kieralesley's review against another edition
4.0
This reads like a longer version of Adichie’s TEDx talk, but no less impactful or important for it.
Adichie covers a fair bit of ground in this short piece – from what being a feminist is and what common stereotypes of feminists are, to cultural and institutional feminist issues, and simply states some powerfully logical arguments about why old gender paradigms and expectations are no longer relevant. Adichie grounds a lot of her bigger points with anecdotal pieces from her own life, from when she was first called a feminist, to seeing a male friend realise what she’s been talking about all this time. There’s a nice African lens for Adichie’s view as well which I found refreshing.
This small book is also so full of quotable lines that get the core issues and ideas of feminism bang on that my Kindle started getting grumpy about how much I was highlighting.
I would have liked a little bit more depth and new material, but it’s a great little feminist primer that I’d be happy to pass along to anyone who wants a quick, robust overview of what feminism is all about.
Adichie covers a fair bit of ground in this short piece – from what being a feminist is and what common stereotypes of feminists are, to cultural and institutional feminist issues, and simply states some powerfully logical arguments about why old gender paradigms and expectations are no longer relevant. Adichie grounds a lot of her bigger points with anecdotal pieces from her own life, from when she was first called a feminist, to seeing a male friend realise what she’s been talking about all this time. There’s a nice African lens for Adichie’s view as well which I found refreshing.
This small book is also so full of quotable lines that get the core issues and ideas of feminism bang on that my Kindle started getting grumpy about how much I was highlighting.
I would have liked a little bit more depth and new material, but it’s a great little feminist primer that I’d be happy to pass along to anyone who wants a quick, robust overview of what feminism is all about.
mollyfischfriedman's review against another edition
4.0
This was a thoughtful layout of what it means to be a feminist and what are some steps to eliminate roadblocks to achieving gender equality. "Culture doesn't make people; people make culture."
schloddeee's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.0
very short but very influential
in not even 50 pages she made so many good points in a very pleasant writing style
would recommend
(but of course it doesn’t actually count as a real book bc it is so short)
in not even 50 pages she made so many good points in a very pleasant writing style
would recommend
(but of course it doesn’t actually count as a real book bc it is so short)
rvrln's review against another edition
3.0
Biological essentialism, gender determinism and ~the socialization~ abound but _if_ you can get past that, nice quick read. I enjoyed learning more about her life and experiences.
thetaillesscat's review against another edition
5.0
“Of course I am not worried about intimidating men. The type of man who will be intimidated by me is exactly the type of man I have no interest in.”
persnickety9's review against another edition
5.0
A quick read, but very influential and beautiful. She frames points so simply she profoundly, and I really wish everyone could read this essay. Definitely looking forward to reading more of her work.
myc_w's review against another edition
4.0
An incredibly short, but powerful argumentative essay on the reclamation of the word "feminist" and why all humans should identify as feminists. She provides convincing anecdotes set against the backdrop of her own culture but applicable cross-culturally. If there is one major critique of this work, it's the over-emphasis on gender as a binary and on heteronormative relationships. The existence of non-binary and trans people or non-hetero relationships is not particularly acknowledged, though doesn't distract from her overall argument too much. She writes, "culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture", and I agree, though we must take that further to ensure that we include all women.