Scan barcode
A review by astridandlouise
Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen by Alix Kates Shulman
3.0
I received an ARC of this book with thanks to Serpent's Tail via NetGalley.
Set in the 5os-60s we follow the life of Sasha as she navigates her life amidst men that feel entitled to her, men that feel superior to her and men that believe they deserve more than her purely due to their gender. As a woman I recognised the harassment she faced and the discrimination she encountered, even the delicately entwined experiences she faced that perhaps aren't blindingly obvious to all who read the book.
I feel conflicted writing this review as I understand the importance of this book, yet I also didn't feel a connection to or even like Sasha at certain points in the narrative. I grappled with a young white female character who lived with an abundance of privilege trying to wrestle with the unfairness of being a woman in a world catered to men. We've become much more educated and empathetic to so many issues around us since this book was written, so I feel my opinion is quite skewed in comparison to what readers thought and loved about this book upon its release back in the 70s. Yes, what she encountered was something no woman should ever have to experience, yet at the same time she got to experience so much (travel, education etc.) due to her social standing and the colour of her skin. Unfortunately there are still too many circumstances of what Sasha experienced unfolding in our world today. Regardless of how far we believe we have advanced, it's always wise to reflect on how much further we still have to go and to not become complacent. Definitely an important book for it's generation, the era in which it was written and a memoir that has become an influential building block for female writers and commentators who came after.
Set in the 5os-60s we follow the life of Sasha as she navigates her life amidst men that feel entitled to her, men that feel superior to her and men that believe they deserve more than her purely due to their gender. As a woman I recognised the harassment she faced and the discrimination she encountered, even the delicately entwined experiences she faced that perhaps aren't blindingly obvious to all who read the book.
I feel conflicted writing this review as I understand the importance of this book, yet I also didn't feel a connection to or even like Sasha at certain points in the narrative. I grappled with a young white female character who lived with an abundance of privilege trying to wrestle with the unfairness of being a woman in a world catered to men. We've become much more educated and empathetic to so many issues around us since this book was written, so I feel my opinion is quite skewed in comparison to what readers thought and loved about this book upon its release back in the 70s. Yes, what she encountered was something no woman should ever have to experience, yet at the same time she got to experience so much (travel, education etc.) due to her social standing and the colour of her skin. Unfortunately there are still too many circumstances of what Sasha experienced unfolding in our world today. Regardless of how far we believe we have advanced, it's always wise to reflect on how much further we still have to go and to not become complacent. Definitely an important book for it's generation, the era in which it was written and a memoir that has become an influential building block for female writers and commentators who came after.