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Dec 23, 2007

Anna rated it:

What if there was a matriarch, men ate the Pill, wore pehos ("The boys said it was awkward and uncomfortable, cramming your penis into that stupid box. And it was so impractical when you had to pee.")
and dressed in tiny clothes designed to show off your body?
The book is not just an interesting - sometimes absolutely hilarious, sometimes tragic - role reversal, but is also a commentary on the supposed neutrality of language.
Eg
wom, wim: woman, women
manwom, More...

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Nov 07, 2007

Tami rated it:

I read this book in my ultra-feminist college days and periodically go back to re-read it. It's funny how we don't think of many traditions in our society as 'sexist' but when we read it in the inverse (a young boy is expected to have his first sexual experience during a prom-type event, and the older, more experienced women are very aggressive in their pursuit) it sounds ridiculous. It is entertaining until you realize how ingrained sexism is in our society.

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Oct 01, 2007

Robynne rated it:

So, you think our society's not sexist? Wait 'til you read this book. The author turns every aspect of our society that has any sort of a gender tinge to it inside out. Get ready to rethink the language that we use, the rituals that we observe, and the clothes that we wear.

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Mar 23, 2008

LNimz rated it:

If you read this book, you will see what the world we live in looks like to me. With an unmatched effectiveness Gerd Brantenberg points out all of the obnoxious problems that women and men face because they can't seem to see outside their provincial world of traditional sex and gender roles. The author managed to get at all of the the sex issues that our society can't seem to cope with, let alone see.

Adults often tell young people, "You know, things aren't just black and white. More...

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May 08, 2009

Kalyn rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Dec 19, 2007

Christina rated it:

I read this book in my Gender & Language class at UCLA. I remember finding it hard to get into, but then I was hooked...it's a fascinating twist on our society that makes you reevaluate some of your own preconceived notions about the sexes. It's enlightening and entertaining, if a bit sad, but well worth the effort.

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Dec 13, 2010

Jenny rated it:

This book made me angry, which I'm sure is the point. Written in the 1970s to illuminate how sexist current society was, it effectively shows how ridiculous some of the inequalities really are, and how much of it we just ACCEPT (my shift in tense is intentional, since not a lot has changed since then). I got angriest for the examples I hadn't really thought of until now, but I grew up incredibly repressed in my home and my religion just by virtue of my gender, so it felt personal.

More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Aug 23, 2011

Amy rated it:

The Gender roles we typically take for granted, and have been led to believe are "natural" or "biological" or "innate" whereby women are "naturally" more nurturing because they carry children inside their bodies for 9 months, and men are "naturally aggressive bread-winners" are flipped on their heads in this satire. The most impressive feat of this book in my opinion is showing how linguistics actually affect perceived reality. For a quick exampl More...

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Dec 11, 2010

Peregrine 12 rated it:

I read this book for a Women's Studies course in college and it served its purpose well. Egalia's Daughters opened my eyes to a lot of things I wasn't consciously aware of before, for example: women's concerns about walking alone at night; the ridiculousness of pornography; the arbitrary comparisons of animals to humans just to prove a point (of *course* all males are ridiculous creatures! Just look at the rooster! Of *course* males are the natural caregivers! Just look at the seahorses!).

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Aug 17, 2010

Emily rated it:

Gender reversal. You don't realize how 'oppressive' women's lifestyle is until you imagine a situation in which men and women's roles are reversed. Women (wim) rule society and men (menwim) stay home to take care of the household. It's also interesting to pay attention to the language: 'wim' dominate the language more so than 'menwim' do, just as 'men' appears more frequently in language than does 'women.'

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 01, 2010

Kelsey rated it:

I read this book for my Women's Studies class and it was very interesting and well thought out by the author. The society is shocking yet believable and really demonstrates how gender is as much a product of society as it is of biology. I highly recommend this book to both men and women as it was an extremely eye-opening and interesting read.

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Sep 28, 2010

Kricket rated it:

an entertaining satire intended to ridicule the way our society treats gender. in egalsund, women have the power and men wear silly undergarments, long for romance and children, and struggle with feeling unfulfilled. brantenberg's aim is to point out that both extremes are wrong, and she has fun doing it. some of the long-winded passages on egalian history didn't do much for me, but overall i was amused and intrigued.

