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mackenziencheez's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 I think I just wanted something very different.
eamador's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
toebean5's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not a huge fan of the way the stories in this are strung together- it felt a bit episodic, but in an unintentional, sort of scattered manner. However; there were so many things written in here that need to be said and need to be heard. Of course- she's writing about events and feelings that most women have had- but the writing down of it makes it feel legitimate. Like, 'Wow, YES- that is exactly how I feel but I haven't ever heard someone really say that!' That makes it valuable, and that makes it worth 4 stars.
Favorite parts:
Ignoring men- whether romantically or rhetorically- is existential violence to them. p 135
Pretending these offenses roll off of our backs is strategic- don’t give them the fucking satisfaction- but it isn’t the truth. You lose something along the way. Mocking the men who hurt us- as mockable as they are- starts to feel like acquiescing to the most condescending of catcalls, You look better when you smile. Because even subversive sarcasm adds a cool-girl nonchalance, an updated, sharper version of the expectation that women be forever pleasant, even as we’re eating shit. p 14
Favorite parts:
Ignoring men- whether romantically or rhetorically- is existential violence to them. p 135
Pretending these offenses roll off of our backs is strategic- don’t give them the fucking satisfaction- but it isn’t the truth. You lose something along the way. Mocking the men who hurt us- as mockable as they are- starts to feel like acquiescing to the most condescending of catcalls, You look better when you smile. Because even subversive sarcasm adds a cool-girl nonchalance, an updated, sharper version of the expectation that women be forever pleasant, even as we’re eating shit. p 14
frogcopter's review against another edition
4.0
Valenti tells vignettes from her life with an eye towards the way in which her female body in a patriarchal society shaped her experiences, weaving these everyday experiences together to show how small violations accumulate into a life-encompassing oppression. It is powerful in its mundanity, providing insight into how rape culture emerge out of events that might seem innocuous if isolated. This book is useful as a template to notice the effects of the patriarchy on any woman’s experience.
jessrit's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
meet_cute_librarian's review
2.0
I'm tiring of this feminist-memoir genre. I'm all about reading related to feminist issues but I don't understand how reading about someone's personal incidents of sexism (without much correlation to the extending situations at hand) is helpful or educational.
amjammi's review against another edition
3.0
I appreciate Ms. Valenti's candor, but it seems like she's trying to make her exploits seem crude and stun readers with her brashness. I want her to be more forgiving to herself. For me, Part 3, where she links connects her public persona to her private life, was the most effective and most thought-provoking.