Books

Feminism TBR

08:00


As you know, I love reading, and I’m a very passionate feminist, so obviously, I find books about feminism so interesting. I have so many on my TBR, so today I thought I’d show you some of the ones I’m most excited to get to.

Non-fiction

I mainly read fiction, but I find non-fiction about feminism fascinating. I’ve read the classics (Bad Feminist, We Should All Be Feminists, anything by Caitlin Moran, etc...), but there’s still so much out there that I’m yet to read.

Shrill by Lindy West

I love reading essay collections/memoirs because they feel so personal. I’ve been hearing so many good things about Shrill, so when the hardback (which is gorgeous!) was on sale, I knew I just had to buy it.

It’s about learning that your opinion is valid as a woman, and that we do not need to be quiet, small, or take up less space. I haven’t read anything from Lindy West before, but I follow her on Twitter, and she’s so funny! I’m hoping to pick up this book when I’m feeling down, because I know this will make me chuckle, and essay collections have a way of making me feel less lonely.

Girls Will Be Girls by Emer O'Toole

My sister bought this without me, and ever since I’ve been jealously eyeing it. I hadn’t heard of it until she brought it home, but since it’s been on my radar, I can’t stop hearing about it! I love books that take a critical look instead of telling personal stories (I like those too!) because they get me so angry, so passionate, and so ready for change.

Fiction

Needlework by Deirdre Sullivan

I picked this up at YALC last summer, and as soon as I bought it, I have been itching to read it. I have no idea why it’s still unread! Grace has recommended it on her blog so many times, and I trust her opinion greatly, so I know this will be one for me. Louise O’Neill has blurbed it too, so if she says it’s brilliant, it must be!

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

This book is a bit out of my normal comfort zone, but I know I’m going to love it. I don’t think this one is explicitly about feminism (correct me if I’m wrong!), but I know it’s about the power of sisterhood, and women sticking together. It seems like a beautiful book, and everyone’s talking about it, so I know I need to read it soon so I’m not left behind!

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

Again, I’m not really sure if this is specifically about feminism like the others, but I’ve read the synopsis and I’m pretty sure the women this are pretty badass. It’s about Alex, who after her sister died, learned the art of fighting and violence. Just the title makes me want to read it!

Classics

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

I can’t believe I haven’t read this one yet! If you ask someone for a feminist fiction recommendation, they’re bound to mention this. I’ve been desperate to read it for ages, so when I convinced my sister to buy it last week, it might have been they best thing I’ve ever done.

Sales of this have risen by something ridiculous since Trump was elected, which makes me scared yet very excited to read it. I know it will be an important book, even if it is hard to get through because of how poignant it will be. The world is shitty, but at least we have good books to lose ourselves in.


Villette by Charlotte Bronte

I’ve never read a book by any of the Bronte sisters (I know, it’s shameful!), so this will be my first. I think it’s so important and interesting to read books about feminism written over a hundred years ago, because any books about women’s rights will be so ahead of their times. I’m so enthusiastic to see Charlotte Bronte’s perception of how society treated women in the 1800s, even if I am a little scared because long classics intimidate me!

Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

I’m almost scared to admit that I’ve never read a book by Virginia Woolf. I know a little bit about her, so I know she was a brave and admirable writer - and a revolutionary feminist, even for her times. I’m scared to read this one too because I’ve heard that her writing style can sometimes be hard, but I’m so ready to read this that I’m sure it won’t matter. I’ll just have to try a bit harder, which is probably a good thing!
Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think? Any other recommendations for feminist books I need to add to my TBR?

Feminism

My Feminist 2017 Resolutions

12:23


New year, new me, right? Wrong. I like the concept behind them - it’s nice to set goals and work towards something for yourself, but I don’t like the way there’s so much pressure on us to be better than the year before. It won’t be hard for 2017 to be better than 2016, but for the new year, there are a few things I want to aim to do.


1. Stop apologising for things that weren’t my fault

I think this is one that everyone needs to adopt for themselves, especially women. We’re constantly drilled into us that we should be small, polite... apologetic in everything we do. I am not standing for this any longer. I’m funny, I’m loud, I’m clever, and I will not apologise for it. It’s the way I was born - in men they’re admirable qualities, so I am going to make people admire me, as a woman, for them!

