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A review by magdagug
The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
disclaimer: the version I listened to was a Polish translation of the 20th anniversary edition of The Vagina Monologues
This book is split into two distinctive parts. The first is the actual monologues and the second one is the history of Eve Ensler's activism, V-Day, and One Billion Rising. The monologues are interesting, challenging and upsetting. The fact that they feel very relevant over 20 years after the first show is a huge plus of the book and disheartening fact about our world. I would recommend the monologues to every woman, person with uterus, parent of an afab child etc. (That being said they could potentially be very triggering, so watch out for that!). I was pleasantly surprised that there's a monologue from the perspective of a trans woman. I'd give this half of the book 4 stars.
Unfortunately, the mid-way point marks a huge drop in quality. The second half of the book is an overly detailed account of V-Day and One Billion Rising. I found it disappointing and, frankly, boring. There were some interesting tidbits in there, but they were drowned by lots of unnecessary details, like the amounts of money that V-Day collected in a particular year or the line-up of a charity concert. I wish this part were heavily edited and shortened. 2 stars.
This book is split into two distinctive parts. The first is the actual monologues and the second one is the history of Eve Ensler's activism, V-Day, and One Billion Rising. The monologues are interesting, challenging and upsetting. The fact that they feel very relevant over 20 years after the first show is a huge plus of the book and disheartening fact about our world. I would recommend the monologues to every woman, person with uterus, parent of an afab child etc. (That being said they could potentially be very triggering, so watch out for that!). I was pleasantly surprised that there's a monologue from the perspective of a trans woman. I'd give this half of the book 4 stars.
Unfortunately, the mid-way point marks a huge drop in quality. The second half of the book is an overly detailed account of V-Day and One Billion Rising. I found it disappointing and, frankly, boring. There were some interesting tidbits in there, but they were drowned by lots of unnecessary details, like the amounts of money that V-Day collected in a particular year or the line-up of a charity concert. I wish this part were heavily edited and shortened. 2 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Transphobia