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Jan 08, 2012

Ali rated it:

I was required to read this for one of my sociology classes. It is well written and brings lots of questions about gender to mind. The vocabulary, characters, and other aspects are well thought out and planned. The book brings many things to the readers mind, however overall it was hard read for me.

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Mar 17, 2011

Kendall rated it:

Unique. Feminist-ic. In this book, men and women trade roles. The planet is called Egalia. Women are the dominant ones. Men are encouraged to gain weight to be 'pretty and plump' and when they dress up, they wear sheaths over their exposed penises, which they decorate.

Very interesting perspective.

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Aug 02, 2009

Holly rated it:

I read this book in college and it blew my mind. So much of what we understand to be "male" or "female" qualities can be manipulated by society. I had empathy for the second class status of the men in this novel. Highly recommend it for readers interested in gender constructs.

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May 31, 2009

Darla rated it:

I think this is one of those that is lost in translation. IT was okay, but I'm certain that I'm rating based on a language barrier kind of thing.

Recommended reading from: http://www.feministsf.org/bibs/recommend...

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Aug 10, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

I had to read this in college and I really enjoyed it. The book takes place in a world run by women and it is interesting and entertaining to see how the author imagines such a world. I'm not an ultra-feminist or anything and I simply enjoyed this for what it is. I'm sure you can get way more into it if you really wanted to.

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May 27, 2009

Reb rated it:

enjoyable candy reading--totally fun.
feminist-maximalist setting of a world where "wim" have all the power and "menwim" raise the kids at home, curling their beards for fashion, cultivating attractive round bellies, and wearing wigs to hide their baldness. the opposite of those books where women-in-charge = utopia. three stars for not really being a Novel but an enjoyable tour through the conceit... bonus points for the line "Menwim can't wear trousers, there would More...

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Feb 14, 2009

Angie rated it:

This was an interesting read! It kind of makes you wonder what would happen if the gender roles of male and female were reversed

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Aug 21, 2009

Grace added it

According to my French diary from high school, this was very amusing, yet it has completely disappeared from my memory.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 30, 2009

Alisa rated it:

My favorite book thus far. Switches the power dynamics of men and women in society. Very clever.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 14, 2009

Paula rated it:

I had to read this for a college course and it really gives you a different perspective on gender.

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Jun 24, 2011

Grace rated it:

Great concept. Used in an Identity studies class.

Borrowed by erf.

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Jan 25, 2010

Keti rated it:

It really turned my perspectives upside - down. I adore that book!

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Feb 23, 2009

Jeanna rated it:

It makes its point...I enjoyed it.

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Aug 29, 2007

Nina rated it:

I am trying to get through the books on my bookshelves that I have never read and somewhere along the way I must have purchased this book. It was published in the 1970s when the feminist movement was in full force. It is a satire on what life would be if it was a full fledged matriarchial society using words such as wom and wim to represent woman and women and manwom and humans as huwim. It draws out some interesting points but it is very dated. It is a fairly easy read but the prose and the More...

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Feb 11, 2011

Gretchen rated it:

Love how it makes you think of the world differently. If only men would read this book they might have a little more compassion towards women.

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Dec 14, 2010

Bill rated it:

"Satire" the right word -- the author lays out a well-realized world mirroring common gender roles, dress, and most interestingly, language. Something of a product of its times, in places -- it might help to know a little about the feminist movement of the 60s and 70s -- but not much dated for all of that, and rather grimly funny throughout.

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Jun 11, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

such an interesting look at how women and men exist in society and the many implications of how different viewpoints and factors can affect who is telling the story. Makes you think of so many different aspects involving men and women including status, relationship roles and little things like wearing a bra.

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Jun 13, 2011

Kelli rated it:

A very interesting book! It shows a world where women are the dominant sex and men are the submissive. It's an interesting way to look at all the injustices and inaccuracies that come with sexual discrimination through satire. Definitely read if you're interested in woman's studies!

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