Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer

19 reviews

candlewaster's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

genstrong's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

A very interesting critique of “cancelled” celebrities and of “cancel culture” itself. The author takes a subjective, feminist approach to writing on the topic that doesn’t shy away from addressing her personal emotions. While I think the book could have delved more deeply into each celebrity, each chapter offers interesting and well-informed perspectives… new ways to look at things. 

I really enjoyed the chapter on JK Rowling, however the author doesn’t really address the reason of her cancellation. Rather, the author focussed on the fans’ response which was unexpected and not unwelcome.

I do however have to disagree with the claim later in the book that “The worst thing a man can do is rape, while the worst thing a woman can do is not love her children” (paraphrased). It is definitely a legitimate statement to argue for older generations, however the author shied away from addressing J K Rowling’s transphobia which could arguably be seen as worse than not loving her own children to today’s generations. Of course, this is all subjective. But I do feel there was a missed opportunity to really explore the changing narrative around womanhood in the 21st century. How “woke” Gen-Zers may respond very differently to these narratives than earlier generations. The author instead chose to stick to traditional notions of womanhood.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

In some chapters what the celebrity was accused of doing is explained in detail while in others it is glossed over. This includes rape, etc.

baielleebooks's review against another edition

funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

Claire Dederer has a captivating critical voice, flying in the face of that loathsome kind of clinical, self-purportedly detached style of cultural appraisal. Emotion and the structural dynamics of what constitutes one's fandom and moral dilemmas as an art-lover are discussed with great zest and insight. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Rape

Moderate: Alcoholism and Sexism

Minor: Abandonment

aburns2's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

claraarianne's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Antisemitism, and Sexual harassment

librarymouse's review against another edition

emotional informative medium-paced

2.75

I don't know that this was necessarily what I was expecting. It was thought provoking at some points. At others, I lost the plot. While critiquing gender essentialism in general and in its association with power dynamics and gender stereotypes, the author often relies on it in the language used around her critique of powerful men.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism

jayisreading's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

2.0

I wish this essay collection worked for me, given my interest in the topic. but I found it rather disappointing. I think the questions that Dederer wanted to address are crucial ones for all of us to contend with. Can you actually separate art from the artist? Is it ethical to consume media by problematic (or “stained,” as she describes it) people, some of whom are labeled geniuses? How should we be engaging with problematic media, if at all?

I will say that I think it’s a little unfair to expect concrete answers from her, considering that it’s a bit more complicated than giving a simple “yes” or “no” response. However, a reader only has so much patience for any amount of waffling; by the third or fourth chapter, I was tired of it. I think it’s fine if an author wants to take a moment to think about a particular topic on-page, but they need to give the reader a reason to stick around for it. In other words, what’s at stake? Why should we care? Unfortunately, there wasn’t much of a point to any of these essays that gave me any indication as to why what Dederer wrote mattered. She had numerous missed opportunities to do in-depth analyses with the issues she raised. Instead, she provided a lot of surface-level observations that gave the reader very little to work with, other than to quizzically wonder, “Why should I care about your feelings over your favorite artist being problematic?” Relatedly, I saw a few reviewers comment that this book reads more like a memoir, which I’m inclined to agree with, especially when one takes into account the handful of personal anecdotes that Dederer hardly connected (if at all) to the topic at hand. In addition, I felt that she often failed to give enough context when she called a number of individuals “monsters.” Sure, readers could do separate research on some of the mentioned figures in the book to learn more about their wrongdoings, but part of an essayist’s responsibility is to provide even some of that context and nuance.

Again, the questions posed in this book are important ones. However, I think Dederer could have afforded to spend more time with these essays to better establish the points she wants to make, as well as to reorganize her ideas so that they are more closely connected.

Note: Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a finished paperback copy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Death, Suicide, and Transphobia

nexusgoblin's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

If you're going into this looking for an answer on how to deal with the monsters in our media, you won't find one. This is very much a personal look at how the author views and deals with it, and how as a collective it's not an easy answer to form. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexism, and Sexual assault

Minor: Addiction

hduc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book deals with monstrous people. Of course there will be disturbing stories. But fear not, take one or two pages at a time. You would come out of this book a heart lighter.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, and War

larajgriff1's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

3.0

Unfortunately my expectations and hopes for this book were vastly different than what I experienced.  I wanted a more broad view of how "monstrous" artists affect their fandom and what the group as a whole or individually moves forward.  This book is much more personal to the writer and more of a memoir of her life and how she relates to different artists than the effect of their actions on the world.  

However, I cannot fault the author for the book not being what I hoped.  It is written very well and does make some good points about how these moments and artists affect us.  Though in the middle of the book she seems to be "existential crisis-ing" in circles and it doesn't feel like there is momentum again until the last few chapters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

this is a book about people who do terrible things. It is hard to avoid anything, but I did skip a full chapter because I was so uncomfortable with the crimes of an artist.