Katelyn’s Comments (group member since Jan 07, 2016)

Katelyn’s comments from the Our Shared Shelf group.

Loretta wrote: "Hey. I can send a book to anyone that can't find it outside of the US.
Just let me know."

Hey Loretta, be sure to post your offer in the "Pay It Forward" thread if you haven't already!

Diana wrote: "I only just got the book today. It took almost 3 weeks to have it delivered via book depository from the UK to Germany...thank god there is still time to read ;-)"

I think many of us have only recently started, so discussion should still be very active well into April! And like I've said in earlier posts, we do not close folders just because the month has passed, so you can discuss any book at any time. No rush ;)

Finally posted a late-in-the-month shelfie today to my Instagram and Twitter!

If you haven't posted yours yet, do it! And don't forget to use the hashtags #OurSharedShelfie and #OurSharedShelf !!!

Nora wrote: "I think that this was a poor choice, Emma. I've never read the book, but I was of course curious so I read some reviews. They are mostly very, very poor reviews. I won't support reading a book that..."

Hey Nora, I've read some of those negative reviews as well. I'm looking forward to reading with those criticisms in mind. Perhaps it will be edifying for everyone to read something that has some problematic aspects if we keep them at the forefront of the discussion and consider how and why those aspects are at issue.

From my own personal reading endeavors, I've found that a LOT of books of this type have similar problems, and perhaps reading this with OSS will open people's eyes to those kinds of issues in future readings as well.

Not trying to convince you to read the book or anything, and I totally respect your personal choice to sit this one out. Just wanted to suggest that we don't have to love every book that is chosen, and we can read books with the goal of constructive criticism in mind. It can be very edifying!

Welcome, Hannah! Excited for your beautiful and sparkly presence on OSS :D

Alexandria wrote: "Just checking - is Moranifesto not available in the US yet? I read How to Be a Woman a couple years ago, but I'd like to read something new for April. It looks like it's only available for preorder..."

Ah, it looks like you are correct! It's been released in the UK, not sure if that's the only place so far.

Thanks for the heads up!

Excellent! There are used copies on sale from third party retailers on Amazon for as little at $0.01 (+shipping and tax). My copy came to $4.41, and after I read it, I'll be happy to spend the money I saved "Paying It Forward!"

And after that, I may move onto Moranifesto... But one thing at a time for me right now ;)

Sandy wrote: "Again I will say that it is VERY much in the style of the late 90's/early 2000's...Back then, it would have seemed much more relevant.
There was enough "religious" in this to turn me off and to sk..."

Assuming I'm thinking of the part that you're referring to, I read her definition of the "nuclear family" as a sort of takedown of the concept... She basically refers to the patriarchal nuclear family as a culturally approved fascist regime, which to me was an awesome revelation. So in that sense, I didn't read it as her saying "this is what the nuclear family is/should be", but rather "the way society conceptualizes the nuclear family is problematic, here's why..."
But there are definitely many ways to interpret that, and I think your point about the differences between the way we discuss these issues now and how acceptable it was back in the 90s is spot on.

I don't know how much of bell hooks's oeuvre Emma has read, but she has stated that she is purposefully choosing books that she herself hasn't read yet, so it's possible that that was a large part in her decision of which book to read, as I think she started with "I think we should read bell hooks this month" after their wonderful interview in Paper magazine. Just a guess, though!

Regarding the religious aspects, so as not to go too far afield of the OP, I'm only a few chapters in, but I mostly see her referencing spirituality in an abstract way, with a few references to Buddhism here and there. It seems that religion becomes a heavier piece of the narrative later on, so I'll have to reconsider my position when I get there. For now, though, even though I don't find spirituality to be particularly relevant to my life, I've been finding that it is easy enough for me to interpret those particular passages in a way that translates "spirituality" into what stands in for that in my own life. Not sure if that makes sense!

Alicea wrote: "Katelyn wrote: "Alicea wrote: "I'm slightly concerned that by the time the book is available at the library the month will be over...I'm number 8 on a list that still has 21 people on it. :-/ "

So..."

You're far from alone! I only started reading a few days ago, and I'll probably still be finishing it up in April, so I'm trying to participate in the meantime but I can't fully until I'm done reading. So I'll definitely be discussing this book well into the next month, and I'm sure that others will be as well!

Moved to Miscellaneous

Georgia wrote: "I'm on page 93 and I finally found something I really connected with.
"Fear is the force upholding structures of domination. It promotes the desire for separation, the desire not to be known. When..."

Hi Georgia! In the interest of organization, we ask that members avoid creating duplicate topics. In the future, please look through posts to see if there is already a topic to which you can add your thoughts, rather than starting a second one. You can also use the search bar to the right of the discussion board.

Please feel from to share your thoughts in this already existing topic: Not Feeling It

Locked and Archived

Aglaea wrote: "Samantha wrote: "I just watched a documentary on labioplasticy (surgery to the vulva to decrease the size/change shape of the inner labia, lips, and clitoral hood). I am stuck in my mind. I cannot ..."

Can you explain your reasoning for using the word "amputation" in this context? To me, amputation does not imply the patient having a lack of input or randomness (as is the case with circumcision, as you pointed out), but often is performed out of medical necessity, and with the consent of the patient unless they are incapable of giving consent (if they're unconscious after having been in an accident, for instance).

I don't necessarily disagree with you that it's an amputation, as it is the removal of a body part, but you qualify that with "have no say in the matter" and "randomly", so I was wondering if you could elaborate on how that relates to the concept of amputation more generally.

I'm only a couple of chapters in, so my thoughts on the book may change, but overall I think we have to remember that this is primarily a philosophical book that deals in abstracts, personal experience, and a great deal of knowledge gained from those experiences and a lot of reading (bell hooks reads at least one book every single day!). For that reason, I have not found it to be self help-y at all, and am kind of confused about what it is that makes it come across that way for others.

I also think we must remember that books of this style, especially form someone as prolific as hooks, begin with a basic assumption that she presumes all of the readers will agree on. Here, it is the existence of patriarchy. When she references blanket statements about men or women, she's doing this in the context of patriarchy and its effects.

I'll be thinking about the issues you've all brought up as I continue reading. I tend to be very critical when I read, so I appreciate all of your criticisms!

City Council votes to eliminate ‘tampon tax’ in Chicago

Hooray!

There have been multiple topics on this issue, and as Jo said, we will be working on it. We're still very new and have a lot of plans to make the group run more and more smoothly!

In the interest of keeping things organized, we archive duplicate threads. In the future, you can do a search via the bar on the right and side of the discussion board to find out if there are already threads on the topics you're interested in discussing.

Thanks!

Locked and Archived

Mariam wrote: "hey guys,

I have some book suggestions for this topic. If interested check them out (;

1) Women and the Qur'an: A Study in Islamic Hermeneutics. - - Bahar Davay

2) Headscarves and Hymens: Why ..."

Be sure to add to our reading list if you haven't already!
How to Suggest a Book

I'm going to move this to the Helpful Resources folder and change the title to be more specific, if that's okay. If you'd like it changed back, go right ahead!

Alicea wrote: "I'm slightly concerned that by the time the book is available at the library the month will be over...I'm number 8 on a list that still has 21 people on it. :-/ "

Sorry to hear that! Just so you know, we have no intention of halting the discussion of any book at the end of the designated month. All are welcome to continue discussions, as we know many members get books later, have other commitments that prevent them from reading by certain dates, or join after a book has already passed but want to get in on the action. I hope that makes you feel a bit better about getting the book late!

Marci wrote: "Katelyn wrote: "Elisa wrote: "Too bad it isn't available as audio book. I'd love to read this!! But due to illness I can't read long texts and can only 'read' my books in audio format. I send an e-..."

Hopefully we can work something out. We're still investigating legality and how to best accomplish this. Stay tuned!

Moved to Helpful Resources folder

Sorry, meant to do that earlier! :)

Aha! These are good tips :D