This is also a very personal one for me, too. My mental illnesses constantly tell me that everything bad in the world is my fault, and hence I should apologise for it so people will still like me. This logic is total bullshit! If I haven’t done anything wrong, I won’t say sorry for it. The negativity is just fuelling my low self-esteem, and it not healthy for me. I hope that in the new year I can unabashedly be myself, because that’s all I can be.

2. Start using my Moon Cup.

In late August, I won a Moon Cup (along with other feminist goodies!) from the amazing Tara at Cattitude & Co, but I’m still yet to use it. I’ve been meaning to for absolutely ages, but I just haven’t got round to it yet! Within the next few months, I am definitely going to use it, because it’s so much healthier for so many different reasons.

Without boring you to death with all the reasons why you should give reusable menstrual products a go (in a future blog post maybe?), I’ll just say how much better for your body they are, because there’s no chemicals at all being inserted up there. It makes perfect sense! It’s also completely hygienic (you boil them clean yourself), and there’s not all the waste of sanitary products, which isn’t good for the environment.

3. If something is sexist, don’t overlook it

I know I do this already, and do try my best, but recently, I’ve been noticing more and more just how problematic my favourite things are, and I want to do something about it. A few months ago I binged the first two seasons of ‘black-ish’, and it’s been celebrating for it’s realism about black lives in the USA at the moment. It taught me so much on these issues, as well as being really funny, and I loved all the characters... but it was absurdly sexist.

I'm not sure if it's still okay to enjoy and support something I know is problematic (black-ish is different because it's doing something good. I like to like that show). I want to be brave and call things like this out when I know I’m doing the right thing. It’s hard, and often we’re attacked for calling out sexism, but I want to put this aside me to do what’s right. It’s important, and if someone doesn’t start, then who will?!

4. Lift other women up instead of trying to find faults in their arguments

I think this is a really important one, and that everyone should try harder to do in 2017. We spend too long criticising other women for what they’ve said about feminism (eg Taylor Swift and Lena Dunham). Obviously, it’s super important to call out people when they’ve been exclusive, and White Feminism is never okay, but it’s not fair for us to criticise women more than we do men. Yes, these women have said things that are never okay, but we should also recognise the good things they’ve done. Taylor Swift has brought feminism into the public eye, and while her brand of feminism needs a lot of improvement, getting people interested in the movement is very important too.

I want to focus on celebrating other women in the new year. My fellow sisters are amazing, and we should rejoice that! Women fight such a tough battle everyday, so I don’t want to make it any harder by criticising them more than they deserve. We’re all human, and we all make mistakes. This doesn’t mean that we should ignore when they say something problematic, but we should teach them without attacking, and then lift them up when they do say something great.

Happy New Year! I hope you have an amazing 2017! Any plans for the new year? I'd love to know!

Discussions

Something Needs to Change: A Feminist Rant

07:30


I am sick of YA books ignoring feminism. I am sick of YA female protagonists having so much internalised misogyny that it is teaching other girls to be that way. I am sick of the ‘hot abusive bad boy’ trope. I am sick of YA love interests controlling their girlfriends, and teaching younger audiences that this is acceptable, and even something to aspire too! I am sick of sexism being ignored and overlooked, or sometimes even praised. I am sick of anti-feminist YA and I demand change.
I recently read What’s A Girl Gotta Do? By Holly Bourne; it has changed my life, and made me realise just how much books - and the world - need to change. In the book, Lottie sets out to call out every piece of sexism she sees, and it was just so inspirational. We follow her struggles through it - because what she did would have pretty tough! - and it empowered and uplifted me so much that I want to change things. And this starts with YA books.
YA books are pretty progressive in their ideas about social justice. There’s books about race, class, feminism, gender, mental health that I don’t think you would find in any other genre, and I think this is a great thing! It’s one of the reasons why I love YA books so much. Obviously, they are targeted towards teenagers, and what better way to start to change the world than with the next generation? YA readers are often very open minded, so making books more feminist would teach people just how important the political movement is.
It’s pretty hard being a feminist - pretty much everything we do is over-analysed and criticized (which in itself is pretty sexist!). Everyone who added to #IAmAFeminist a few weeks ago got hate and people trolling them, just for sharing their opinion. It’s clear that either people don’t know the true meaning of feminism, or just plainly dislike women (I think it’s a bit of both!).
In addition to this, I point you towards a recent interview with Sarah Jessica Parker. In this, she said that she wasn’t a feminist because she believed that all genders should be equal. (Personally I believe people like this aren’t the biggest problem - we’re all fighting for the same cause, and while their ignorance does annoy me, I think we should be focusing on bigger problems, like FGM and rape culture, as well as actually doing things about it). But I think this shows that she needs to be educated, because I’m sure she isn’t the only one who feels like this. (You can see the interview here). Kim Kardashian has also recently said she isn’t a feminist (which you can see here).

