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christie_esau's review against another edition
3.0
Equally as snarky (if not more so) than the other Valenti book I've read, but slightly repetitive because I've read Feministing for a number of years. Nonetheless, a very entertaining examination of what it means to be a feminist. Glad that I finally read it!
candaceladd's review against another edition
3.0
A good, approachable introduction to feminism. Not a super academic read, and I don't agree with Valenti on everything, but I enjoyed it and learned quite a bit.
colleenh121's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars. I enjoyed some of the commentary but overall wasn't impressed by this book. I was hoping for something for beginners in feminism but this was too basic
fae713's review against another edition
4.0
I've read several of Valenti's books and have found them to be engaging enough for me to finish, not something most non-fiction books I've tried to read have managed. She presents enough information on many various areas of concern for an interested reader to get a basic understanding of and then sends them off with names and books and websites to look up more information. I personally appreciate that she uses her own experiences, observations, and passion to drive the book rather than throwing too much information at her reader with every new chapter. If I wanted to know more about any particular topic she gave me more than enough places to start in my search in chapter and then even more at the back of the book.
Are there issues with some of her comments and interpretations? Sure, there are. Do they detract from her message or her enthusiasm throughout? not a bit. I believe any of her books would be great for any budding feminist or an older feminist trying to figure out what the generation growing up right now is thinking and contending with. Really though, I just enjoyed the fact that I wasn't reading something that felt like it was intended to be a graduate dissertation or a feminism 101 text book. Keep it up!
Are there issues with some of her comments and interpretations? Sure, there are. Do they detract from her message or her enthusiasm throughout? not a bit. I believe any of her books would be great for any budding feminist or an older feminist trying to figure out what the generation growing up right now is thinking and contending with. Really though, I just enjoyed the fact that I wasn't reading something that felt like it was intended to be a graduate dissertation or a feminism 101 text book. Keep it up!
gingerbread_void's review against another edition
3.0
This book was sort of buy on whim book. I saw it at my local discount book shop and decided to give it a shot. I figured I would give it a shot despite the glaringly problematic cover. I though perhaps the author was trying to make a point with a cover like this but I was sadly mistaken.
For starters this book is very dated, almost 13 years old, so I did give it a few passes on things as I think feminism has grown and expanded a ton in the last decade or so which is the only reason this book got 3 stars instead of the 1.5 or 2 stars it deserved.
There was a lot wrong with this book and the way the author viewed feminism as a whole but my biggest issue was the way she spoke about sex and gender. I know that we have grown a lot in our understanding and this things in the last few years but that does not excuse some of the things she said. The way she spoke of gender in such rigged constructs bothered me and her views on sexuality as well really upset me.
I guess all said and done this book may have been good 13 years ago when some people still excepted things like gender and sexuality to fit into tight little boxes but it is not a book for todays feminist. There are so so many great books about feminism and sexuality and this one was just not one of them for me. If you are looking for a good book on feminism look else where because this book is just to dated for the type of feminism we really need to see in these much more open times.
For starters this book is very dated, almost 13 years old, so I did give it a few passes on things as I think feminism has grown and expanded a ton in the last decade or so which is the only reason this book got 3 stars instead of the 1.5 or 2 stars it deserved.
There was a lot wrong with this book and the way the author viewed feminism as a whole but my biggest issue was the way she spoke about sex and gender. I know that we have grown a lot in our understanding and this things in the last few years but that does not excuse some of the things she said. The way she spoke of gender in such rigged constructs bothered me and her views on sexuality as well really upset me.
I guess all said and done this book may have been good 13 years ago when some people still excepted things like gender and sexuality to fit into tight little boxes but it is not a book for todays feminist. There are so so many great books about feminism and sexuality and this one was just not one of them for me. If you are looking for a good book on feminism look else where because this book is just to dated for the type of feminism we really need to see in these much more open times.
prairierosereads's review against another edition
3.0
It's important to establish this book as an introductory text to feminism. Although feminists do a great job of being critical (I mean, we have to be, it's how we recognize issues and enact change), it doesn't always benefit all POVs of the movement. Luckily, Valenti updated this text (c.2011?) and reevaluated some topics to be more intersectional/updated. She discusses some of the initial issues reviewers had with the text (white privilege recognition, etc.). It shows that feminists must always work to improve how they think, act, and react to social issues and injustices.
I will say that the book is slightly outdated on some fronts, along with some editing errors. However, many of the core ideas are present in this text and are still imperative today. Valenti also writes in a conversational tone, making it accessible for a wide audience. I saw her speak at my university last year; her tone at that conference echoes many of these very core yet very prominent issues in feminism. It makes it pretty cool, and most importantly, pretty inclusive.
I will say that the book is slightly outdated on some fronts, along with some editing errors. However, many of the core ideas are present in this text and are still imperative today. Valenti also writes in a conversational tone, making it accessible for a wide audience. I saw her speak at my university last year; her tone at that conference echoes many of these very core yet very prominent issues in feminism. It makes it pretty cool, and most importantly, pretty inclusive.
rcharbonneau's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely recommend to anyone interested in Feminism or wanting to brush up on the subject. Brilliant for introducing friends to the movement. Jessica Valenti artfully discusses where the women's rights movement has been, where it is now, and where it may be going, as well as being fairly intersectional and using coloquial speech. My only complaint is that it doesn't include trans* and racial issues as much as I'd like.
andrejagibese's review against another edition
4.0
This book is wonderful, and refreshing. It is a great introduction to feminism for the young woman. I think I am a little older than her target audience (it seems very geared towards older teens and the college-aged woman.) I still found it a fun reminder of why I value some of the things that I do.
rebeccamahanyhorton's review against another edition
3.0
I was interested in this book after hearing it recommended a few times and since I fall within the target age group (young women), I figured I would give it a try and was not disappointed.
FULL FRONTAL FEMINISM was both readable and informative. It wasn't at all difficult to get through, and while it covered topics I had heard about before, she provided a lot of new information about each. Sometimes I wished she would go into more detail on her opinions (eg, when talking about implementing a quota system to designate a certain number of government positions that had to be held by women, she wrote, "I don't think the United States will be implementing quotas anytime soon--and I don't even know if this is the answer for us--but I wanted to put it out there" (224); I wished she had actually talked about what she thought a good solution would be) but that wasn't a huge issue.
The writing was fairly chatty and informal, which I found to be a bit jarring at times. (eg. "You may not like me for saying this...but engagement rings piss me the hell off. It's a frigging dowry! Now, I like me some jewelry..." p. 145) However, it wasn't a huge issue and I wasn't put off by her language or the use of the occasional swear word.
Overall, it was an easy read that was what the title promised.
FULL FRONTAL FEMINISM was both readable and informative. It wasn't at all difficult to get through, and while it covered topics I had heard about before, she provided a lot of new information about each. Sometimes I wished she would go into more detail on her opinions (eg, when talking about implementing a quota system to designate a certain number of government positions that had to be held by women, she wrote, "I don't think the United States will be implementing quotas anytime soon--and I don't even know if this is the answer for us--but I wanted to put it out there" (224); I wished she had actually talked about what she thought a good solution would be) but that wasn't a huge issue.
The writing was fairly chatty and informal, which I found to be a bit jarring at times. (eg. "You may not like me for saying this...but engagement rings piss me the hell off. It's a frigging dowry! Now, I like me some jewelry..." p. 145) However, it wasn't a huge issue and I wasn't put off by her language or the use of the occasional swear word.
Overall, it was an easy read that was what the title promised.