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A review by sgbrux
Victim: A Feminist Manifesto From A Fierce Survivor by Karen Moe
5.0
For the sake of transparency, I need to preface this review by sharing that I had the honor of meeting Karen at my nonprofit's 40th anniversary gala. Karen flew in from Vancouver to kick off her US book tour—in Springdale, Arkansas of all places—and I had the opportunity to listen carefully as she shared her incredible survival story before reading an excerpt.
This woman is an unstoppable force.
I was completely engrossed in Karen's story, which went beyond the abduction, the multiple assaults, her bold escape. Instead, I was painted a more vivid picture—Karen's upbringing, her past relationships, formative experiences, challenges with her father, his secrets. Karen went so far as to explore the issues of patriarchy and feminism, and I'm not ashamed to say I learned a few things as an experienced, 30-something minority woman myself.
The sex industry, pornography, violence against indigenous girls and women of color—Karen lays it all bare, turning us on to this idea of "logical feminism" by showing us what horrors patriarchal systems have inflicted and continue to perpetrate.
Karen supports each of her points through ample context and research, which I appreciated when I wanted to learn more about the issues raised and do my own homework.
But more than just being a biographical tale and survivor story, Victim certainly did not read as your average nonfiction work. There was so much poetry and artistry to Karen's style of writing, that I found myself rereading passages after they'd hit me so powerfully.
Such a beautiful, nuanced way of sharing an otherwise profane story and the hard-fought wisdom earned.
This woman is an unstoppable force.
I was completely engrossed in Karen's story, which went beyond the abduction, the multiple assaults, her bold escape. Instead, I was painted a more vivid picture—Karen's upbringing, her past relationships, formative experiences, challenges with her father, his secrets. Karen went so far as to explore the issues of patriarchy and feminism, and I'm not ashamed to say I learned a few things as an experienced, 30-something minority woman myself.
The sex industry, pornography, violence against indigenous girls and women of color—Karen lays it all bare, turning us on to this idea of "logical feminism" by showing us what horrors patriarchal systems have inflicted and continue to perpetrate.
Karen supports each of her points through ample context and research, which I appreciated when I wanted to learn more about the issues raised and do my own homework.
But more than just being a biographical tale and survivor story, Victim certainly did not read as your average nonfiction work. There was so much poetry and artistry to Karen's style of writing, that I found myself rereading passages after they'd hit me so powerfully.
Such a beautiful, nuanced way of sharing an otherwise profane story and the hard-fought wisdom earned.