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Women of a Certain Rage
This book is the result of what happened when Liz Byrski asked 20 Australian women from widely different backgrounds, races, beliefs and identities to take up the challenge of writing about rage.
The honesty, passion, courage and humour of their very personal stories is engergising and inspiring. If you have ever felt the full force of anger and wondered at its power, then this book is for you.
The honesty, passion, courage and humour of their very personal stories is engergising and inspiring. If you have ever felt the full force of anger and wondered at its power, then this book is for you.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 2, 2021
36 people are currently reading
613 people want to read
About the author
Liz Byrski
30 books199 followersLiz Byrski is a writer and broadcaster with more than 40 years experience in the British and Australian media. She is the author of eleven non-fiction books and five novels, and her work has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines.
In the nineties Liz was a broadcaster and executive producer with ABC Radio in Perth and later an advisor to a minister in the Western Australian State Government; she now lectures in Professional and Creative Writing at Curtin University of Technology in Perth, and has PhD in writing with a focus on feminist popular fiction.
Liz was born in London and spent most of her childhood in Sussex. As an only child she spent a lot of time alone, much of it buried in books. She began her working life as a secretary and later moved into journalism working as a reporter on a local newspaper until she took up freelance writing when her children were born. Before moving to Western Australia she also worked as an appeals organiser for Oxfam.
After moving to Perth with her family in 1981 she once again established a freelance career writing for Australian publications including The Australian, Homes and Living, Cosmopolitan and Weekend News.
Liz lives between Perth and Fremantle and in addition to enjoying the company of family and friends, she spends most of her time reading, writing and walking. She has two adult sons and twin grandsons.
In the nineties Liz was a broadcaster and executive producer with ABC Radio in Perth and later an advisor to a minister in the Western Australian State Government; she now lectures in Professional and Creative Writing at Curtin University of Technology in Perth, and has PhD in writing with a focus on feminist popular fiction.
Liz was born in London and spent most of her childhood in Sussex. As an only child she spent a lot of time alone, much of it buried in books. She began her working life as a secretary and later moved into journalism working as a reporter on a local newspaper until she took up freelance writing when her children were born. Before moving to Western Australia she also worked as an appeals organiser for Oxfam.
After moving to Perth with her family in 1981 she once again established a freelance career writing for Australian publications including The Australian, Homes and Living, Cosmopolitan and Weekend News.
Liz lives between Perth and Fremantle and in addition to enjoying the company of family and friends, she spends most of her time reading, writing and walking. She has two adult sons and twin grandsons.
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February 18, 2021
There’s so much for women to be angry about … Discrimination because of your sexuality, race, ability, gender. The treatment of asylum seekers. Climate change. The inaction of politicians on any number of issues. People refusing to hear you or take you seriously because you’re a woman.
Yet, as women, it’s likely we grew up internalising our anger, swallowing it down, because to be visibly angry is not considered feminine. When we did speak up, our voices were silenced, our experiences minimised, our reality dismissed. Is it any wonder we’re angry?
Even though I’ve been an adult for longer than I was a child, I’ve yet to become comfortable with anger. Anger, when I was growing up, equalled violence and that’s not the manifestation I’m looking for. I want anger to spur me on to action, to propel me to right wrongs, not cause destruction.
In this collection, twenty women write about rage. Among them are writers, teachers, activists and medical professionals, and they range in age from 20’s to 80’s. They have diverse backgrounds but they’re all Australian.
Like other anthologies, some contributions spoke to me more than others. Reneé Pettitt-Schipp’s description of a young asylum seeker’s hope brought tears to my eyes. Goldie Goldbloom’s recollections of Max made me wish I knew him personally. Carly Findlay’s words hurt, as I imagined each scenario she described, but they also left me with hope because there are women like Carly who speak truth into the lives of others.
Rather than tell you what I thought of each contribution I’m going to instead share quotes with you.
Introduction by Liz Byrski
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
Yet, as women, it’s likely we grew up internalising our anger, swallowing it down, because to be visibly angry is not considered feminine. When we did speak up, our voices were silenced, our experiences minimised, our reality dismissed. Is it any wonder we’re angry?
