. It also did a great job of telling people there will be issues, that it will be hard, and that we cannot always bring 110%. We want to and need to to create change, but it is impossible to do so.
The last part, after the acknowledgements, was amazing! I wished every book on activism ended this way. The recommended reading, especially, was wonderful. It gives suggestions and why they are suggested. The killjoy truths, equations, maxims, and commitments were also great mini summaries of what was presented and stick with you as you read.
Overall, I think this was a wonderful addition to our feminist rhetoric. I learned a lot, felt motivated, and also saw real benefit in being a 'killyjoy.' I would recommend this to anyone on their feminist journey, specifically those who already have a base understanding in the intersectionality that exists in feminism and have an open mind in what feminism can mean and become.
This novel was phenomenal on so many levels, though. It looks at intersections in feminism with race, gender, age, sex, culture, work, academia, etc. and I loved each part! It was so informed and well flushed out. I also loved the idea of moving from theory to action, from taking what we know and believe and applying it to life. It also did a great job of telling people there will be issues, that it will be hard, and that we cannot always bring 110%. We want to and need to to create change, but it is impossible to do so.
The last part, after the acknowledgements, was amazing! I wished every book on activism ended this way. The recommended reading, especially, was wonderful. It gives suggestions and why they are suggested. The killjoy truths, equations, maxims, and commitments were also great mini summaries of what was presented and stick with you as you read.
Overall, I think this was a wonderful addition to our feminist rhetoric. I learned a lot, felt motivated, and also saw real benefit in being a 'killyjoy.' I would recommend this to anyone on their feminist journey, specifically those who already have a base understanding in the intersectionality that exists in feminism and have an open mind in what feminism can mean and become.