I despair !

[Feegle]

I was looking for a book for my dds on Amazon and came across "Girls are Best" by Sandi Toksvig. I was hoping to find a book to counteract the onslaught of crap they are faced with daily. Anyway there was this review of the book, see below :

"I am usually a fan of Sandi Toksvig and find her quite amusing but this book is just a shameful attempt to fill the heads of young girls with feminist nonsense and give them ideas beyond their station. Simply trawling through history to find females (however obscure) that managed to achieve anything does not further the cause in any way, it just highlights the fact that 99% of all invention, scientific/medical discoveries and indeed general greatness were achieved by the male of the species. It is only in the last 40 years or so that females (most of them envious and dissatisfied) have decided they want a piece of the pie. If females were truly as good as males then they would not need to rely on unfair equal opportunities legislation (think unfair promotion in government and big-business etc ). Even with all this now firmly in place men are still vastly more successful than women and this should tell us something. Women still excel in childcare, nursing, homemaking and certain 'hospitality' industries and this should tell us something too.

It's the title 'Girls Are Best' that's so wrong. If it had been called 'Girls Are Quite Good Sometimes in Exceptional Circumstances' then it would have been less controversial and nearer the truth. Imagine the rage of the feminist brigade if anyone dared to write a book called 'Boys are Best' (or even implied it in any way).

It is also very telling that there is no mention of Mrs Thatcher in this book (someone who did indeed achieve greatness on her own merits). Could this be that she didn't subscribe to or have any time for the kind of bra-burning facial-haired feminism that this book is surreptitiously trying to promote.

If you are thinking of buying this book then think again and buy your wives/daughters/nieces etc books on marrying well, motherhood and household management as this will serve them much better in the long run. "

WTF

Anyway does anybody know of a book I feel like I am loosing the will to live here. Does anybody else feel like we are bloody well going backwards ?

[saveable]

It's one stupid review. Thank goodness books like that are being written in the first place, what that idiot thinks is pretty much irrelevant and tbh I suspect it was written to take the piss. THere are lots of notoriously piss-taking reviews on amazon, it's hardly the Times is it?

[Goblinchild]

It would be more worrying if the review had been written by a woman.

[Grumpla]

Is there any chance that it could be a joke review?

I love that book btw. Mind you I love Sandi Toksvig pretty unconditionally. My DH has met her on several occasions and says she is just as funny & all-round awesome in RL!

[Feegle]

Yes it probably is a joke - just pissed me right off today for some reason. Obviously I bought it anyway . I was actually looking for something a little stronger.

[AliceWorld]

But in some ways that review is good - it makes me want to buy the book! I can't imagine it would put more people off that the people that would think f* you with people like you in the world the women and girls in my life needs this book and then buy it. If people are swayed by a polemic like that they they must agree in the first place I would say.

[Feegle]

Absolutely, but I have had a week of people behaving like that in real life. It tipped me over the edge into rant mode.

[liquiditytrap]

It's just some twat.

If you get annoyed and upset at every wanker who thinks like that, you're going to waste a lot of energy.

[Feegle]

Yes, you are right, thanks so much for the support. Amazing what you get when you name change.

[AliceWorld]

It's never a waste of energy. These things keep the fire in our bellies .

[thefinerthingsinlife]

I'm now going to buy that book to read to DD. Anything that can wind a misognistic twunt up like that is well worth a read in my eyes

[sethstarkaddersmackerel]

oh I remember that review.

I bought the book for DD on MN recommendation and DS1 said in a sad little voice 'Is there a book for me called 'Boys are best'?

actually I think it's not an awfully helpful title because it encourages the idea that one sex is better than the other. The book itself is terrfic but 'Girls are brilliant' would have been better.

(though I suppose if the title winds misogynists up that's always useful).

[AliceWorld]

The thing I find with the title is that you would be unlikely to give it to a boy. It's great to tell girls that actually they are great, but boys need to see that information too.

But then the mainstream still tend to give a male perspective so it's a rock and hard place.

[ISNT]

It's a joke review, surely!

Have to say I don't like the title of the book either, although I do like sandi

[JessinAvalon]

Am now tempted to order the book just to stick it to that idiot reviewer.

Plus I love Sandi Toksvig.

My mum doesn't her because she's a lesbian.


Yes, I know....

[JessinAvalon]

Doesn't like her....

[penelopestitsdropped]

I hope and pray that that review was written by a male.

Because between that and Marie Hopkins on at i really am feeling the past 100 has gotten us nowhere

[David51]

Feegle, you should have clicked on the 'Comments' link at the bottom of the review:

www.amazon.co.uk/review/R2CE5IJDFE68P9/ref=cm_cr_pr_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1862304297&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21#wasThisHelpful

Quote: "A view of women that admires ladylike qualities of good morals, dutifulness, devotion, respectfulness etc. can hardly be described as 'somewhat scary'."

Indeed it can't

[penelopestitsdropped]

Actually shiney may have a point. Can just see him sat back awaiting irate feminists replying

[ElephantsAndMiasmas]

I've got that book too, bought it for myself :o

Title is a bit silly but hey ho.

[vesuvia]

Feegle wrote - "Imagine the rage of the feminist brigade if anyone dared to write a book called 'Boys are Best' (or even implied it in any way)."

There is a book called "Boys are Best", written by Manuela Olten.

A synopsis on the publisher's website states:
"'Girls are so silly!' That?s what two very opinionated little boys have to say, as they make fun of everything female. 'They spend all day combing their dolls? hair!' one mocks. And they?re 'such scaredy cats!' laughs the other."

Like you, I haven't noticed any rage from "the feminist brigade" about that book's existence.

[vesuvia]

Feegle, I mean the review that you posted, rather than you.

[Feegle]

vesuvia thats very odd am off to look at that.

I did know that the poster was probably not serious BTW I just don't find it very funny. This week my dd has been told that she cannot do various things "because she is a girl" by various people. I have also had a fair ammount of crap from people at work. I have a "mans" job and have to put up with this a lot. I had hoped things would be better for my children. In fact I think things are a lot worse. As a result i just didn't find this review funny at all. I think I will write to Germaine Greer and ask her to write a feminist book aimed at girls of ten without references to anal sex.

[ISNT]

Thing is that a book called "boys are best" is factual, while a book called "girls are best" is at best a joke, and at worst a lie.

I'd laugh if it wasn't true.

What has your DD been told she can't do, Feegle?