A fantastic collection, well selected and the biographies are informative and interesting without sounding like a textbook. Intended audience for someA fantastic collection, well selected and the biographies are informative and interesting without sounding like a textbook. Intended audience for something an adult would read to a child or a young pre-teen. What a fantastic idea for the young women of today, and I hope it inspires the world to ever be more "rad"!...more
This is a very important, and dare I say necessary, book. The insights are eye-opening. Very well articulated, the text covers grounds such as reproduThis is a very important, and dare I say necessary, book. The insights are eye-opening. Very well articulated, the text covers grounds such as reproductive rights to household chores and more. Highly recommended. ...more
Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars. Now, I love Adichie. I've spent afternoons watching videos of her interviews and TED talks on youtube, read severalSomewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars. Now, I love Adichie. I've spent afternoons watching videos of her interviews and TED talks on youtube, read several of her books before, but for some reason, I struggled with this one. I had to put it aside during the semester to keep up with the seminar, unfortunately, which made me feel guilty. It's not a bad book by any means, and in fact the way that Adichie is able to present so much commentary, forwardly, and not break the story under its weight, just kicks ass. I liked how Ifemelu would just speak her mind and everyone would gasp, write a blog (she literally becomes rich from a blog, too) about it, etc. This novel is good, at its heart is a love story but its of course so much more. It's tying two countries together (in some ways three), showing the complexities between them. Also: the humor is something not to miss (though, i think i did originally miss it for the first half of the book, because I was being rushed to finish it), for example there's a character in there that every line of dialogue ends with a question mark? Cause that's how she speaks? and I would just giggle in public. Great stuff.
These are meant to be read out loud. She explains such towards the end, in the essay. It's poetry that becomes more chant-like. I find her work intereThese are meant to be read out loud. She explains such towards the end, in the essay. It's poetry that becomes more chant-like. I find her work interesting, but she's more into the spiritual and the mystical more than my mind is willing to follow. Still, good poet. ...more
The collection contains mostly of stories that are heavily anthologized (The Yellow Wallpaper being the most obvious example), but I do think it's a vThe collection contains mostly of stories that are heavily anthologized (The Yellow Wallpaper being the most obvious example), but I do think it's a very fine collection for what it represents: a small collection of excellent literature, and focusing mostly on the 19th and early 20th centuries. Realism reigns supreme for most of them, with a slow shift into modernism, both movements are my personal favorites. So consider all of these stories a "must" for anyone to consider oneself well read (in my humble opinion anyway, which isn't worth much but whatev). Plus Dover keeps things dirt cheap, which is always a plus plus plus in my book. ...more
I enjoyed this collection, it was a very light reading for the subject matter such as culture clashes and politics and Rugrats DVDs. The stories use rI enjoyed this collection, it was a very light reading for the subject matter such as culture clashes and politics and Rugrats DVDs. The stories use relationships to bridge a social/cultural commentary to the reader that is very well defined and clear, yet fresh and never stale. The characters are complicated, though the women are more fleshed out than the men for the most part. And from what I can recall, the stories are always set in Nigeria and America, and always mention the city Lagos but I don't think any of them take place there.
"Tomorrow Is Too Far" is my favorite pick out of the bunch. Not only is the writing impactful and beautiful, but any writer that pulls off 2nd person narration without sounding like an amateur will always get respect from me. Which, after watching a TED with Adichie, I already did have respect for her, but now Its also for her work....more
This is a wonderful compilation of various feminist essays, speeches, sometimes art. I haven't read a whole lot of feminist theory or ideology before This is a wonderful compilation of various feminist essays, speeches, sometimes art. I haven't read a whole lot of feminist theory or ideology before this, so I felt like the book has greatly expanded my understanding of the subject.
My only problem with it is that the passages are very short, three-four pages max on most of them. Which works if you want a quick glance over the history of feminism, but if you're expecting something more in depth, it'll be necessary to follow this up with other books. Not a bad thing, of course. ...more
**spoiler alert** By the end of the book it's hard to like Molly as a character. Sure, I respect her nothing held back attitude towards her sexuality,**spoiler alert** By the end of the book it's hard to like Molly as a character. Sure, I respect her nothing held back attitude towards her sexuality, but for a majority of the later half of the book she is so narrow in her views that she only focuses on the negative and the things that back up her views on men and sexuality in general. Yes, a man who grabs a woman's breast deserves to be punished, but why is every single man some mindless animal? Having this idea repeated over and over made Molly's character flat and in my opinion less like-able. If the world were filled with complete pigs then of course she's a lesbian! The moments when she made love with women were better evidence for her character and sexuality in this regard. Talking about being so close to somebody so soft and beautiful, to me that helped me understand her way of feeling and thinking far better and without so much repetition.
Also I was hoping for more about her LIFE instead of merely her sex life. Hearing her stubbornly say how she's going to stay single her whole life (at one point she says she's going to have orgies at the age of ninety-nine) is kinda sad given there's not enough to back this ideology up. Why does she refuse to be close to anyone? Is it the death of her father? I wanted more. I wanted to see her fight for her life more, instead of merely complaining and insulting heterosexuals. Yes, i am a heterosexual, so maybe there's some bias there, but I definitely think this book doesn't back up its argument for this character.
