Feminism Is For Everybody by bell hooks (2014, Routledge; 138 pages) This book starts like this: “Everywhere I go I proudly tell folks who want to know who I am and what I do that I am a writer, a feminist theorist, a cultural critic. I tell them I write about movies and popular culture, analyzing the message in the medium. Most people find this exciting and want to know more. Everyone goes to movies, watches television, glances through magazines, and everyone has thoughts about the messages they receive, about the images they look at. It is easy for the diverse public I encounter to understand what I do as a cultural critic, to understand my passion for writing (lots of folks want to write, and do). But feminist theory-that’s the place where the questions stop. Instead I tend to hear all about the evil of feminism and the bad feminist: how 'they' hate men; how 'they' want to go against nature-and god; how 'they' are all lesbians; how 'they' are taking all the jobs and making the world hard for white men, who do not stand a chance.” This is probably one of the best books about feminist theory I’ve read. bell hooks offers a welcoming and passionate vision of gender, sexuality, and society. The book is inspiring, and the writing is accessible and engaging. The definition of what is feminism for bell hooks (a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression) is a theory rooted in common sense and also, very importantly, it is based on the wisdom of her own experience. Respect, justice, inclusiveness are concepts vital to feminist politics, and bell hooks calls for that. She also calls for a feminism free from divisiveness, but she welcomes debate to find alternatives to end a patriarchal, racist and homophobic culture. The book is not very long, just over one hundred pages, with an introduction ("Come Closer to Feminism") and nineteen chapters, starting with Feminist Politics (Where We Stand), and ending with Visionary Feminism. There are chapters on Global Feminism, sisterhood, class struggle, feminist education, consciousness-raising, feminist parenting, ending violence, race and gender, feminist masculinity, sexual politics and more. “A genuine feminist politics always brings us from bondage to freedom, from lovelessness to loving…There can be no love without justice.” – From the chapter “To Love Again: The Heart of Feminism”. This book is a jewel, a must read, a “read it now” book. Find this title in our catalog: Feminism Is For Everybody Recommended by: Maite
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