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Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters
by Jessica Valenti

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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/390778.Full_Frontal_Feminism_A_Young_Woman_s_Guide_to_Why_Feminism_Matters?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174387187m/390778.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/390778.Full_Frontal_Feminism_A_Young_Woman_s_Guide_to_Why_Feminism_Matters?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/222118.Jessica_Valenti">Jessica Valenti</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7763223?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 4 of 5 stars Jessica Valenti writes as a friend--a close friend--would speak to another: Without airs, without condescension, communicating directly and colloquially with someone they care about. She writes with wit and humor, never taking herself too seriously, even when communicating deadly serious information. She defuses one of the slurs regarding feminists: the clichéd humorless harridan. She ably destroys that stereotype throughout, to the joy, often the rude joy, of the reader. 
 
 Both in style and substance, the book is fun. It also dovetails with another aspect of her book: She writes with real force; her language is uncompromisingly honest, blunt yet never shrill. Some of her wit displayed is of the cutting variety, slashing at the stupidity of sexism in all its manifestations. This, too, reflects the urgency of her message: That now, more than ever, it is vital for women--and men--to proudly claim and uphold the mantle of feminism, and that its basic tenets are under assault with a vengeance not seen in years.
 
 What keeps “Full Frontal Feminism” from becoming a rant is that is utterly useful, a practical guide, and more importantly, it forces the reader to consider: The essential elements of feminism, the myths that surround what feminism is, the place of women in the world, and the reader's own prejudices. While the book is chock-full of useful information, both practical and experiential, one of the most important things that is communicated is this: “Find out for yourself.” Getting involved, discovering the aspects of feminism that make your tick, Jessica writes, are essential, and totally reflective of the feminist viewpoint: That individual women can, and should, decide for themselves how to shape their lives. Assisting in that, Jessica peppers her book with plain-spoken advice, never hectoring those she attempts to reach, but letting them know succinctly that they are responsible for themselves.
 
 And it's against tremendous resistance, whether it be abstinence programs that lay the entirety of the blame for what proponents see as sexual licentiousness at women's--girl's--feet, the continued imbalance in the workplace and in the home, a pop-culture that sends profoundly mixed-messages about how a young woman should behave, and how much of the discrimination has been both internalized and institutionalized, to the point where unless one is acutely aware of it, the fact that women are being treated unfairly--and that's a gentle way of phrasing it--can pass unnoticed. “Full Frontal Feminism” gives women real tools to fight back, first by helping them realize that a battle is on, whether they wish for it or not.
 
 She does give a pass to the flaws of the feminist movement--first, second or third wave. She is forthright in pointing out how feminists have occasionally undermined each other, how the movement has sometimes not been as inclusive as it could have been, and how internecine feuds over seemingly trivial issues--though of course often reflective of deeper divisions--drawn women and men that support them away from fighting the more essential fights.
 
 I was born in the same year that NOW was formed. In that time I've been lucky enough to have been surrounded by strong women: my mother, who went from a home-maker to a vice-president in an insurance company; two strong, independent sisters, and a plethora of vibrant, kick-ass women throughout college and after, who made it clear to me that they expected, demanded to be treated as equals, to the point that the concept was in my bones, never to be displaced. And so it must be on a grander scale with the whole of society. There is much work to do, and Jessica Valenti is one of the women doing much of the heavy lifting. 
 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/122194?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Glenn's review
rating:

bookshelves: journalism
status: Read in September, 2007

Jessica Valenti writes as a friend--a close friend--would speak to another: Without airs, without condescension, communicating directly and colloquially with someone they care about. She writes with wit and humor, never taking herself too seriously, even when communicating deadly serious information. She defuses one of the slurs regarding feminists: the clichéd humorless harridan. She ably destroys that stereotype throughout, to the joy, often the rude joy, of the reader.

Both in style and substance, the book is fun. It also dovetails with another aspect of her book: She writes with real force; her language is uncompromisingly honest, blunt yet never shrill. Some of her wit displayed is of the cutting variety, slashing at the stupidity of sexism in all its manifestations. This, too, reflects the urgency of her message: That now, more than ever, it is vital for women--and men--to proudly claim and uphold the mantle of feminism, and that its basic tenets are under assault w...more Jessica Valenti writes as a friend--a close friend--would speak to another: Without airs, without condescension, communicating directly and colloquially with someone they care about. She writes with wit and humor, never taking herself too seriously, even when communicating deadly serious information. She defuses one of the slurs regarding feminists: the clichéd humorless harridan. She ably destroys that stereotype throughout, to the joy, often the rude joy, of the reader.

Both in style and substance, the book is fun. It also dovetails with another aspect of her book: She writes with real force; her language is uncompromisingly honest, blunt yet never shrill. Some of her wit displayed is of the cutting variety, slashing at the stupidity of sexism in all its manifestations. This, too, reflects the urgency of her message: That now, more than ever, it is vital for women--and men--to proudly claim and uphold the mantle of feminism, and that its basic tenets are under assault with a vengeance not seen in years.

What keeps “Full Frontal Feminism” from becoming a rant is that is utterly useful, a practical guide, and more importantly, it forces the reader to consider: The essential elements of feminism, the myths that surround what feminism is, the place of women in the world, and the reader's own prejudices. While the book is chock-full of useful information, both practical and experiential, one of the most important things that is communicated is this: “Find out for yourself.” Getting involved, discovering the aspects of feminism that make your tick, Jessica writes, are essential, and totally reflective of the feminist viewpoint: That individual women can, and should, decide for themselves how to shape their lives. Assisting in that, Jessica peppers her book with plain-spoken advice, never hectoring those she attempts to reach, but letting them know succinctly that they are responsible for themselves.

And it's against tremendous resistance, whether it be abstinence programs that lay the entirety of the blame for what proponents see as sexual licentiousness at women's--girl's--feet, the continued imbalance in the workplace and in the home, a pop-culture that sends profoundly mixed-messages about how a young woman should behave, and how much of the discrimination has been both internalized and institutionalized, to the point where unless one is acutely aware of it, the fact that women are being treated unfairly--and that's a gentle way of phrasing it--can pass unnoticed. “Full Frontal Feminism” gives women real tools to fight back, first by helping them realize that a battle is on, whether they wish for it or not.

She does give a pass to the flaws of the feminist movement--first, second or third wave. She is forthright in pointing out how feminists have occasionally undermined each other, how the movement has sometimes not been as inclusive as it could have been, and how internecine feuds over seemingly trivial issues--though of course often reflective of deeper divisions--drawn women and men that support them away from fighting the more essential fights.

I was born in the same year that NOW was formed. In that time I've been lucky enough to have been surrounded by strong women: my mother, who went from a home-maker to a vice-president in an insurance company; two strong, independent sisters, and a plethora of vibrant, kick-ass women throughout college and after, who made it clear to me that they expected, demanded to be treated as equals, to the point that the concept was in my bones, never to be displaced. And so it must be on a grander scale with the whole of society. There is much work to do, and Jessica Valenti is one of the women doing much of the heavy lifting.
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