I am so angry because so many books just ignore feminism, even if the authors claim to be feminists. I believe (as controversial as this may be!) that just calling yourself a feminist isn’t enough - ask most women and they will tell you they’re a feminist (I hope!). (Obviously, it’s better to identify as a feminist than not, but I still don’t think it’s enough). I think that to make change, we need to use our voices and not be silenced, and authors can do this through their books.

It doesn’t have to be specifically discussing the feminist movement. I think that just talking about feminist ideas is super helpful and will really go a long way to enlightening people! If all authors chipped in, it would change the world! For example, in Trouble by Non Pratt (yes, yes, I can’t write a discussion without mentioning this book!), feminism isn’t outright discussed, but Hannah talks about how her being ‘easy’ doesn’t denote her self worth. She is proud of who she is! I love the way it talks about slut shaming and misogyny during sex, and it changed the way I thought about feminism slightly. I know it will do the same for so many other people who read it too!
YA books need to show that no always means no. There’s so many romance books (especially in the paranormal genre) where the girl is telling the guy she doesn’t want to kiss/have sex with him, but he keeps persisting, sometimes even to the point of physically grabbing her. The girl finds this hot and irresistible, and it’s so wrong - we should not be teaching people that assault is attractive. This is so toxic and is just adding to rape culture! So many books are guilty of this - Hush Hush, Obsidian, A Court of Mist and Fury, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and Shatter Me are just some examples.

Something needs to be done, and awareness needs to be spread. I believe feminism is essential for everyone, and the time when the whole world becomes feminist is when sexism might finally be destroyed, and the patriarchy might be taken down. Awareness will help the movement so much and if authors are able to help spread it, they would be doing so much for the feminist movement. Everyone might be able to be made aware, and it would create a generation of feminists!
That’s why What’s A Girl Gotta Do? is so important. It’s empowering, and really inspired me to follow in Lottie’s footsteps to call out sexism! I think I’m already quite aware of modern everyday sexism, so my experiences of the book will be different - for me, it inspired me to do what Lottie did, and I could really relate to her experiences. For others, it will ‘enlighten’ on how much sexism there is everyday, and inspire them to do further research on the feminist campaign. It’s such an important book, and I really hope Holly Bourne inspires authors to do what she’s done so fantastically well.

If you want to do more reading on feminism, I would recommend:
Fiction:
  • All the Rage (tw rape)
  • Asking For It (tw rape) and Only Ever Yours
  • Trouble
  • Spinster Trilogy (Am I Normal Yet?, How Hard Can Love Be?, What’s A Girl Gotta Do?)
  • Needlework (I haven’t read this one yet, but I own it, and it’s meant to be amazing!)
  • An Ember in the Ashes (this is fantasy and doesn’t really talk about feminism, but I loved the ideas of gender and women and thought it was so feminist)
Non fiction:
  • I Call Myself A Feminist (I would recommend this if you are looking for more reasons to be a feminist or a recently one - I rated it not too highly because I found the ideas to not be too progressive, but I think that was just me, because I think I’ve become a lot more used to it, and maybe even a little desensitized with the environment I’ve grown up in and the liberal circles I tend to be more active in)
  • Bad Feminist (more on intersectional feminism, and feminism and race)
  • Everyday Sexism and Girl Up (I haven’t read these yet but I really want to, and they’ve been recommended to me so many times!)
  • We Should All Be Feminists

