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Essential Books for Women
Mikaela:
One book I would very, very warmly recommend is "Misogynies" by Joan Smith. It's a collection of extremely perceptive and insightful essays on the gender inequality and repression of women in pop culture, politics, history, religious and societal institutions - some of which may perhaps slip under our radar, some of which we may have become numb to - most of which I am sure we can all nod to in exasperated agreement.
There's essays on a number of issues, among them on the attitude women encounter in rape cases, the male fight against women clergy, the repression of *real* womens' history from (as an example) works on Roman History, an extremely lucid take on why "Page 2 topless girls" demean themselves and all women, and the best treatise on a serial murderer of women that I have ever read - dealing with UK's Yorksihre Ripper and the police's horridly condescending attitude towards his victims, which ultimately led to them haring off in the wrong directions in their investigations and him thereby getting off the hook for far too long, - murdering again and again while the police stumbled in a fog partly of their own making.
I also completely support the recommendation of Morgan's "Descent of Woman". I think the aquatic Ape theory makes so much immediate sense, and demonstrates an ability to go beyond old accepted theories that I both applaud and find mesmerizing.
serious crayons:
The chapters are all just two or three pages, each presenting some double standard with a catchy name, describing the problem and suggesting a remedy. Some examples (in addition to the title one):
He's a man, she's a mom.
He's chill, she's on the pill.
He's tough, she's a tomboy.
He's gay, she's a fantasy.
He's the boss, she's a bitch.
He's manly, she's Sasquatch [regarding hair removal].
He's lucky, she's Lolita.
He's distinguished, she's driving Miss Daisy.
He can be a beast, she must be a beauty.
And so on. I don't think I agree that all of them predominate all the time, but they are thought-provoking. (If any need further explanation, let me know). At Amazon, as you can see, you can look inside the book. I saw it in a bookstore and could not resist.
delalluvia:
Who cooked the Last Supper? by Rosalind Miles
Great book on a woman's POV of history. Witty and sardonic. I love it.
When women were priests by Karen Torjesen
A book on early Christianity which shows women were very active and had roles in leadership - according to Jesus' supposed teachings - until they were subordinated into meekness and silence.
Front-Ranger:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on December 11, 2008, 03:21:53 pm ---Here's that lovely snakegoddess!!
--- End quote ---
And her wardrobe!!
Thank you Mikeala, that one definitely goes on my Wish List. I heard that a new book has just been published called Her Story, which recounts history adding the feminine back in. One woman that is profiled is Catherine Greene, wife of the revolutionary general Nathaniel Greene, who, they say, actually invented the cotton gin, although the credit went to Eli Whitney. Another woman who should get more credit is Madame Messier, who identified quite a few of the objects in the sky that her husband took credit for.
delalluvia:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on December 11, 2008, 05:35:45 pm ---And her wardrobe!!
Thank you Mikeala, that one definitely goes on my Wish List. I heard that a new book has just been published called Her Story, which recounts history adding the feminine back in. One woman that is profiled is Catherine Greene, wife of the revolutionary general Nathaniel Greene, who, they say, actually invented the cotton gin, although the credit went to Eli Whitney. Another woman who should get more credit is Madame Messier, who identified quite a few of the objects in the sky that her husband took credit for.
--- End quote ---
Probably quite a few inventions by women went unnoticed because - at least in the States - women couldn't hold patents, so their fathers/brothers/husbands got credit for them.
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