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barnesbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
I found Feminism: The Essential Historical Writings to be very dry, very white, and very important. But I was glad I read them and I think other feminists should read them as well because they give a good insight into where the feminist movement started and a bit of how we got to where we are, as well as serving as a reminder that we came a long way from where we started. We still have a ways to go, but at least we’re not still at the very start of our journey towards equality. I hope in future volumes of books like this it includes more voices of women of color, and of women from non-western cultures, but overall I found the book to be very good.
tani's review against another edition
3.0
I got a copy of this book years and years ago, when I was all ambitious about reading nonfiction. Also unrealistic, but whatever. I've finally read it!
I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book, but this was not exactly it. The book is composed of a ton of short essays, speeches, and letters. Each piece is prefaced by an introduction that gives some historical background on the issue. This was really helpful for me, because I don't know a ton about this period of history, which focuses primarily on the latter half of the 1800s. I feel like I have a much better idea of how the struggle for basic rights went now, and I definitely appreciate that.
On the other hand, some of these pieces were very dry. One piece is an excerpt of the property law that gave women the right to own property. There's part of a Senate report on women and work. There are a variety of speeches that I found really hard to read, and some of the pieces are so short that they barely feel like they're worth reading. Also, there's very limited diversity here. I thought pretty seriously about giving this 2 stars, but ending on Virginia Woolf made me happy enough to bump it up.
Of course, keep in mind that I'm not much of a nonfiction reader, so your mileage may truly vary. I do think this was worthwhile for the historical perspective. I would just embark with caution, aware of its downfalls.
I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book, but this was not exactly it. The book is composed of a ton of short essays, speeches, and letters. Each piece is prefaced by an introduction that gives some historical background on the issue. This was really helpful for me, because I don't know a ton about this period of history, which focuses primarily on the latter half of the 1800s. I feel like I have a much better idea of how the struggle for basic rights went now, and I definitely appreciate that.
On the other hand, some of these pieces were very dry. One piece is an excerpt of the property law that gave women the right to own property. There's part of a Senate report on women and work. There are a variety of speeches that I found really hard to read, and some of the pieces are so short that they barely feel like they're worth reading. Also, there's very limited diversity here. I thought pretty seriously about giving this 2 stars, but ending on Virginia Woolf made me happy enough to bump it up.
Of course, keep in mind that I'm not much of a nonfiction reader, so your mileage may truly vary. I do think this was worthwhile for the historical perspective. I would just embark with caution, aware of its downfalls.
glindaaa's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't finish this because it is about the first wave and my essay will about the second. I am halfway done though but the books are from the library so there are issues considering time.
This is a very interesting book though as the little bits of every important book makes it easier to figure out where to look and what to read and perhaps quote for essays.
This is a very interesting book though as the little bits of every important book makes it easier to figure out where to look and what to read and perhaps quote for essays.
methusalah's review against another edition
4.0
Although I wouldn't recommend it as an introduction to feminist concepts, it would definitely be helpful soon after being introduced to them. It offers insight into the early motivations and goals of the movement as well as providing first-hand accounts of the oppression women during the time period faced.
Schneir does an excellent job of introducing each piece included in the collection. She provides the necessary background and context to understand the purpose of each one and organized them in such a way that each one built upon those before it.
She also introduced many historical figures I hadn't been familiar with previously. George Sand and Sojourner Truth were incredibly interesting indivduals and everything I read by Virginia Woolf only increases my respect for her. She also introduced me to Thorstein Veblen who had the unique talent of being one of the dullest writers I've ever read. Seriously, just read her introduction and skip his section, it's painful.
Schneir does an excellent job of introducing each piece included in the collection. She provides the necessary background and context to understand the purpose of each one and organized them in such a way that each one built upon those before it.
She also introduced many historical figures I hadn't been familiar with previously. George Sand and Sojourner Truth were incredibly interesting indivduals and everything I read by Virginia Woolf only increases my respect for her. She also introduced me to Thorstein Veblen who had the unique talent of being one of the dullest writers I've ever read. Seriously, just read her introduction and skip his section, it's painful.
lauraellis's review
4.0
Collected excerpts from “major feminist writers,” including some men, and women both well known and lesser known. [But all white, I think.]. It serves as a good source—for seeing what is out there, what has been written, and getting a taste for it. I was particularly inspired by the last selection, by Mary Ritter Beard.
heyychloei's review against another edition
5.0
Great articles that show key players in feminism issues. Very helpful for identifying those key players and their stance/arguments for feminism.
lanikei's review against another edition
4.0
I have a MUCH older edition of this book, but it doesn't seem to be on goodreads...
At any rate, I absolutely loved this book. It only gets 4 stars because some of the writing was a little dry and 19th-century-ish. However, most selections were short enough to power through, and some I was able to just skim through.
Some notable things I read - the interview with Lenin about women in Communism was particularly funny because he was still totally condescending and dismissive of the woman he was talking to. I did not realize that John Stuart Mill was not only an out-spoken feminist, but was arrested at 17 for distributing information about birth control! How awesome is that!?!
I was really intrigued by how pertinent some of these essays are even today. There was much discussion about women being underpaid and unequal, and the detrimental and inevitable effects on society and the labor force. I was shocked by the fact that there were women advocating - and apparently practicing - free love back in the early 1900s. There were even actively "militant" feminists breaking windows in England. Mostly I was just totally blown away by how much things have changed, and how much they really haven't.
I've never really taken any classes that focused on any of this kind of history. I had always sort of associated the womens movement with suffrage and not much else. It's a real shame that things like this aren't covered more in high school history. Like anything else, these attitudes tie into lots of other aspects of history - abolitionism, the labor movements, socialism, etc. It was really interesting to read about these women and their persistence.
Absolutely, 100% worth a read if you have any interest in history at all. Some of the pieces might be a little tougher to get through, but they're all worth it. A great job selecting relatively unknown works by representative members of the womens movement. The editor clearly made a real effort to choose sources that showed the breadth of the movement beyond just suffrage and job opportunities.
At any rate, I absolutely loved this book. It only gets 4 stars because some of the writing was a little dry and 19th-century-ish. However, most selections were short enough to power through, and some I was able to just skim through.
Some notable things I read - the interview with Lenin about women in Communism was particularly funny because he was still totally condescending and dismissive of the woman he was talking to. I did not realize that John Stuart Mill was not only an out-spoken feminist, but was arrested at 17 for distributing information about birth control! How awesome is that!?!
I was really intrigued by how pertinent some of these essays are even today. There was much discussion about women being underpaid and unequal, and the detrimental and inevitable effects on society and the labor force. I was shocked by the fact that there were women advocating - and apparently practicing - free love back in the early 1900s. There were even actively "militant" feminists breaking windows in England. Mostly I was just totally blown away by how much things have changed, and how much they really haven't.
I've never really taken any classes that focused on any of this kind of history. I had always sort of associated the womens movement with suffrage and not much else. It's a real shame that things like this aren't covered more in high school history. Like anything else, these attitudes tie into lots of other aspects of history - abolitionism, the labor movements, socialism, etc. It was really interesting to read about these women and their persistence.
Absolutely, 100% worth a read if you have any interest in history at all. Some of the pieces might be a little tougher to get through, but they're all worth it. A great job selecting relatively unknown works by representative members of the womens movement. The editor clearly made a real effort to choose sources that showed the breadth of the movement beyond just suffrage and job opportunities.
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