Tag: Feminism

Books

Book 659: The Testaments (The Handmaid’s Tale #2) – Margaret Atwood

Geoff W

I did not expect to read this so soon or so quickly. When I first heard Atwood was revisiting The Handmaid’s Tale nearly 35 years later I was incredibly wary about it. With the success of the Hulu series, I wasn’t surprised she was revisiting it, but I was hesitant to jump into this feet first so I put my name on the hold list at the library for an e-book version expecting not to get it until early-2020. They must’ve bought additional copies because I got it within two months of release!

There WILL be spoilers, so if you don’t want to know anything that happens stop now.

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ARC, Books

Book 502: Jane Austen, the Secret Radical – Helena Kelly

Geoff W

Perhaps I’m too smart for my own good, but overall this book was a bit disappointing. With a title like Jane Austen, the Secret Radical, you’d expect there to be revelations of sorts and yet there weren’t. I mean that’s why I requested a copy from the publisher.* I was hoping as the 200th anniversary of Austen’s death rapidly approaches there’d be something completely new and innovative to talk about, but there wasn’t.

Sure Kelly highlighted a few things that I missed when reading Austen, but really she just expounded upon the things that those of us who don’t read Austen ONLY as a romance novelist, but as a social commentator hopefully picked up on. She provided more detail of course, especially when it came to names and places, but overall there just weren’t a lot of revelations.

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Books

Book 455: We Should All Be Feminists – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Geoff W

Adiche, Chimamanda Ngozi - We Should All Be FeministsWow. I know I’m late to the party on this one, but Wow. Thanks Jess for, all those months ago, finally giving the recommendation to make me read it.

There is not a lot to say about We Should All Be Feminists, that hasn’t been said. And yet I’m going to dither on about it for a good while. IF you don’t want to read (which, shame on you) this 48 page “manifesto” (because it should be one), then check out the TEDx talk she pulled it from at the end of the post. (I haven’t watched it, but need to.)

This is one of those essays that should make its way into our collective conscience, but I’m not sure it will. It is also one of those books that I feel should become required reading, if only for the conversations it will spark, but again, thanks to the divisiveness of today’s politics, outside of specific classes focusing on women and gender, I doubt it will. Continue reading “Book 455: We Should All Be Feminists – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie” →

Books, The Classics Club

Book 451: Behind A Mask – Louisa May Alcott

Geoff W

Alcott, Louisa May - Behind a MaskNow THIS is a classic that people should be reading. Scandal. Intrigue. Drama. Seriously, I don’t know why other people haven’t read it. I was glad to see at least one other person (Lee Ann at Lily Oak Books) has read it as part of the Classics Club! This is my halfway point of my Classics Club journey so YAY Book 50!

These are nothing like Little Women, Little Men and Jo’s Boys.Lee Ann rightfully compares these to books by the Brontë’s. I can definitely see this when it comes to Anne Brontë’s works, but I haven’t quite finished reading all of Charlotte’s. I’m struggling to figure out what it’s most like and really what comes to mind is something more along the lines of Anna Karenina or Madame Bovary.

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Book Group, Books

Book 450: Sisters In Law – Linda Hirshman

Geoff W

Hirshman, Linda - Sisters In LawFour the fourth installment of our nonfiction book group, we’re learning about the amazing Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O’Connor. I thought I knew a lot about the “Notorious RBG,” but I knew nothing; and then add in what I learned about the FWOTSC (First Woman on the Supreme Court) and I’d say this was a pretty good addition to our year of biographies and autobiographies.

As interesting as the book was, I felt like there was so much from both their histories and from their time on the court that was left out of the book. Hirshman seemed to rush the first half of O’Connor’s time on the court and the last part of Ginsburg’s continued time on the court. It was disappointing because there are clearly so many additional amazing cases they had to decide that weren’t as glamorous as LGBT rights, women’s rights or racial equality.

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