So back in August I said I would finish the library books I already had and then focus on reading some of the actual books I already own.
Because my father teased me in a dream lol
So I finished up:
Introducing Feminism by Cathia Jenainati & Judy Groves
The Truth Will Set You Free – but first it will piss you off by Gloria Steinem
Introducing Feminism was published in 2007 and is a good overview of historical stuff. Also reminded quite clearly that non-white, non-affluent individuals are often relegated to the margins/footnotes. Though there is a fair bit of Black American feminism reflected here there is very little Indigenous or non-western.
Steinem’s book was published in 2019. It’s hard not to feel her energy coming off the page. It’s mostly quotes and little vignettes so a quick read though lots to stop and think about. I would like to read more by her. Any thoughts on where I should start?
Then there was:
This Book is Feminist by Jamia Wilson and Aurelia Durand
Published in 2021 it’s meant for teens and I’m fine with that. I still learned a lot and it was nice to have everything clearly set out without assuming the reader knew it.
There were some good definitions in here including intersectional feminism, womanism, and more. And a constant reminder to look at who is being left out.
And the last of my own little mini intro course on feminism:
Amplify – Graphic Narratives of Feminist Resistance
By Norah Bowman & Meg Braem with art by Dominique Hue, this 2019 book was published by UofT Press and tells the story of 7 different people / groups and how they can be seen as feminist.
This started with the premise that the willful taking on of a feminist political identity is itself an act of resistance. It told the stories (very briefly) of Pussy Riot, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, Idle No More, Harsha Walia, and others.
The backlash to feminism always seems to come from conservative governments and their innate fear of change. And just outright selfishness: the fear that giving more to others will mean less for them. Sigh.
as an aside this little exploration of feminism was brought about by trying to read Nora Loreto’s
Take Back the Fight
I’m not gonna lie. It was a tough slog. For how amazing it is to read her stuff on Twitter and what she wrote for The Maple and Chatelaine etc. this was hard. I couldn’t do it. One of the rare times I said “enough, I’m not getting anything out of this especially for the effort going in.” So I took a step back and started from the basics.
And then I picked three random books from A authors, which I’ll write about soon… thanks. love you.