Even though I’ve been an adult for longer than I was a child, I’ve yet to become comfortable with anger. Anger, when I was growing up, equalled violence and that’s not the manifestation I’m looking for. I want anger to spur me on to action, to propel me to right wrongs, not cause destruction.
In this collection, twenty women write about rage. Among them are writers, teachers, activists and medical professionals, and they range in age from 20’s to 80’s. They have diverse backgrounds but they’re all Australian.
Like other anthologies, some contributions spoke to me more than others. Reneé Pettitt-Schipp’s description of a young asylum seeker’s hope brought tears to my eyes. Goldie Goldbloom’s recollections of Max made me wish I knew him personally. Carly Findlay’s words hurt, as I imagined each scenario she described, but they also left me with hope because there are women like Carly who speak truth into the lives of others.
Rather than tell you what I thought of each contribution I’m going to instead share quotes with you.
Introduction by Liz Byrski
Let us go forth with fear and courage and rage to save the world. - Grace PaleyA Door, Opening by Victoria Midwinter Pitt
Anger is a state of opposition.Quarantine by Reneé Pettitt-Schipp
It is not merely intellectual, or philosophical. It’s personal.
It is the direct, visceral, spiritual experience of being at odds with something.
Time and time again, it has been proven to me that we either honour the depth of each human emotion, maintaining the fullness of our capacity to feel, or we cut ourselves off and, in walking away from anger and heartbreak, turn our backs on the possibility of our most expansive expression of being a human in this world.Waiting on the Saviour by Nadine Browne
I wouldn’t be the person I am, nor would I have had the resilience I have, without these women. But nothing we thought or did was ever any good unless it was certified by a man. The path to God itself was through a man. I’m still shocked by how these women can negate their own power, simply by the fact of their gender.My Father’s Daughter by Jay Martin
I’m still sad, though, that the world that shaped my dad - and still shapes so many men - to believe that their value is in being providers, teachers, knowers of things. It meant I never got to know all of the vulnerabilities, dreams, passions and fears he must have harboured that made him who he was.Regardless of Decorum: A Response to Seneca’s ‘Of Anger’ by Julienne van Loon
One of the things that makes me angry about Seneca’s ‘Of Anger’ is how bloody reasonable he is throughout.The Girl Who Never Smiled by Anne Aly
Rage creeps up on you. It’s stealthy like that. Rage has to beat you down first and then, when you’re exhausted and you think you can’t possibly rage any more, it lingers beneath the surface, ready to pounce again. You can see it simmering behind the eyes of the downtrodden, the oppressed and the frustrated - but only if you look hard enough. Rage shadows you.The Club by Sarah Drummond
The white road markers are plastic and so, instead of a row of smashed wooden posts where he ploughed them down, they flipped back into upright position after the accident like nothing had happened. For some reason, I found this inanimate insouciance disturbing. How dare those posts stand up again. Didn’t they know what had happened here?Stuck in the Middle by Carrie Cox
Mark Twain, a man who apparently spent his whole life tossing pithy sayings at a sea of scribes, has been credited with comparing anger to an acid, one that can do far more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. This is how I feel about anger today.To Scream or Not to Scream by Olivia Muscat
What makes me most upset is that I know where most people’s ignorance is coming from. It’s fear.To the Max by Goldie Goldbloom
Fear of the unknown.
Fear that they may end up like me.