5 Stars

Review: Only Ever Yours

09:30

Only Ever Yours
By Louise O'Neill

 Source: Personal purchase, paperback
Genres: Young adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Feminism

Goodreads Synopsis:
frieda and isabel have been best friends their whole lives.
Now, aged sixteen and in their final year at the School, they expect to be selected as companions - wives to wealthy and powerful men. The alternative - life as a concubine - is too horrible to contemplate.
But as the intensity of the final year takes hold, the pressure to remain perfect becomes almost unbearable. isabel starts to self-destruct, putting her beauty - her only asset - in peril.
And then, the boy arrive, eager to choose a bride.
frieda must fight for her future - even if it means betraying the only friend, the only love, she has ever known...

I have been putting reviewing this off for ages now, but now I’m finally gathering my thoughts to attempt a review. Because it’s just that good. Anyone who has had the pleasure of reading this will know just how hard-hitting and important it is. I didn’t love reading it, because it was a truly harrowing read, but  what I did love was how important it is, and how much it gave me to think about. it’s one of my favourite books because of this. I recommend it to everyone - regardless of your gender.

I can’t tell you how important this book is. You just have to read it for yourself, and I think the less you know, the better. It’s a haunting view of our society, but after reading, and thinking a hell of a lot about society, it’s scarily true. I know we don’t generally see women in the same way that they do in frieda and isabel’s world, but if you really think about it, we’re not too far off.
This has made me want to do something about it. I’m a teenage cis girl who has dealt with sexism for my whole life. Usually, I’ve just learnt to “accept” it, but this book has really inspired me to do something. Although life isn’t as bad as it is for the girls in Only Ever Yours, our society could become this way, and I don’t want it to happen. This book has inspired me to try and make a change (even if it’s really small).
If you’ve ever spoken to me (especially in real life), you’ll know I’m an intersectional feminist. I knew as soon as I heard about this book that I just had to pick it up. Before, I hadn’t read a book that was so blatantly feminist - it’s a hard thing to brand yourself as today, in a world that pretty much hates feminism. I was so shocked to read this, because I wasn’t expecting it at all. I have recommended it to everyone, because it’s just so good.

Please, please, just read this book. Even if you don’t “enjoy” it, it’s one of the most important books you’ll ever read, and is so cleverly crafted that I don’t see how anyone could ever regret reading it. My hat goes off to Louise O’Neill for writing such a crucial book, and I know I will read every single book written by her in the future, because I know they won’t disappoint.

4 stars

Review: How to Build a Girl

16:00

How to Build a Girl
By Caitlin Moran

 Source: Supermarket
Page count: 352
Genres: Adult, Feminism, Contemporary, Humour, Music, Coming of Age

 Goodreads Synopsis:

 My name’s Johanna Morrigan. I’m fourteen, and I’ve just decided to kill myself.

I don’t really want to die, of course! I just need to kill Johanna, and build a new girl. Dolly Wilde will be everything I want to be, and more! But as with all the best coming-of-age stories, it doesn’t exactly go to plan…

 My review:
I heartily enjoyed this book. It’s one of those rare books that is so funny you find yourself laughing out loud (and possibly getting some weird stares) at some points, yet feeling heavy-hearted at other times when not everything goes right for the main character. It was very vulgar in a British way, which is probably the reason why I enjoyed it so much.

Johanna (the main character) was very interesting to read about. She was very flawed, but I think it made her more loveable and easy to root for. Her friendship with John Kite was very touching too, and made me really smile. She had good character development, but I feel like because of her background, she could have had more courage and backbone earlier on in the book.
I am very different to Johanna, so I feel like sometimes she could be a bit too frustrating. Some of the things that she did were really embarrassing (second hand embarrassment is the worst), and lots of her decisions seemed odd to me - I know I certainly would never do lots of the things she did!
The supportive family aspects in this book were really enjoyable to read. Although her family seemed chaotic at times, the banter they all had was very funny. I especially liked Johanna and Krissi (her older brother) together because of the way they could be brutally honest with each other (like siblings do), but then always make up after a fight.


Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had some very original elements, and the characters had me laughing a lot. I would recommend it to British people (lots of British references and humour!) who don’t mind rude jokes, because this did raise a few eyebrows!

 My rating: