We Should All Be Feminists
Ratings290
Average rating4.4
I absolutely love Adichie, I absolutely love books on feminism and I loved this book too! Very concise and straight to the point.
Giving this a 4/5 instead of 5/5 cause I felt that it completely ignored the fact that gender and sex are different, and it was very focused hetero relationships. These are things that are top of mind for me (esp in 2021), though I understand it might not have been as common to talk about in 2014.
This is a good beginner text for introduction to feminism, especially to realize the subtle ways in which women are treated differently in our society. I think everyone should checkout this book once.
I feel a little guilty counting this towards my book goal because it only took 15-20 minutes to read. I liked it. Adichie is right that we need to reclaim the word feminism, and each play our own part in living our lives the way we want to regardless of our sex organs, and fight for all others to do the same.
Simplistic and logical. Compelling if you're reading about feminism for the first time. Though I know the main argument was pure feminism and not intersectionality, I really wish she hadn't said this: “the loss of virginity is a process that usually involves two people of opposite genders.” I guess usually gives a pass, but it could easily havr been written to show a woman's involvement in sex without a gender binary
I absolutely love Adichie, I absolutely love books on feminism and I loved this book too! Very concise and straight to the point.
Giving this a 4/5 instead of 5/5 cause I felt that it completely ignored the fact that gender and sex are different, and it was very focused hetero relationships. These are things that are top of mind for me (esp in 2021), though I understand it might not have been as common to talk about in 2014.
Excellent and super-quick read. Sometimes we all need to be reminded of the basic principles behind our beliefs.
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #11 Read a book under 100 pages)
Loved this! This woman does a wonderful job of articulating an issue that resonates under the surface of our society. I found myself noting many of her points and plan to view the Tedx talk this book is based on.
A very short, fast read about gender and the need for us all to become feminists: A person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.
Quotes:
“the higher you go, the fewer women there are.”
“We spend too much time teaching girls to worry about what boys think of them. But the reverse is not the case.”
“A world of happier men and happier women who are truer to themselves. And this is how to start: We must raise our daughters differently. We must also raise our sons differently.”
“The harder a man feels compelled to be, the weaker his ego is.”
“We use the word respect for something a woman shows a man but often not for something a man shows a woman. Both men and women will say: ‘I did it for peace in my marriage.' When men say it, it is usually about something they should not be doing anyway... When women say [it], it is usually because they have given up a job, a career goal, a dream.”
“Some men feel threated by the idea of feminism. This comes, I think, from the insecurity triggered by how boys are brought up, how their sense of self-worth is diminished if they are not ‘naturally' in charge as men”
“Men need to speak out in all of these ostensibly small situations.”
“Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture.”
“Anger has a long history of bringing about positive change. In addition to anger, I am also hopeful, because I believe deeply in the ability of human beings to remake themselves for the better.”
I really enjoyed this essay. Ready to read more from this author.
Excellent - should be required reading for everyone. Need to make a mental note to reread this on a regular basis.
An incredibly short but powerful read. Just about 50 pages in all, but it covers the most important ideas of feminism. It's almost a manifesto.
I really believe writings on social justice are products of their era and are challenging to revisit with a critical eye years later. This book/essay could definitely be better and more intersectional. But it was also written almost a decade ago. It doesn't make the gender essentialism and dismissal of the trans experience ok, but I feel like this essay is a byproduct of the politics and public consciousness of the moment. If it changed minds at the time and drove people to think critically (and I believe it did) then it did it's job. I don't see a reason to revisit it in 2023 besides the fact that I needed a short book to tide me over between library loans lol. I think our public consciousness around gender justice is more advanced and nuanced today, and that's great!
While this didn't introduce anything new on this subject to me, I feel it's a perfectly concise introduction to feminism that everyone should read, particularly those who think all feminists hate men.
A quick and powerful read about the necessity of feminism and fight gender stereotypes in our society. Clearly a must read for everyone.
Oh my God. I have no words to describe how amazing this woman is.
This speech was just... God. Never a thing so short opened my eyes so wide.
The way Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie see things makes me feel full of hope, hope of a world where my daughter will be as respected as a men and gender won't be an impediment for her.
I found myself highlighting a lot of beautiful and thought provoking quotes till a point I had to stop because I was highlighting almost every paragraph.
READ IT PLEASE. DO THE WORLD A FAVOR AND READ THIS.
( I also recommend watching the TEDtalk along you're reading it )
Beautifully and kindly stated! And amen, sister! I need some more of Adichie's writing in my life.
This is a short and powerful story. I've heard it was first a TED talk. The author brings up powerful views that encourage us to challenge our traditional perception of what a feminist is.