A review by joaofranciscof
Women & Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard

informative inspiring reflective

3.5

This book is based on two lectures given by Mary Beard, a Professor of Classics. Therefore, the ancient Greek and Roman worlds are present throughout the book. 

The two lectures are very interesting, as they reflect on the public voice and the spoken authority, and on the relation between women and power, respectively. However, the book sometimes feel a bit limited (which is a bit unfair, as the book is very small) and Beard’s version of white liberal feminism. 

I believe that, in the end, it proposes considerations that are incredibly important and necessary in order to build a world of equality (and that can be used in broader/other approaches!).

“That means thinking about power differently. It means decoupling it from public prestige. It means thinking collaboratively, about the power of followers not just of leaders. It means, above all, thinking about power as an attribute or even a verb (‘to power’), not as a possession. What I have in mind is the ability to be effective, to make a difference in the world, and the right to be taken seriously, together as much as individually.”