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roxanne_blythe's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
This book really does explain men masculinity, and love. I feel like the intended audience is women, not that men don’t need to read this, but I feel like it was directed towards feminists.
The main messaging is pretty decent. There are some points that I don’t fully agree with specially the blame that’s kind of placed on mothers for upholding the patriarchy. Not that they should be blameless, but I feel like the way that bell hooks writes about fathers is very different from the way that she talks about mothers.
Maybe I will need to revisit those points but for now I just feel like there’s not a lot of nuance when it comes to patriarchal mothers
The main messaging is pretty decent. There are some points that I don’t fully agree with specially the blame that’s kind of placed on mothers for upholding the patriarchy. Not that they should be blameless, but I feel like the way that bell hooks writes about fathers is very different from the way that she talks about mothers.
Maybe I will need to revisit those points but for now I just feel like there’s not a lot of nuance when it comes to patriarchal mothers
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
colourmebrad's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
bell hooks is not here for man hating feminists or girl bosses; be in favour of burning the system down or PERISH.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence
bashsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
The Will To Change is an important introduction to the place of men in feminist and gender equity movements. hooks' sympathy for the male experience under patriarchy is critical to the fight against it, as the obvious statement that men suffer under rigid and chaffing expectations and that men need support is a radical one in some supposedly feminist spaces. Additionally, hooks' writing style is very accessible; she expounds on complex topics in plain and straightforward language, which is a breath of fresh air when it comes to reading theory. That said, not all of her ideas still resonate (as this came out in 2004) - specifically, her conceptualization of gender and sexuality is a little too binary for my tastes, but overall, it was a good read, and extremely worthwhile.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Racism, Sexual violence, and Classism
notsosecrethistory's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Incest, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and War
klimatyczny_bluszcz's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
it had many good moments, where I could match it with my boyfriend's reflections and emotions connected to masculinity and patriarchy, as well as my own observations. i can see how it can help many men (as well as women) on their journey. however bell hooks missed citations and stated something research related without saying what research she had in mind. also, i didn't like how she tried to cover so many topics that she didn't manage to deeply dive into them therefore made statements based on quite a shallow research
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Violence
margozaldivar's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Violence
numerous_bees's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
A good, if dated, introduction to the problems patriarchal societies cause men. Other reviewers have suggested that hooks' compassion towards men excuses male violence, but I think this is a book directed at men who need help identifying the source of their suffering and reassurance that making a change that sets them at odds with the world will be worth it.
The author paints an attractive picture of a supportive and authentic masculinity and her criticism towards feminists who actively exclude men from the work of reimaginging a non-patriarchal society is an effort to put to bed the notion that feminism and man-hating are inextricably interwoven.
I think this is a good introduction to feminism for men, and a call for men to start the work of liberating ourselves from a system that sets us up to fail - though it would have benefited from a bibliography to aid with further reading.
The author paints an attractive picture of a supportive and authentic masculinity and her criticism towards feminists who actively exclude men from the work of reimaginging a non-patriarchal society is an effort to put to bed the notion that feminism and man-hating are inextricably interwoven.
I think this is a good introduction to feminism for men, and a call for men to start the work of liberating ourselves from a system that sets us up to fail - though it would have benefited from a bibliography to aid with further reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Misogyny
Moderate: Violence
zombiezami's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
4.0
This book was short, sweet, and gave me a lot to think about. I liked how emotional it was overall. The book was strongest in the places where hooks described her own experiences. Because there aren't citations, other than mentions of book titles, it was sometimes hard to know where the boundaries were between her opinions and data. Also, some points haven't aged well, specifically with how the author discusses gender in binary terms.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Ableism, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Addiction, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Murder, and War
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