A review by tklassy
Talkin' Up to the White Woman: Indigenous Women and Feminism by Aileen Moreton-Robinson

3.0

For a whole month I've been resting on my feeling about this book. It is important, incomparably so, but I suppose that for me this does not outweigh how hard (in two ways) I found this book to read. Hard because of what it was telling me, having to sit with my discomfort, something I went into this book knowing I would have to do. And hard because I found it difficult to move through...to read and to take in. I am a PhD student, so I am well versed in academic speak and language. But I am also a huge advocate for the concept of approachable and digestible academic scholarship. And that academic scholarship shouldn't be dry and hard to get through. Moreton-Robinson's book was her PhD thesis, and I can see this from reading that (and I mean this wholly as a compliment). I loved the chapter on the life-writings of Indigenous women, that personal connection was a life-line.

I got so much out of this book and I need to extend my thanks to Moreton-Robinson for such words existing, and for such knowledge and education from and through her words. For the content this book is 5 starts.
But as I read it, I felt that there were sections I had to read over 5 times to even understand a semblance of what she was trying to communicate. For that reason I have to take my rating down. But please read this. It is important and irreplaceable knowledge.