Goldie remembers how Max would introduce her to them as ‘the love of my life’. Whenever she sold a story, he would grip her forearms and say, ‘The cream always rises to the top.’The Thief by Nandi Chinna
I found it impossible to articulate the magnitude and intensity of my inner experience and carried it around in my body like a ball of barbed wire that scratched and tore at my insides.Write-ful Fury by Claire G. Coleman
Fury. It can flow hot and fast like fire dancing along a trail of petrol; it can flow cold, slow and relentless like a glacier; or as cold and breathtakingly fast as an avalanche, leaving me breathless and dying. Either way, when fury passes it’s hard to imagine anything in its path surviving.Love More by Jane Underwood
Rage sits, like a bulky body part, ready to detonate, able to cause maximum damage. It’s not like the white-hot adrenal flash we call fury, that’s here and gone: you can relieve fury with an upraised middle finger. It’s not like anger - curl up the corner of anger - only sadness and fear there. If you can shift the bulk of a rage - find some squashed high-grade injustice there.#AustraliaBurns: Rage, a Climate for Change by Margo Kingston
Rage begets action.The Body Remembers: The Architecture of Pain by Rafeif Ismail
We cannot negotiate with our oppressors without relinquishing part of our own existence.Everything is Awesome! by Mihaela Nicolescu
The notion of a ‘fair go’ disguises the reality of an unfair system and places the blame on the individual when that system fails them. A genuine ‘mate’ does not judge you for going through a hard time. And an evolved society places more value on the rights of all citizens to have their basic needs met than on the rights of a few citizens to accumulate ridiculous wealth (while one in six children live in poverty).Uluru Statement from the Heart by Fiona Stanley
I think that in today’s world of corporate, political, bureaucratic and individual corruption and lack of care, we need to convert our anger to action more than ever.Vicarious trauma: I Was You and You Will Be Me by Carly Findlay
Ableism starts with you.Seen and Not Heard by Meg McKinlay
And it can stop with you, too.
And what is buried, of course, doesn’t always remain so; when conditions are right - or wrong? - it will vent, even erupt.Women of a Certain Rage? by Eva Cox
Angry. Cranky. Mad. Can you think of any context when applying these words to a woman would be positive?Content warnings include .
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
May 10, 2021
I found some of the writing very strong, moving and thought provoking (just 2 - The Girl Who Never Smiled, My Father's Daughter), others....not so (describing preferences in politics?....I really did fall asleep reading this one).
The overall concept, most interesting, of the gender divide for women to rage as being 'unseemly', and for men, well, that's just part of who they are.
Not being heard or acknowledged were a common theme, as a woman I know, only too well. It was interesting to read from others points of view. And the frustration, and rage it can sometimes elicit.
The overall concept, most interesting, of the gender divide for women to rage as being 'unseemly', and for men, well, that's just part of who they are.
Not being heard or acknowledged were a common theme, as a woman I know, only too well. It was interesting to read from others points of view. And the frustration, and rage it can sometimes elicit.
February 22, 2021
In interviewing 20 Australian women from diverse backgrounds, Liz Byrski explored each of their thresholds regarding rage: what enraged each, how each woman managed her rage (or didn't), and what action her rage inspired. The latter conversations were often inspiring as the individual outlined how, in her own way, she could join with others to “go forth together, with our fear, our courage and our rage to save the world.” The results of these interviews were deeply personal, honest, and certainly made for intriguing reading.
Among the 20 “life stories”, there were several that stood out for me. In “To Scream or not to Scream”, Olivia Muscat detailed how people’s reactions to her blindness were often reflective of their own fear of the unknown, that “they may end up like [her].” This prompted people to think they knew what was best for her, to single her out as an “inspiration” just for getting out of bed, and “making assumptions about [her]life.” Her rage was palpable. Nandi Chinna, in “The Thief”, wrote the most terrifying account of her rage, a life-long battle with mental illness, a psychosis initiated in her youth by taking LSD. I respected Chinna’s honesty and courage in her meticulous portrait of the rage within her mind, which overtook her every thought and breath.
I suspect that the vast majority of Byrski’s readers will be women and that the stories of her interviewees will resonate with them, regardless of their generation. She pointed to Julia Gillard’s speech to Parliament, directed at Tony Abbott, as an outstandingly articulate expression of rage. One would hope, nevertheless, that women now honour their right to anger, their right to be enraged, and have learned not to suppress that anger, but rather to use it as an inspiration to take action, to prompt change.
Among the 20 “life stories”, there were several that stood out for me. In “To Scream or not to Scream”, Olivia Muscat detailed how people’s reactions to her blindness were often reflective of their own fear of the unknown, that “they may end up like [her].” This prompted people to think they knew what was best for her, to single her out as an “inspiration” just for getting out of bed, and “making assumptions about [her]life.” Her rage was palpable. Nandi Chinna, in “The Thief”, wrote the most terrifying account of her rage, a life-long battle with mental illness, a psychosis initiated in her youth by taking LSD. I respected Chinna’s honesty and courage in her meticulous portrait of the rage within her mind, which overtook her every thought and breath.