The strength of this book is the first half, with Molly growing up in the sticks. The relationship to her parents (who are not her biological parents) I wanted more of. Molly's interaction with this world I really enjoyed, an outsider rebel who doesn't deny who she is? Instantly likeable in my opinion. But this falters in the later half of the story once she reaches New York city, it becomes stale and flat and annoying. The ending of the book could have saved the entire story if it gave more to Molly's character and her life, but it just ends with nothing to give. i have no idea if Molly finally opened her eyes after making her film or not, maybe the book needs to be reread. Maybe i will reread it someday, see if maybe i merely missed the point. But that won't be for a while.
This is one of my required texts for my memoir writing class, and the first one to make me say, "oh! ok, so this is what a real memoir looks like". ItThis is one of my required texts for my memoir writing class, and the first one to make me say, "oh! ok, so this is what a real memoir looks like". It is very well written, and is about several things. It's about the struggle between creation and passion, the physical and the emotional, the lines between ownership and freedom in relationships. Hooks wants an open relationship, but like any relationship of that kind, it comes with a certain amount of consequences. But Hooks carries them with her, wrapped on her sleeve with her heart. She lives with passion and courage and fights for what she believes in, even if a whole room full of people disagree with her. I can definitely see this as an empowering book, and it accomplishes that quite well.
I wish she had focused more on her writing, but i think this book provides a fantastic background into who she is as a writer. Which is fine, as i am clearly not a black female, so there's clearly a distance, yet i felt like Hooks provided this picture of her life that I could understand, a glimpse in her shoes. Which i think is the ultimate goal of a memoir.
I plan on reading more of Hooks work in the future, i feel like this book is merely a piece to a larger puzzle, sorta speak. ...more
A very good introduction to the many women Beat writers, all of whom deserve more attention. I wish there was more here, it's like a sample pack when A very good introduction to the many women Beat writers, all of whom deserve more attention. I wish there was more here, it's like a sample pack when there's plenty of samples but the samples are very small. The very important take-away from this book, is that the Beat generation are much more complex than outsiders think, and the women writers of the era deserve just as much praise as the men, if not more so. ...more
Mrs Kingston showed up at my school for a writer's workshop/lecture, so having not read any of her work previous I quickly bought this book and read iMrs Kingston showed up at my school for a writer's workshop/lecture, so having not read any of her work previous I quickly bought this book and read it. a lot of it I didn't honestly understand it, though a lot of people get confused cause they're unsure whether or not it's fiction, to me I just read it entirely as a work of fiction. For me, I just didn't understand the subject matter. Maybe its cause I'm a dude and therefore "girlhood" is something foreign to me, but really I felt like I wasn't the target audience for what I was reading and therefore somewhat out of the loop. Nonetheless it was an interesting read, it read like a kind of folk tale and some parts of it were quite interesting. ...more
There is an incredible amount of insight and wisdom and, often times humor, in Maya Angelou’s book. Indeed this is a prose book written with the eyes There is an incredible amount of insight and wisdom and, often times humor, in Maya Angelou’s book. Indeed this is a prose book written with the eyes of a poet. Magnificent and powerful work of a little girl’s struggle to adapt to the racism and pains of her time. There’s a sharpness to the details of the people contained in this book; the way one speaks, carries themselves. I was often in awe of her observations and insights. ...more
I want to think over the book a little more, but after finishing it I was left wanting more. I got the feeling that Plath intended to write another, aI want to think over the book a little more, but after finishing it I was left wanting more. I got the feeling that Plath intended to write another, and then reading the appendix at the end I found that was indeed the case.
I was surprised by how clear and linear a majority of the writing is. I must admit I expected something far more dense before, something closer to a riddle, the way thick mature literature tends to be.
Not that thats a bad thing. In fact, I wish I had read this hauntingly honest novel much sooner. The way Esther's world is exposed to the reader is one that at times is funny, other times so striking I found myself pausing merely to reflect upon its unique honesty.
What I got from the book is not just a novel tied strong to common struggles women deal with at the time (you must get married! You must have babies!) but I also think a very human one as well. It seemed, in one way or another, as if everyone was suffering from some masked hidden thing, the doctors hiding it the best. (Because no one is insane but them, right?).
One part of the book that surprised me was how rational Esther made everything she was doing. Even attempting suicide, the writing was controlled, the reasoning there even though ludicrous and absurd. I was not expecting that, i always assumed if someone were in an asylum after attempting suicide that their thoughts and reasons were completely mumbo-jumbo. Of course, one good explanation is that Esther is writing of her experiences later on, with a cleared vision and sound mind.
Esther felt the world on her shoulders (or in her perspective, a bell jar over her), and that is something that a lot of people feel in their youth. Its hard to figure out yourself in the modern world, especially when the demand is so high.
At any rate I enjoyed the novel, for its honesty, its cleverness, and its humanity. Its such a shame we couldn't see Plath's work continue and see what kind of art she would have made later in life. I highly recommend this book. ...more
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