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inspector_fergus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.25
I agree with a lot of other reviewers - a good, broad, but perhaps oversimplified perspective on feminism.
Intersectional identity (race in particular) is mostly glazed over, making the analysis feel very incomplete. Not a huge surprise for the time when a lot of these essays were published but readers should tread carefully.
Intersectional identity (race in particular) is mostly glazed over, making the analysis feel very incomplete. Not a huge surprise for the time when a lot of these essays were published but readers should tread carefully.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
bloupibloupreads's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
I was anticipating a lot more, but I need to keep in mind that this book was released in 2014, a whole decade has passed since then. I'd like to think that feminism has come a long way and all the information in this book is merely basic knowledge, to be honest it's almost just feminism 101.
The first few essays were very interesting to me, as they discussed the lack of space for women to express themselves and the violence they face, we were also met with some of Solnit's personal experiences. There was a lot of room for discussion, but unfortunately no conclusion was drawn by the end of the book.
I feel like many unimportant things were mentioned, which made me lose interest. For example, we get an explanation of what the IMF is and the economical impact of this group for multiple pages (everything could have been said in shorter terms) and there was an entire chapter dedicated to a Woolf/Sintag debate that did not add anything to the essay. I didn't see the correlation between this and men silencing and belittling women's intelligence but maybe I'm just missing the point.
The first few essays were very interesting to me, as they discussed the lack of space for women to express themselves and the violence they face, we were also met with some of Solnit's personal experiences. There was a lot of room for discussion, but unfortunately no conclusion was drawn by the end of the book.
I feel like many unimportant things were mentioned, which made me lose interest. For example, we get an explanation of what the IMF is and the economical impact of this group for multiple pages (everything could have been said in shorter terms) and there was an entire chapter dedicated to a Woolf/Sintag debate that did not add anything to the essay. I didn't see the correlation between this and men silencing and belittling women's intelligence but maybe I'm just missing the point.
Solnit's failure to address intersectionality is the biggest flaw of the book, she says: "Violence doesn't have a race, a class, a religion, or a nationality, but it does have a gender" (chapter 2, The Longest War) despite the fact that this statement has been proven to be false multiple times, but given that the book was released 10 years ago, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
Another petty critic of mine is how often Solnit mentions that “it is not all men!!" while mentioning the violences and crimes that men perpetrate against women. I just think it's tiresome to keep mentioning that we know not every man is a dangerous threat to women.
"Here let me just say that my life is well sprinkled with lovely men" (chapter 1, Men Explain Things to Me) / "Here I want to say one thing: though virtually all the perpetrators of such crime are men, that doesn't mean all men are violent" (chapter 2, The Longest War) / "There are lovely and wonderful men out there" (chapter 2, In Memory of Jyoti Singh) and more.
Overall, I would say that 'Men Explain Things to Me' is a somewhat good collection of essays, althought it never goes deeper and only skims the surface of its subjects. For people who want to understand feminism at its basic level, this book could be a great option.
Overall, I would say that 'Men Explain Things to Me' is a somewhat good collection of essays, althought it never goes deeper and only skims the surface of its subjects. For people who want to understand feminism at its basic level, this book could be a great option.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, and Sexual violence
karinamitc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, and War
sponberry's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
coleanne's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, and Sexual harassment
beanith's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.5
This collection is about 10 years old now and while many of the feminist ideas are eternal, it feels a little basic in the year 2024. Still, I tried to read each essay with that in mind and tried not to hold it against the work. Also, even if the ideas are basic, it’s crucial to be reminded 1) how far we have come 2) that we are not crazy.
‘Men Explain Thing to Me’ - 5/5
‘The Longest War’ - 4.5/5
‘Worlds Collide in a Luxury Suite’ - 4/5
‘In Praise of the Threat: What Marriage Equality Really Means’ - 4/5
‘Grandmother Spider’ - 4.75/5
‘Woolf’s Darkness: Embracing the Inexplicable’ - 5/5
‘Casandra Among the Creeps’ - 5/5
‘#YesAllWomen: Feminists Rewrite the Story’ - 4/5
‘Pandora’s Box and the Volunteer Police Force’ - 3.5/5
‘Men Explain Thing to Me’ - 5/5
‘The Longest War’ - 4.5/5
‘Worlds Collide in a Luxury Suite’ - 4/5
‘In Praise of the Threat: What Marriage Equality Really Means’ - 4/5
‘Grandmother Spider’ - 4.75/5
‘Woolf’s Darkness: Embracing the Inexplicable’ - 5/5
‘Casandra Among the Creeps’ - 5/5
‘#YesAllWomen: Feminists Rewrite the Story’ - 4/5
‘Pandora’s Box and the Volunteer Police Force’ - 3.5/5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, and Sexual assault
josiesaccount's review against another edition
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
ainebeattie's review against another edition
3.0
accessible, intro to feminism essays and despite nothing new, it was still engaging. however where is the intersectionality and capitalism was mentioned on the second last page lol. Also what is going on with the ode to Virginia Woolf and Susan Sontag’s fractured relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
manisitdas's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
salsbookcorner's review against another edition
reflective
3.75
Not what I was expecting and was definitely reflective and informative, a lot of statistics shared. I did become distinctly aware that this writing was coming from an American cis white woman’s perspective and it failed to take into account some women’s perspectives outside of that point of view, but an important read nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, and Murder
The author shares a lot of important statistics on violence and crime against women and some of these crimes are described.