I suspect that the vast majority of Byrski’s readers will be women and that the stories of her interviewees will resonate with them, regardless of their generation. She pointed to Julia Gillard’s speech to Parliament, directed at Tony Abbott, as an outstandingly articulate expression of rage. One would hope, nevertheless, that women now honour their right to anger, their right to be enraged, and have learned not to suppress that anger, but rather to use it as an inspiration to take action, to prompt change.
April 2, 2021
Swallow it down.
Keep your cool.
You’re too emotional.
Must be that time of the month.
We’re taught there’s something wrong, something dangerous about an angry woman.
This book is about honouring our right to rage, throwing away the shame and discomfort of anger, and how use it to inspire us to put it to good use in our lives.
It’s a collection of deeply personal essays that explore anger and rage, written by twenty Australian women. They come from all walks of life, and each bring something thought-provoking and powerful to each story they tell.
I loved this book.
Keep your cool.
You’re too emotional.
Must be that time of the month.
We’re taught there’s something wrong, something dangerous about an angry woman.
This book is about honouring our right to rage, throwing away the shame and discomfort of anger, and how use it to inspire us to put it to good use in our lives.
It’s a collection of deeply personal essays that explore anger and rage, written by twenty Australian women. They come from all walks of life, and each bring something thought-provoking and powerful to each story they tell.
I loved this book.
January 21, 2024
In this collection of essays by female Australian authors, activists and icons, the concept of women's "rage" was explored. Through race, ableism, neoliberalism, these writers unpacked the nitty gritty of why these systems enraged them. With amazing writing and gut-wrenchingly relatable context, I genuinely adored this collection. Not to mention, the endnotes and reference list gave me a resource for more critical lit to explore!!! What a treat this book was and I can see myself returning to certain sections more than once.
October 4, 2024
big fan of feminist essay collections. though i find sometimes they get into a bit of a misandry grey area. loved it tho.
December 17, 2022
"But nothing we thought or did was ever any good unless it was certified by a man. The path to God itself was through a man. I'm still shocked by how these women can negate their own power, simply by the fact of their gender."
A collection of interviews about women's rage: how they deal with it, what they think about it, the history of their own rage, it's uses and side effects.
I chose this book at the library because I'm investigating my own rage in therapy and it was a good exercise to see the plurality of opinions. As women we are not thought to recognise and work with rage. But it's so important to do so.
My favorite essays were A door, opening & My father's daughter - this last one brought me to tears. Some were that good, some were just forgettable... but overall I enjoyed the experience.
A collection of interviews about women's rage: how they deal with it, what they think about it, the history of their own rage, it's uses and side effects.
I chose this book at the library because I'm investigating my own rage in therapy and it was a good exercise to see the plurality of opinions. As women we are not thought to recognise and work with rage. But it's so important to do so.
My favorite essays were A door, opening & My father's daughter - this last one brought me to tears. Some were that good, some were just forgettable... but overall I enjoyed the experience.
February 18, 2022
This book jumps around a lot of topics and although I feel a passion towards each of these topics, it’s hard to read (for me at least). I enjoyed hearing many women stories but I just didn’t feel like I could connect with the meaning behind the book like I had intended to :(
August 4, 2022
I will be recommending this book to everybody I know... for we all (women) suppress our rage in some way, don't we? How wonderful to have a forum to share our voices and start conversations of social change!
May 29, 2021
A diverse and interesting collection of personal essays, ranging across many topics - all the things that make you want to scream with frustration are eloquently and articulately covered here. This would be make for an excellent book club discussion.
October 1, 2021
A good collection of personal stories by 20 women, some touched me and some left me cold. A book to make you think and reflect on your own rage.
April 30, 2023
3.5 stars
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June 8, 2021This review was first published on the Underground Writers website: http://underground-writers.org/review...
I can vividly remember the last time I was angry. Like really, really angry. It was the kind of rage that is so intense, that comes from such a deep place of hurt, that I was completely calm. No yelling, no tears, just a composed yet vicious spray of words. As a child I would scream, cry, and throw things in a way that was considered not very ladylike. I was always told to compose myself and act like a lady. I had no idea other women had experienced similar things until I delved into this latest essay collection from Fremantle Press, Women of A Certain Rage.
This timely collection of essays features musings on anger and everything associated with it, from the perspectives of a varied selection of Australian women. Authors, activists, politicians, teachers, and creatives, among others, have contributed to this outstanding commentary on rage and gender.
Women have been taught from a young age that expressing anger is ‘unbecoming’ and makes them seem ‘hysterical’. Meanwhile, boys in the playground can actively show rage and there are rarely repercussions. This translates into more gendered behaviour later in life, where there is a knee-jerk reaction to women showing anger in professional life and beyond. What I really enjoyed about this collection is that it shows the many facets of this translation, and how it can affect all walks of life.
The diversity of contributors is greatly appreciated; I felt like I learnt something new with a lot of the essays in this collection. Anne Aly describes witnessing the treatment of women from the same background as her in The Girl Who Never Smiled. Carly Findlay, in a series of letters to children living with the same genetic skin condition, ichthyosis, touches on the idea of vicarious trauma and social media. Claire G. Coleman writes about her relationship with race and fury, and how that correlates with colonisation in Australia. So many amazing women, all with one common theme: we are angry.
I find it difficult to critique/review anthologies as there are so many contributors with different writing styles, but Liz Byrski has done an amazing job of editing and collating a well-rounded series of essays. Standout essays, aside from those aforementioned, include Carrie Cox’s Stuck in the Middle and Goldie Goldbloom’s To the Max.
I feel as though this collection will resonate with so many readers and is an incredibly important book at this time in our society. Women are beginning to speak up in larger numbers on more public platforms than ever before, following each other’s examples. It is empowering to read a book and feel seen and understood. This is a collection that I feel will never age and should be a must-read for the next generation of women.
I can vividly remember the last time I was angry. Like really, really angry. It was the kind of rage that is so intense, that comes from such a deep place of hurt, that I was completely calm. No yelling, no tears, just a composed yet vicious spray of words. As a child I would scream, cry, and throw things in a way that was considered not very ladylike. I was always told to compose myself and act like a lady. I had no idea other women had experienced similar things until I delved into this latest essay collection from Fremantle Press, Women of A Certain Rage.
This timely collection of essays features musings on anger and everything associated with it, from the perspectives of a varied selection of Australian women. Authors, activists, politicians, teachers, and creatives, among others, have contributed to this outstanding commentary on rage and gender.
Women have been taught from a young age that expressing anger is ‘unbecoming’ and makes them seem ‘hysterical’. Meanwhile, boys in the playground can actively show rage and there are rarely repercussions. This translates into more gendered behaviour later in life, where there is a knee-jerk reaction to women showing anger in professional life and beyond. What I really enjoyed about this collection is that it shows the many facets of this translation, and how it can affect all walks of life.
The diversity of contributors is greatly appreciated; I felt like I learnt something new with a lot of the essays in this collection. Anne Aly describes witnessing the treatment of women from the same background as her in The Girl Who Never Smiled. Carly Findlay, in a series of letters to children living with the same genetic skin condition, ichthyosis, touches on the idea of vicarious trauma and social media. Claire G. Coleman writes about her relationship with race and fury, and how that correlates with colonisation in Australia. So many amazing women, all with one common theme: we are angry.
I find it difficult to critique/review anthologies as there are so many contributors with different writing styles, but Liz Byrski has done an amazing job of editing and collating a well-rounded series of essays. Standout essays, aside from those aforementioned, include Carrie Cox’s Stuck in the Middle and Goldie Goldbloom’s To the Max.
I feel as though this collection will resonate with so many readers and is an incredibly important book at this time in our society. Women are beginning to speak up in larger numbers on more public platforms than ever before, following each other’s examples. It is empowering to read a book and feel seen and understood. This is a collection that I feel will never age and should be a must-read for the next generation of women.
December 9, 2021
Women of a Certain Rage is a stunning compilation of short essays by 20 women of different ages, backgrounds, beliefs and experiences on the topic of Rage.
Liz Byrski, author of ten novels and twelve non fiction title, Adjunct Associate Professor at Curtin University, opens the book with an introduction of the events that led to the genesis of this books content, including the #MeToo movement. Many women were invited to contribute to the book which would explore the different issues that incite and inspire women’s rage. Not all invitees felt they could contribute, many found difficulties articulating rage in writing as reliving their experiences triggered those feelings again.
What transpired was this book, 20 wildly different explorations of what rage meant to each of the writers, from discovering their Aboriginality and reconnecting to their heritage and culture, exposing the dreadful neglect of an elderly relative, explaining how a childhood character in a book became the model to inspire anger and writing, the dreadful and life changing impact of a ‘bad acid trip’, exposing society’s response to perceived disabilities, to second (third?) wave feminism, immigration detention and climate change.
Some of these stories are so raw they put a lump in your throat, many are hard to read as you confront both your own rage and your errors in dealing with others, all are both valid and powerful.
These women have confronted and articulated the rage that drives them to be who they are. In doing so many of these women have discussed deeply personal experiences that could have destroyed them, and in some cases nearly did.
Every contributor to this book, Anne Aly, Nadine Browne, Nandi Chinna, Claire G Coleman, Carrie Cox, Eva Cox, Sarah Drummond, Carly Findlay, Goldie Goldbloom, Rafeif Ismail, Margo Kingston, Jay Martin, Meg McKinlay, Olivia Muscat, Mihaela Nicolescu, Reneé Pettitt-Schipp, Victoria Midwinter Pitt, Fiona Stanley, Jane Underwood, and Julienne van Loon has done an amazing job of expressing their rage, whether with passion, courage and humour or just downright crankiness.
Every aspect of this book, from the play on ‘women of a certain age’ so often used to dismiss women’s righteous anger for their treatment over the years, to the stunning cover with its understated focus on a flower’s sharp thorns is indicative of the underlying rage that continues to drive many of us.
Women of a Certain Age is a brilliantly conceived, compiled and produced book, and Liz Byrski should be commended for her inspiration and commitment in creating it.
Highly recommended, this book should be prescribed reading in all schools to empower our future generations.
Liz Byrski, author of ten novels and twelve non fiction title, Adjunct Associate Professor at Curtin University, opens the book with an introduction of the events that led to the genesis of this books content, including the #MeToo movement. Many women were invited to contribute to the book which would explore the different issues that incite and inspire women’s rage. Not all invitees felt they could contribute, many found difficulties articulating rage in writing as reliving their experiences triggered those feelings again.
What transpired was this book, 20 wildly different explorations of what rage meant to each of the writers, from discovering their Aboriginality and reconnecting to their heritage and culture, exposing the dreadful neglect of an elderly relative, explaining how a childhood character in a book became the model to inspire anger and writing, the dreadful and life changing impact of a ‘bad acid trip’, exposing society’s response to perceived disabilities, to second (third?) wave feminism, immigration detention and climate change.
Some of these stories are so raw they put a lump in your throat, many are hard to read as you confront both your own rage and your errors in dealing with others, all are both valid and powerful.
These women have confronted and articulated the rage that drives them to be who they are. In doing so many of these women have discussed deeply personal experiences that could have destroyed them, and in some cases nearly did.
Every contributor to this book, Anne Aly, Nadine Browne, Nandi Chinna, Claire G Coleman, Carrie Cox, Eva Cox, Sarah Drummond, Carly Findlay, Goldie Goldbloom, Rafeif Ismail, Margo Kingston, Jay Martin, Meg McKinlay, Olivia Muscat, Mihaela Nicolescu, Reneé Pettitt-Schipp, Victoria Midwinter Pitt, Fiona Stanley, Jane Underwood, and Julienne van Loon has done an amazing job of expressing their rage, whether with passion, courage and humour or just downright crankiness.
