I’ve read a few books recently, and I’d like to comment on them.
The first two books I read were written by Jessica Valenti, founder of the Feministing blog. They cover basic feminism and are written with young women in mind. Despite being male, I found them very enlightening and interesting, as well as very witty and at times quite funny.
First book: Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters (amazon). I recommend this book to anyone, but young men and women in particular. It covers issues reproductive rights, violence, and popular culture, along with myriad other issues that are of interest to young feminists (or feminist sympathizers) everywhere. It’s pretty short, and a pretty quick read. If you know pretty much nothing about feminism, this is a great place to start.
Second book: He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut, and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know (amazon). This book is exactly what the title suggests. It’s an exploration of double standards between the genders… effectively, everything that pisses me off about our exceedingly patriarchal society. Also directed primarily toward young women, this book’s enough to make anyone’s blood boil, complete with humor and touching insight. Each chapter concludes with a “What to do about it” summary, so it’s good for the beginning feminist who just finished reading her other book, Full Frontal Feminism. Though it’s great as a companion, it stands on its own very well.
The last book I’ve read recently is not by the fabulous Ms. Valenti, but by Maria Raha. It’s called Hellions: Pop Culture’s Rebel Women (amazon). The book talks about various women in popular culture, considered “rebels” of the time, and the positive and negative effects each has had on feminism and feminist issues. From Marylin Monroe to Thelma & Louise, this book covers both real and fictional rebel women and the comparable male rebels for each. It’s a very interesting read, and references a lot of other good reading. I found a great passage that referenced the book Female Chauvinist Pigs, which I have on hold at the library now.
I’m currently reading the new book by Susan J. Douglas called Enlightened Sexism: The Seductive Message That Feminism’s Work Is Done, and I’ll be blogging about that as soon as I finish.
Feminists of the world unite!
