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Feminism: chat

Essential reading for feminists?

9 replies

Catastrophejane · 26/12/2022 17:46

Am looking to educate myself on current feminist thinking. Obviously, I’m a feminist. However, I don’t think I’m as well read up as I could be, so hoping you could all help me out!

so what do you think are the key books to read/ resources to access to really get my head round feminist debate in 2023?

ideally, would like a top 5 book list/podcast of what every feminist should read/ listen to!

OP posts:
Catastrophejane · 26/12/2022 19:36

Just me who got book tokens for Xmas then? 😂

OP posts:
howdoesatoastermaketoast · 27/12/2022 00:54

Wow - quiet round here ok I think this is quite a hard one to answer. So much depends on what you want to read and why and what you've already read.

My top recommendation would be https://www.amazon.co.uk/Invisible-Women-Exposing-World-Designed/dp/1784706280/ref=asc_df_1784706280/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=256266022931&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4348065054739982107&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006786&hvtargid=pla-886826816787&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

"Invisible Women" by Caroline Criado Perez

"Invisible Women takes on the neglected topic of what we don't know - and why. The result is a powerful, important and eye-opening analysis of the gender politics of knowledge and ignorance. With examples from technology to natural disasters, this is an original and timely reminder of why we need women in the leadership of the institutions that shape every aspect of our lives. -- Cordelia Fine"

#2 "Why Women Are Blamed For Everything: Exposing the Culture of Victim-Blaming" by Dr. Jessica Taylor. For me an emotional but fascinating and thought provoking read,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Women-Blamed-Everything-Victim-Blaming/dp/1472135466/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1B5BRQNNTCZRV&keywords=why+women+are+blamed+for+everything&qid=1672102192&s=books&sprefix=why+women+%2Cstripbooks%2C64&sr=1-1

howdoesatoastermaketoast · 27/12/2022 01:01

For me in order to "really get my head round feminist debate in 2023?" I would also recommend "Material Girls: Why Reality Matters for Feminism" by Kathleen Stock if you haven't already read it

"Material Girls makes a clear, humane and feminist case for our retaining the ability to discuss reality, and concludes with a positive vision for the future, in which trans rights activists and feminists can collaborate to achieve some of their political aims"

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Material-Girls-Reality-Matters-Feminism/dp/0349726620/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3RSBMK0Q6II8T&keywords=material+girls+kathleen+stock&qid=1672102587&s=books&sprefix=material+girls%2Cstripbooks%2C151&sr=1-1

and / or "Trans: Gender Identity and the New Battle for Women's Rights" by Helen Joyce

‘Reasonable, methodical, sane, and utterly unintimidated by extremist orthodoxy, Trans is a riveting read.’ Lionel Shriver
‘A tour de force.’ Evening Standard
Biological sex is no longer accepted as a basic fact of life. It is forbidden to admit that female people sometimes need protection and privacy from male ones. In an analysis that is at once expert, sympathetic and urgent, Helen Joyce offers an antidote to the chaos and cancelling.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trans-When-Ideology-Meets-Reality/dp/0861543726/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2J6TJUSVUKACR&keywords=trans+helen+joyce+book&qid=1672102668&s=books&sprefix=trans+helen%2Cstripbooks%2C80&sr=1-1

howdoesatoastermaketoast · 27/12/2022 01:08

You asked for 5 so to round out the list at
#5 "Feminism for women" by Julie Bindel

"Bindel shines a light on the most important issues, including pornography, sexual violence and prostitution. Drawing on Bindel's own experiences, as well as countless interviews with women and girls of all ages and backgrounds (as well as contributions from commentators such as Gloria Steinem and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie), Feminism for Women presents a clear-sighted view of why feminism is a proud social movement that every woman on the planet benefits from.
The invisible forces of misogyny affect us all.
This book is a call to arms to reclaim feminism for all women.
Only together can we resist and overcome."

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feminism-Women-Real-Route-Liberation/dp/1472132629/ref=sr_1_21?crid=A4Z53DPWXYIN&keywords=feminism&qid=1672102969&s=books&sprefix=feminism%2Cstripbooks%2C110&sr=1-21

Catastrophejane · 27/12/2022 02:36

Thanks for these- great suggestions. The only one I’ve read out of these is Invisible Women.

I want to get my head round the trans debate too- there is so much heat around it that it would be good to get a thoughtful analysis.

I recently read ‘Misogynies’ again by Joan Smith. The book is 30 years old but depressingly current.

OP posts:
PCRyanPilkington · 28/12/2022 10:32

If you're looking for a genuinely more rounded reading list, I'd recommend:

'Living a Feminist Life' - Sara Ahmed (also 'Complaint!' by the same author)
'Feminism, Interrupted' - Lola Olufemi
'Sister Outsider' - Audre Lorde
'Girl, Woman, Other' - Bernadine Evaristo
'Feminist City' - Leslie Kern

NewToWoo · 28/12/2022 10:42

I found 'How To Suppress Women's Writing' very valuable because it brteaks down the oppressive techniques and helps you see the wider extent of how women are silenced and sidelined and downgraded - not just in literature but science, art, business etc.

