The Trouble With Women by Jacky Fleming (2016, Andrews McMeel Publishing; 128 pages) "In the older days there were no women which is why you don't come across them in history lessons at school. There were men and quite a few of them were geniuses. Then there were a few women but their heads were very small so they were rubbish at everything apart from needleworkd and croquet." If you are intelligent, into satirical readings, and you need to laugh aloud at the end of a busy, rotten day, this is the book for you. You will actually roar, especially if you consider yourself a feminist. Questions like "Can women be geniuses?" or "are their arms too short?" or "why did we only learn about three women at school and what were all the others doing?" will be answered in this savagely funny book. This is a book illustrated throughout with pen and ink sketches reminiscent of Victorian cartoons. The drawings have a caricatural style, but they are witty, they are alive, they move and they enrich the stories and characters. Jacky Fleming's women have ballooning wide skirts and astonishing, tiny heads. After all: “Female brains were not only smaller, but they were made of soft, spongey, lightweight material.” But their faces have an incredible expression that tells you they are not happy, they are not sleeping, and they are ready to be part of history. This book is a must read, no matter what your age or gender is. Find this title in our catalog: The Trouble With Women Recommended by: Maite
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Muslim Girl: A Coming of Age by Amani Al-Khatahtbeh (2016, Simon & Schuster; 144 pages) Amani Al-Khatahtbeh is the founder and editor in chief of MuslimGirl.com, the number one Muslim women's blog in the United States. She regularly provides commentary on social, cultural, and political issues through outlets such as CNN, Al Jazeera, and the BBC, and has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, and more. This memoir is a harrowing and candid account of what it´s like to be a young Muslim woman in the wake of 9/11, during the never-ending war on terror, and through the Trump era. It is a portrait of Amani's journey through adolescence as a Muslim girl in the United States, from the Islamophobia she's faced on a daily basis to the website she launched that became a cultural phenomenon, to the nation's political climate in the 2016 election cycle. The voice in the book is powerful and the writing is fantastic. The author brings light to many questions that non-Muslims have. She discusses myths, like the one that says that a headscarf is a signifier for radicalism or oppression. She generously shares her own personal anecdotes, and her honesty is astonishing. Amani sends a vital message, an urgent one that is a deeply necessary counterpoint to the current political climate and rhetoric about the Middle East. A must read. Fantastic. Find this title in our catalog: Muslim Girl Recommended by: Maite We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2015, Anchor Books; 64 pages) Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is the author of award-winning and bestselling novels, among them Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun. She has also published a delightful book titled Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions. She divides her time between the United States and Nigeria, and living in both countries adds a fantastic and very interesting cultural note to her analysis about contemporary feminism, something that the reader can enjoy in We Should All Be Feminists. The book is actually a short essay adapted from the author's TEDx talk of the same name. The readers will find a unique definition of feminism for the 21st century, one rooted in inclusion and awareness. The author's style is concise, and her voice is fun. What is truly interesting is that Chimamanda dives on her own experiences and her deep understanding of the often hidden realities of sexual politics. She questions and answers what it means to be a woman now, and from there she makes a radical and well reasoned point for why we should be raising our daughters and sons to be feminists. This is a short and delightful read, recommended to everyone, because, as the author writes: All of us, women and men, must do better to build a better world. Find this title in our catalog: We Should All Be Feminists Recommended by: Maite |
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