kindledspiritsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
This month I was saddened, shaken, but not shocked, by the tragic death of Sarah Everard and felt prompted to pick up this book. I loved Kate Manne's first book Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny because of her forensic and tightly argued examination of what misogyny actually is and how it serves to reinforce patriarchy. Her background as a professor of moral philosophy means that she comes at the problem from a refreshing angle and breathes new life into concepts that to some may seem tired. Entitled hones in on the particular problem of men's sense of entitlement - to sex, admiration, power, knowledge and more - and how this contributes to a range of societal ills including medical discrimination, massing killings by 'incels' and the pervasive notion that women just aren't 'electable'. The only criticism of Down Girl that I'm willing to accept was that it was written in highly academic language that would make is inaccessible to the average reader and I'm delighted that Entitled goes some way to alleviating this. I personally found this a much easier read than Down Girl and whizzed through it in a couple of days (though I was partly fueled by feminist rage). The other difference between this book and Down Girl that I particularly enjoyed was the ending. Down Girl ends on a despondent note, with Manne unsure to what extent the societal issues of misogyny and sexism can ever be fully tackled. But in Entitled Manne is much more optimistic - she has to be, as she was pregnant with her first child, a daughter, as she was writing the book. She ends Entitled still unsure as to how these problems can be tackled but driven to find a way somehow so that her daughter can live a better life. I was deeply moved by her choice to end the book with a list of all the things she wanted her daughter to feel entitled to and I share her sense of determined optimism, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges.
bookishcapricorn's review against another edition
5.0
Reading this post the overturning of Roe v. Wade in conjunction with the anti-trans legislation that has seen a rapid uptick this year is truly a different experience. Woof.
"I want her to know she is entitled to speak, period." I enjoyed this, it's short, but inclusive and hard-hitting.
"I want her to know she is entitled to speak, period." I enjoyed this, it's short, but inclusive and hard-hitting.
zendegi's review against another edition
5.0
Succinct, clear essays covering a range of currently important topics. Not too much new if you've been paying any attention to women's lives in the United States. 4.5, rounded up.
saralynnburnett's review against another edition
4.0
I can’t say that there’s anything surprising in this book because as a woman working in male-dominated spaces who also follows (too closely, perhaps) the news I’m living this male entitlement shit day in and day out but Dr. Kate Manne organizes this must-read in a way that cements what we all know is going on around us. She gives language to what a lot of us already hold as truth in our guts and through our experiences. Loved her evisceration of the pro-life movement and the double standards employed there: “Boys will be boys, but women who get pregnant have behaved irresponsibly. We are so comfortable with regulating women’s sexual behavior, but we’re shocked by the idea of doing it to a man.” Amen! Because “even if her humanity is not in doubt, it is perceived as owned to others.” Didn’t that idiot Jose Oliva just refer to us as “host bodies” instead women? SMH.
The chapter on male entitlement to women’s time & labor was a good one. You know—the second shift at home women have to do after work while men kick back after work but it's also a myriad of other things like worrying about feeding people, having to remember birthdays, the countless seemingly insignificant things that add up to a huge burden that men feel entitled to unload on women, but I also wish she had talked more about the Matilda Effect which is well documented in scientific fields.
Highly recommend reading this, and even better if you do it between binge watching The Morning Show for a truly immersive look at misogyny.
The chapter on male entitlement to women’s time & labor was a good one. You know—the second shift at home women have to do after work while men kick back after work but it's also a myriad of other things like worrying about feeding people, having to remember birthdays, the countless seemingly insignificant things that add up to a huge burden that men feel entitled to unload on women, but I also wish she had talked more about the Matilda Effect which is well documented in scientific fields.
Highly recommend reading this, and even better if you do it between binge watching The Morning Show for a truly immersive look at misogyny.