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A review by roseofoulesfame
Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights by Helen Lewis
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.0
Bookopolothon: Book the Third
Prompt: History
Oof, this is a difficult one to review.
Let me start by saying trans readers will probably want to skip the chapter on 'Love' altogether (if they haven't already been put off by the name on the cover - I believe for those who are on Twitter, Ms Lewis' reputation as a...let's say 'gender critical feminist'...precedes her*).
The chapter on Safety is also difficult reading, as Lewis veers off the topic of domestic violence to complain about being a victim of cancel culture...yes, I'm as confused as you are.
It's a damn shame because I otherwise loved this book. It's generally well written, with the right balance of facts which make you want to tell the patriarchy to eff all the way off (again) and snarky footnotes which make you laugh out loud (I particularly liked the one explaining what a 'spherical bastard' is, a term which will definitely be entering my everyday vocab). It also introduced me to a number of women I hadn't heard of, and gave me more backstory on women I had.
Overall, a good reminder of how far we've come - and how progress rarely happens without a struggle.
*FYI Ms Lewis, if you, like me, identify as the gender you are on your birth certificate, then yes, you are cisgender. Likewise, if others identify as a gender other than the one on their birth certificate, they're transgender. Neither word is a slur unless you make it one. Hope that clears that up?
Prompt: History
Oof, this is a difficult one to review.
Let me start by saying trans readers will probably want to skip the chapter on 'Love' altogether (if they haven't already been put off by the name on the cover - I believe for those who are on Twitter, Ms Lewis' reputation as a...let's say 'gender critical feminist'...precedes her*).
The chapter on Safety is also difficult reading, as Lewis veers off the topic of domestic violence to complain about being a victim of cancel culture...yes, I'm as confused as you are.
It's a damn shame because I otherwise loved this book. It's generally well written, with the right balance of facts which make you want to tell the patriarchy to eff all the way off (again) and snarky footnotes which make you laugh out loud (I particularly liked the one explaining what a 'spherical bastard' is, a term which will definitely be entering my everyday vocab). It also introduced me to a number of women I hadn't heard of, and gave me more backstory on women I had.
Overall, a good reminder of how far we've come - and how progress rarely happens without a struggle.
*FYI Ms Lewis, if you, like me, identify as the gender you are on your birth certificate, then yes, you are cisgender. Likewise, if others identify as a gender other than the one on their birth certificate, they're transgender. Neither word is a slur unless you make it one. Hope that clears that up?