PronounsBaby · 28/12/2022 19:23

This is a great thread.

Definitely enjoyed invisible women, felt really inspiring.
Everyday sexism by Laura Bates made me so angry I had to put it down! Men who hate women is really interesting too.
Material girls is great but heavy! Had to concentrate.

On my reading list is
Difficult women by Helen Lewis
Feminism for women By Julie Bindle
Trans by Helen Joyce

Will definitely be adding to my list.

howdoesatoastermaketoast · 29/12/2022 21:15

I'm really enjoying everyone else's suggestions too thanks - so in the spirit the next things on my 'to be read' list (in no particular order) are

"She Speaks: Women's speeches that changed the world" - by Yvette Cooper

"In this timely and personal selection of exceptional speeches, Yvette Cooper MP tells the rousing story of female oratory. From Boudica to Greta Thunberg and Chimamanda Adichie to Malala Yousafzai, Yvette introduces each speech and demonstrates how powerful and persuasive oratory can be decidedly female. Written by one of our leading public voices, this is an inspirational call for women to be heard across the globe."

https://www.amazon.co.uk/She-Speaks-Speeches-Changed-Pankhurst/dp/1786499940/ref=sr_1_1?crid=RIC9VIBKI3K5&keywords=she+speaks+yvette+cooper&qid=1672347975&s=books&sprefix=she+speaks%2Cstripbooks%2C89&sr=1-1

"The end of Bias How we change our minds" By Jessica Nordell

"Bias affects us all, every day of our lives. It shapes how we see each other, and how we are seen in turn. It fuels discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, race, age, class and appearance. It robs organizations of talent, science of breakthroughs, politics of insight, individuals of their future and communities of justice.
But what if bias is a habit that we can overcome?
"Despite revolutions in our understanding of bias, we're still much better at documenting the problem than solving it. When it comes to prevention and cure, Jessica Nordell's powerful book is a breakthrough. With state-of-the-art science and gripping narratives, she reveals steps what individuals, groups, and institutions can take to fight prejudice" - Adam Grant, author of Think Again"

https://www.amazon.co.uk/End-Bias-How-Change-Minds/dp/1846276780/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2J4BUZ70X7H34&keywords=the+end+of+bias&qid=1672348168&s=books&sprefix=the+end+of+bias%2Cstripbooks%2C66&sr=1-1

"Out of the Darkness Greenham voices 1981 - 2000" by Kate Kerrow & Rebecca Mordan

"In 1981, a group of women marched from Cardiff to the Greenham Common RAF base in Newbury to protest the siting of US nuclear missiles on British soil. They formed what became the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp and stayed there for almost twenty years, in what would become the largest, most effective woman-led protest since the Suffrage campaign. Out of the Darkness reunites the women of Greenham to share their recollections of the highs and lows of camp life, explore how they organised, and uncover the non-violent ways they challenged military, police and cultural forces, all in the name of peace."

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Out-Darkness-Greenham-Voices-1981-2000/dp/0750995173/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1JKVIN7T5KCK0&keywords=Out+of+the+Darkness+Greenham+voices+1981+-+2000&qid=1672348330&s=books&sprefix=out+of+the+darkness+greenham+voices+1981+-+2000%2Cstripbooks%2C54&sr=1-1

& "Romantic Outlaws The extraordinary lives of Mary Wollstoncraft & Mary Shelley" by Charlotte Gordon

"English feminist Mary Wollstonecraft and author Mary Shelley were mother and daughter, yet these two extraordinary women never knew one another. Nevertheless, their passionate and pioneering lives remained closely intertwined, their choices, dreams and tragedies eerily similar.
Both Marys became famous writers, fell in love with brilliant but impossible men, and were single mothers out of wedlock; both lived in exile, fought for their position in society and thought deeply about how we should live.
They also broke every rigid convention thrust upon them: Wollstonecraft chased pirates in Scandinavia and sailed to Paris to witness the Revolution. Shelley eloped in a fishing boat with a married man and faced down bandits in Naples. Wollstonecraft proclaimed that women’s liberty should matter to everyone.
Not only did Wollstonecraft pen the landmark book, The Vindication of the Rights of Woman, her work ignited Romanticism, inspiring a whole new generation of writers, including her daughter. At just nineteen years old, Mary travelled around Italy with Percy Shelley and Lord Byron, and there wrote Frankenstein. Having pushed the boundaries of the literary form, she went on to become the editor of her husband’s poetry – a feat of scholarship that established his posthumous reputation"
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Romantic-Outlaws-Extraordinary-Wollstonecraft-Shelley/dp/0091958946

I'll definitely by adding "Difficult women" by Helen Lewis to my list though looks great.

Happy New Year's worth of reading everyone xoxo

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