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August 25
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Hope
gave
to:
Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture (Paperback)
by Ariel Levy
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in August, 2008
Hope said:
"This book blew my freakin mind. Yeah, I sort of expected a second-wave maven on an anti-sex tirade, but what I got was Levy's witty, utterly sensical, banterish prose taking on issues that I, and I'm sure many younger feminists, very often feel conf...more
This book blew my freakin mind. Yeah, I sort of expected a second-wave maven on an anti-sex tirade, but what I got was Levy's witty, utterly sensical, banterish prose taking on issues that I, and I'm sure many younger feminists, very often feel conflicted about.
Levy does an awful lot in this slender book but ties it all together quite nicely. Among other things, she examines the contemporary phenomenon of uber-raunch, delves into the history of the feminist movement and the anti-porn/sex-positive schism, takes a wry look at some of the new millennium's sexual icons and looks without much rhetoric at the ramifications of all this on teenage sexuality. A rant this is not, however. Levy exhibits genuine liking and respect for most of her interview subjects (anyone from Jimmy Kimmel to high schoolers in Oakland to abstinence educators) and eschews inflammatory rhetoric for logic and self-evident contradictions. And no, she does not pin it all on the guys, guys. Much of the sparely-used ire in this book is directed at women, who in the pursuit of their own advancement, have effectually thrown 'women' as a group under the bus.
It is unbelievably refreshing to have someone to examine so thoroughly the real difference between sexuality (ie sexual desire and pleasure) and sex presented as power or commodity. Just because you dislike the latter does not mean you are unable to experience the former.
Whether she is showing the queasy shark-attack mentality of a 'Girls Gone Wild' shoot-and the WOMEN who often make them possible, citing the folly of idolizing strippers and other sex workers as liberated erotic idols (those whose job it is to FEIGN arousal) or calling out women entertainment executives who make their living and their reputations exploiting other women (she calls them Uncle Toms to their gender, and I can't say I disagree), Ariel Levy hits the mark with humor and aptitude. ...less
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August 18
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Hope
added:
2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl (Hardcover)
by Daniel Pinchbeck
bookshelves:
started-but-didn-t-finish
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in October, 2008
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July 30
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New comment on Hope's review of
Uglies (Uglies, Book 1)
(see all 2 comments)
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July 28
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Hope
gave
to:
American Nerd: The Story of My People (Hardcover)
by Benjamin Nugent (Goodreads author!)
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Hope said:
"This pseudo-study of the modern nerd archetype was amusing and thorough enough to get me to finish it, which is saying a lot. Nugent's prose makes you feel for him and like him - endearing but just stopping short of cute - even if his commitment to o...more
This pseudo-study of the modern nerd archetype was amusing and thorough enough to get me to finish it, which is saying a lot. Nugent's prose makes you feel for him and like him - endearing but just stopping short of cute - even if his commitment to one definition seems to waver over time. Personally I enjoyed the anecdotal quality of the second half of the book, though I know this is a point of contention for some readers.
His range of topics related to all things nerdy - from Ren Fair cowboys and adolescent D & D fanatics to Jane Austen characters and Asperger's Syndrome - makes for an entertaining if not authoritative journalistic read. woot....less
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June 10
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Hope
gave
to:
A Confederacy of Dunces (Paperback)
by John Kennedy Toole
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in August, 2008
Hope said:
"Next on the list!
"
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Hope
marked as to-read:
The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World
by Michael Pollan
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Hope
marked as to-read:
The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America (Paperback)
by Jonathan Kozol
bookshelves:
started-but-didn-t-finish,
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Hope
gave
to:
Reverend Jen's Really Cool Neighborhood/Les Misrahi (Paperback)
by Saint Reverend Jen
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in August, 2008
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Hope
gave
to:
The Secret Life of Bees (Paperback)
by Sue Monk Kidd
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Hope said:
"The person who recommended this to me said it changed her life and she was going to give it to her mother for her birthday, etc. It kind of fell short for me. The characters were just barely fleshed out, relying heavily on type with a few details t...more
The person who recommended this to me said it changed her life and she was going to give it to her mother for her birthday, etc. It kind of fell short for me. The characters were just barely fleshed out, relying heavily on type with a few details thrown in to individualize them. I could see the author trying to de-stereotype the main characters and almost succeeding. But not just quite. On the whole, pretty predictable.
The spiritual inventions of the characters and the details of beekeeping were the most interesting parts of the story. I really enjoyed the Black Madonna allusions and the mythology the author inserts gives the book its soul. I just wish the characters and plot could have been as full and enjoyable.
...less
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Hope
gave
to:
Extras (Uglies, Book 4)
by Scott Westerfeld
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Hope said:
"An entertaining afterthought to the Uglies trilogy, full of Westerfeld's trademark mid-air action sequences, with no small amount of social commentary layered into it. However, it's currently my least favorite of the series. I wonder if it is because...more
An entertaining afterthought to the Uglies trilogy, full of Westerfeld's trademark mid-air action sequences, with no small amount of social commentary layered into it. However, it's currently my least favorite of the series. I wonder if it is because Tally Youngblood is a more likeable protaganist than Aya Fuse, or maybe just because of the three book structure of the initial trilogy leaves more room for suspense-building (wider story arc?). Either way, a fun return to this totally bubbly world. Eeeeh yeah I just said that....less
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