Every aspect of this book, from the play on ‘women of a certain age’ so often used to dismiss women’s righteous anger for their treatment over the years, to the stunning cover with its understated focus on a flower’s sharp thorns is indicative of the underlying rage that continues to drive many of us.
Women of a Certain Age is a brilliantly conceived, compiled and produced book, and Liz Byrski should be commended for her inspiration and commitment in creating it.
Highly recommended, this book should be prescribed reading in all schools to empower our future generations.
May 8, 2021
This book was interesting. I didn't really enjoy all the stories, but some made me laugh, others made me feel melancholic, and a couple made did make me feel anger and rage.
I've been in a clouded headspace recently, but this book did make me focus on my rage, for good and bad. It made me think about the injustices I've suffered, the situations I've been involved in, the inequities I've been a party to. It's made me question what I could have done, what I couldn't do, and what could I do different if I encountered these issues again.
But then it made me feel impotent. Like everything I read, by feminists with far more clout than me, who've advocated their entire lives, and yet we are still filled with rage, and it feels like we haven't progressed far enough. Maybe more rage will propel us forward, but maybe more rage could be detrimental to our efforts. I hope it's the former, not the latter.
I've been in a clouded headspace recently, but this book did make me focus on my rage, for good and bad. It made me think about the injustices I've suffered, the situations I've been involved in, the inequities I've been a party to. It's made me question what I could have done, what I couldn't do, and what could I do different if I encountered these issues again.
But then it made me feel impotent. Like everything I read, by feminists with far more clout than me, who've advocated their entire lives, and yet we are still filled with rage, and it feels like we haven't progressed far enough. Maybe more rage will propel us forward, but maybe more rage could be detrimental to our efforts. I hope it's the former, not the latter.
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December 29, 2024A sample of the text:
I let the anger and sorrow in. I learn to treat these dark emotions as honoured guests. I never invite them to stay, but as they pass through, I give them the best room in my house. These difficult friends are my barometer and my guide when all around me acts of violence and hate become normalised and mundane. After their stay, the intense company of these guests carves out a space in me, and I can feel the wind whirl in the opening, my strange new shape. Yet invariably, if I trust and wait, without force, without pressure, I feel a subtle shift begin. In the space where I feel the fullness of my most confronting emotions, love and joy begin to pour in. I become exhilarated by the sheer wonder of being alive, of the curious nature of each of our journeys, by the joy of being a human among so much wild beauty in this incredible and troubled world.
I let the anger and sorrow in. I learn to treat these dark emotions as honoured guests. I never invite them to stay, but as they pass through, I give them the best room in my house. These difficult friends are my barometer and my guide when all around me acts of violence and hate become normalised and mundane. After their stay, the intense company of these guests carves out a space in me, and I can feel the wind whirl in the opening, my strange new shape. Yet invariably, if I trust and wait, without force, without pressure, I feel a subtle shift begin. In the space where I feel the fullness of my most confronting emotions, love and joy begin to pour in. I become exhilarated by the sheer wonder of being alive, of the curious nature of each of our journeys, by the joy of being a human among so much wild beauty in this incredible and troubled world.
September 23, 2024
3.5 stars.
There were stories I enjoyed more than others in this book, as you’d expect with a series of short essays and thought pieces. Some I felt weren’t really relevant to the topic but others were interesting and quite thought provoking.
As someone who isn’t really an angry person I probably wasn’t the best target audience as at points it did leave me wondering whether I’m supposed to be more angry or feel bad for being quite quiet and calm.
I think the concept is great as rage isn’t often spoken about and I do feel as though it could resonate with a lot of people, maybe just not myself. Still enjoyable to read from other people’s perspective and a nice easy read as each story is only a few pages long :)
There were stories I enjoyed more than others in this book, as you’d expect with a series of short essays and thought pieces. Some I felt weren’t really relevant to the topic but others were interesting and quite thought provoking.
As someone who isn’t really an angry person I probably wasn’t the best target audience as at points it did leave me wondering whether I’m supposed to be more angry or feel bad for being quite quiet and calm.
