A review by szymborskasyeti
The Book of Genesis by Anonymous

I didn't read this for religious reasons, but because it was assigned at school. Really informative read for me, because I didn't grow up in a Christian household, and so I didn't always get the biblical referenced made in the literature I read, both for school and for pleasure. So much of our lexicon and our culture is influenced by this text. The verse, though observable old, is easy to read (key facts are often repeated more than once). I hope this analysis doesn't offend anyone, but one thing that seemed to be a theme in Genesis was female fertility/male sexuality: from God's covenant with Abraham (his 'seed' is mentioned more than once) to the inclusion of handmaids, not once but twice for women who are unable to conceive. Conceiving seems to be a sign of God's favor. Growing up in a country that is steeped in Christian values, I can't help but connect this text with the vitriol around abortion and female sexuality. After all, the original sin is not catalyzed by Adam, but by Eve. It would be interesting to study the systemic misogyny of American society in connection to Genesis.