New book coming out! "The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht"

Painful reading. It's all so local and I didn't know the half of it. And reading how these women who very bravely didn't wheesht and just tried to do the democratic thing have been ignored and overridden by the people who are supposed to represent us... It 's really got to me.

My local bookshop has sold out.

On the J.K. Rowling chapter- are we all assuming the 'young woman' who sent a handwritten note while castigating JKR in public has the initials EW?

Agree, IdgieThreadgoodeIsMyHeroine, the Jenny Lindsay chapter was particularly enraging, as was the Gillian Philip one. Both were so badly treated by people they thought they could trust.

I've just read the Jenny Lindsay chapter, and I needed to come here just to share how angry I am about her treatment. So fucking angry.

Via her Twitter, I have just read this Wendy Cope poem for the first time and thought I'd share it here, as it is extremely relevant to the subject matter of the book!

It was a cracking read from start to finish 💜

I decided I couldn't wait for the library to get the copy I'd requested so this afternoon I absentmindedly forgot my overspent book-buying budget, and popped into the little branch of Waterstones in the southern English market town I was driving through on my way home. It didn't seem like the kind of place that would stock a book like Wheesht but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. Lo and behold, there were three copies on a high-up shelf.

I had the feeling that the assistant was not hugely approving and that maybe the books had been put on display reluctantly, but I bought one nonetheless. She noted the purchase on her handwritten tally of books sold that afternoon just as 'Wheesht', which made me smile. That's my evening sorted!

Collected my copy! Dipping in while I'm supposed to be doing other things

@SusanSmithFWS thank you and all of the other brave and brilliant women of Scotland for all you have done. Here's to you topping those best seller lists for many months to come.

what is the point in lying when you are so easily caught out?

Not only are they easily caught out, but they have drawn everyone's attention once again to the fact that Rowling has been the subject of repeated threats of violence, some credible enough to warrant a police visit, for speaking out.

So I would say our little transactivist chum has achieved absolutely nothing beyond reminding everyone that transactivist ideology is characterised largely by aggression and hostility to women.

Thank you Christina for your sterling work bravely fighting for The Right Side of History! Your indefatigable pious fraud is a lesson to all readers on how to Be Righteous.

I am on the Blackwell's mailing list and this morning’s e-mail highlighted “The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht’ as a featured new release.

Two of the four are the same article.

Her family did not beg her not to get involved because they thought she was making herself a transphobic personality

they begged her not to get involved because they were worried about her safety

the reasoning is the lie…obviously

It's on not one but multiple media outlets

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/news/jk-rowling-says-loved-ones-begged-her-to-keep-trans-views-to-herself/ar-BB1nfYWw

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/jk-rowling-twitter-harry-potter-trans-comments-b2553010.html

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/05/jk-rowlings-family-begged-her-to-shut-up-about-trans-people-but-she-just-had-to-come-out-as-anti-trans/

https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/05/29/jk-rowling-trans-lgbtq-the-women-who-wouldnt-say-wheesht-extract/

I can see her family aren't TERFs and "begged her" (according to what I read) not to post dominantly about it on social media and therefore make transphobia her new personality.

what is the point in lying when you are so easily caught out?

pathetic

Susan, I can't even begin to describe how grateful women in Scotland are to you, MBM and all the women who contributed to the book. The situation here is bad but would have been so much worse if there hadn't been such a determined, dauntless fight for women's rights.

*well, apart from the Christina's and the 'you don't speak for me!!!!' numpties who haven't even read the book

(Edited because the formatting was being weird)

So glad that everyone is enjoying the book (well, except Christina, but you can't win 'em all). We are so grateful to Susan and Lucy for all their hard work and for assembling such a formidable list of contributors. While we knew a lot of the background, it's so moving to see it all set out.

I'm also, personally, very grateful to Mumsnet. Just in case it's not clear from my first chapter, Trina did first contact me through this site. Mumsnet is part of the FWS family tree and we couldn't have done it without you all. My alter-ego is a bit busy to pop in here often these days, but she is still around and very grateful for providing the oasis of sanity in the days we all thought the rest of the world had gone mad!

Only on page 38 of the book, but already feeling SO much gratitude towards the women of Scotland AND Mumsnet for fighting this fight before I had any awareness of what was happening. You are my heroines! ❤

It was front page of the Waterstones website today!

Waterstones where I am today has the book in a fairly prominent position on the New In shelves.

I think you are generous in assuming Christina can read. The posts so far suggest the contrary. Certainly hasn't read the actual text of JKR's essay just disingenuous spin from Pink News and the "pissed off lawyer" who seems unfamiliar with defamation!

I can see her family aren't TERFs and "begged her" (according to what I read) not to post dominantly about it on social media and therefore make transphobia her new personality.

You appear to be reading something different than everyone else.

Anyone confused by WaitWhat23‘s* *use of the word “greeting” earlier might be helped by knowing that in Scots it means “crying”.

I’m looking forward to my copy

You know this ISN'T the JKR the women who wouldn't WHEESHT thread don't you. That's a different thread.

So honestly if all you want to do is slag off one author in over 30 who wrote something for a book why don't you go elsewhere to peddle your I hate JKR crap?