I think the concept is great as rage isn’t often spoken about and I do feel as though it could resonate with a lot of people, maybe just not myself. Still enjoyable to read from other people’s perspective and a nice easy read as each story is only a few pages long :)
December 26, 2021
Don't infer from title that this is feminist proselytising, rather, it's thoughts on rage that happen to be written by women.
Themes include disability, immigration, indigenous health and death. While some essays do align with feminist writing, it is the exception, not the rule.
How much you enjoy this will wager on your interest in the topics covered. Favourites of mine were about bikie culture, political candidacy as an independent and the Australian citizenship test.
Either way, there's nothing long or onerous so it's not difficult to get through even if you're not liking it a great deal.
Themes include disability, immigration, indigenous health and death. While some essays do align with feminist writing, it is the exception, not the rule.
How much you enjoy this will wager on your interest in the topics covered. Favourites of mine were about bikie culture, political candidacy as an independent and the Australian citizenship test.
Either way, there's nothing long or onerous so it's not difficult to get through even if you're not liking it a great deal.
June 5, 2025
A collection of essays written by 20 Australian women on the topic of rage.
Topics range from feminism to politics, ableism to environmental issues, racism to social justice.
“I want to rage against the machine - that well-oiled machine - the one that invited me to the table but throws me the crumbs that have spilled from the plates of those who own the table.” - Anne Aly
“I think that anger on its own is like an out-of-control garden hose, spraying stuff in every direction with no discernible purpose.” - Carrie Cox
“The very DNA of a person is altered after a traumatic event, and that alteration is passed down to their children.” - Rafeif Ismail
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars
Topics range from feminism to politics, ableism to environmental issues, racism to social justice.
“I want to rage against the machine - that well-oiled machine - the one that invited me to the table but throws me the crumbs that have spilled from the plates of those who own the table.” - Anne Aly
“I think that anger on its own is like an out-of-control garden hose, spraying stuff in every direction with no discernible purpose.” - Carrie Cox
“The very DNA of a person is altered after a traumatic event, and that alteration is passed down to their children.” - Rafeif Ismail
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars
August 16, 2022
Really enjoyed reading these diverse authors - I especially enjoyed Meg McKinlay - Seen and not heard - struck a chord with the gender aspect where men repeating what a woman has just heard are listened to. Also that men repeating what women say directly after it is said and take credit and nobody calls them out - a certain a pet hate for me! It was really insightful to read the continued struggle on many different fronts.
March 4, 2025
Some of these were very interesting to me, & others a bit tedious to get through, but there's no doubt there's plenty for women to be rage about, & it really is infuriating that angry women are still classed as shrews or accused of hysteria while men continue to be indulged. "Indeed, women's anger still attracts widespread and often vicious condemnation, while manifestations of men's anger so often pass without comment." p.7.
I had to go back & look at that well-remembered speech from 2012. Go Julia Gillard! If you're going to be remembered for something, that speech is a pretty good place to start. Ooooh! That smug-looking prick opposite you.
I had to go back & look at that well-remembered speech from 2012. Go Julia Gillard! If you're going to be remembered for something, that speech is a pretty good place to start. Ooooh! That smug-looking prick opposite you.
March 14, 2025
Was a little nervous this book could have been a misandry and man eating tale but the reality is this book is filled with so many tear jerking beautiful stories with hardly a mention of a man. Women are angry at the system and society and people need to stop seeing feminism as a women’s issue. Every person, whoever they are, should be a feminist.
(Loved it btw)
(Loved it btw)
May 15, 2021
Review coming soon to Underground Writers!
For more Aussie book reviews, check out: http://underground-writers.org/catego...
For more Aussie book reviews, check out: http://underground-writers.org/catego...
June 15, 2021
Wonderful collection of short stories/musings. Thought provoking.
June 24, 2021
A brilliant collection of stories exploring women’s anger and rage. I loved this book and wished there were more stories when I got to the end.
April 28, 2023
Loved Eva Cox’s essay.
July 18, 2023
A good bunch of short stories
October 17, 2023
It's great to hear from other equally angry women, and I found it strangely inspiring.
January 20, 2025
Couldn't do it. It was like the author was trying to hard to incorporate EVERY possible family scenario in this book.
August 31, 2025
*3.75
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