Our Shared Shelf discussion
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Introduction

Took me forever to read every post but it was fascinating to see all the different backgrounds on here!
My name is Katie and I am 33 from Georgia. I have a Bachelors in Art History and understandably unless you go on and get a higher degree there really isn't much you can do with it. So I have gone back to school to get my degree in Radiological Science. The reason I joined was because I read to escape for awhile and I admire what Emma has done with her life and what a role model she is to younger girls.
I am excited for the different types of topics and discussions that will happen with these books.

My name is Kay Dien and I'm from Seattle, Washington. I'm a Senior in college and working towards my Bachelor's in History.
I joined this book club because I'm a huge fan of Emma Watson and (as many of you have stated before me) admire that she uses her spotlight to shine light on causes that are very important. I think it'll be fun to read the same book as so many other people then have the opportunity to discuss the book and learn new ideas from varying perspectives.

My name is Iman. I'm a 25 year old half American half Palestinian living in Palestine.
I had grown up reading my mothers books from her women's study class, such as Coming of Age in Mississippi. And my fathers books on social justice. I am always interested in reading about feminism and women equality. And having a group of people to discuss these books with is great ! so I am excited for what this book club will bring.
Happy reading all :D

My name is Desuana I'm 22 and from Philadelphia. Very excited to dive into this book club. An opportunity to share ideas with other people and have fantastic discussions about feminism is what drew me to OSS. I am a sponge ready to soak up knowledge and hopefully meet some friends along the way.
I am hoping to do one vlog at the last week of each month and discuss the book of the month with some people. If interested let me know!
- Can't wait to see what the future holds for us all. :)

Happy reading everyone!

Hey Michelle, glad you could join!

I've been wanting to read more about feminism and have some discussions, so this is a great forum for that. I'm also in software, so I'm interested in topics about women in technical fields.
I'm going to go pick up my book at catch up!

I joined this group because I am a proud feminist and I am always looking for a good feminist book.


My name is Amanda. I am 34, soon to be 35, from Pennsylvania; and this is my first book club. I have always loved to read, and I'm hoping to discover some really interesting books through the club and I'm also looking forward to learning from my fellow members.
Nice to meet you all.
Read on!

Happy Reading everyone!

Ahhh another 70 year old...:) I thought I might be alone here. Such a vibrant young community. This is thrilling. It's hard to believe that we're still fighting this stuff...
Sandy

Hi everyone,
My name is Jannette. I am from Houston Texas. This is the first book club I have joined. I recently graduated from a university and during the past few years I've had little time to read books I enjoy. I hope this community and reading these books will enrich my life and empower me.

My name is Marissa and I'm 22 years old from California.
I actually adore Sophia Bush and I heard her talk about this while watching the Golden Globes so I got on board!
I just graduated a month ago with a Public Health degree. I would like to use that degree to construct and implement programs for young girls so they can grow up knowing that women are strong, beautiful, smart, and independent!


I joined this group because I am a feminist and I love to read. The one thing I haven't delved into enough is feminist literature and I think this group will be a great resource. I also love to connect with like minded people and I think this reading group will be excellent for that.

I would love to do a Women Studies class one day.
I haven't read any Bell Hooks. I will have to put her on my list :) Any recommendations for which book to read first?

The first nonfiction book I remember reading cover to cover was Susan Faludi's Backlash, which blew my tiny high school mind and made me direct serious side-eye at the "oh, I'm not a feminist, I'm an equalist!" women in my high school.
I am so excited that feminism is coming back into the mainstream in such a huge way! And equally excited to engage with some fellow feminists via this group in a meaningful fashion.


I'm 65 now, and retired, and I'm going back to university this spring. I want to get a second degree, though I haven't decided on my major yet.
Years ago, I belonged to a feminist group, but eventually the members lost interest and it closed down. I did read most of the classic books on feminism, though, and I'm looking forward to re-reading those older books, and reading some newer ones now that this group has formed and I can share my reading with so many interesting people. I have Gloria Steinem's book, and I'm going to start on it tonight.
Crystal's post, right above mine, interests me because she's a university student, as I will be in again in a few months, so she reminds me of myself years ago. :-)

I am a passionate and omnivorous reader. Thank you Emma for creating this great group. I was forced to read the first Harry Potter books by my boss as a work task (really) and have been an ardent fan of the books and films ever since. Reading as a lonely child helped me learn how to relate with the world and I've even been inspired to write my own books. Thanks, Emma!

I am almost constantly reading a memoir or a good YA book or informative non-fiction. I'm an aspiring writer (when I'm not taking care of wild animals).
I just got the book today so I'll be catching up soon! Cheers!


My name is Elisa, a PhD student from the south of Italy.
I joined this group mostly because I love reading and I love meeting and discussing new ideas .
I've seen some of gender inequalities in my life, even in my work at university and I'd like to learn more about feminism.
I'm sure that this comunity will help me to grow and understand. :)

My name is Shelly I am 40 years old starting my second career. I am working on my Bachelors degree in chemistry education. I currently live in Florida just moved last August from Seattle WA. I am an avid reader however I typically read fiction. I joined this group for entertainment and to become better informed on issues that I would hope can be resolved for future generations. I also hope through this group there will be opportunities to help make a difference.

I love to read, and this bookclub seems amazing, when I was a child (without Internet xD) I never thought about been able to share my opinions with the entire world, to meet people from different cultures, and to have something in common with one of my favorite person in the world.
I am so glad and so honored on being part of this!
(I would apprecciate any corrections on my writing, thank you!)

Hi Crystal! It's so nice to meet you. I am happy to meet a person who knows so much about feminism. I don't know a lot, but becoming sisters with other women is one of my goals to achieve on 2016, because since I was a child, I have had many problems with others, and I think equality is the way for all of us to be happy.

Congrats Emma for her work in the UN and for this beautiful and inspiring idea!
xx

Yes, a lot has been done. But it's not enough in my eyes. I read a lot about feminism - from Simone de Beauvoir to Laurie Penny. And I am very happy to be here! :)

I joined this book club for a couple of reasons. First, I identify as a feminist, but I don't actually know everything about it. I am hoping I will learn a lot while in this club and be better prepared to explain the movement to others, especially in college. Second, I love to read. So putting feminism and books into one unified club is like a dream come true for me. And finally, I love Emma Watson. I know it shouldn't matter who is leading the club, but her speeches and her activism are both so inspiring. I love her work as an actress (huge Potterhead over here) but her work outside of that is so much more powerful for me. I am excited that we have such an amazing woman as the leader.
Please feel free to message me! From the little bit that I have read of other's posts, I am one of the younger members here. That is fine with me, but message me if you are in the same boat! Any other teenagers? Also, I am hoping to meet some christian feminists. Any Catholics out there? I find it difficult to find other Christian feminists, but I also don't have many resources. I would love to meet some people that can help me in understanding and sharing the movement in that aspect of my life.
Thanks! I will see you around!

My name is Samantha. I'm 21 years old and a college student studying psychology and women's studies in Bozeman, Montana USA.. I am 100% a feminist and joined this book club to connect with other feminist and to learn/discuss how we can make this a more equal world for everyone.

I have always been a feminist, even before I discovered the term. I did not know that there was a word that described everything I was and stood for. I have always believed in gender equality: standing up for females AND males whenever they have been wronged by sexist remarks and the like.
I was intrigued to learn that Emma, one of my role models, is a feminist. So, naturally, I began to follow her campaign #HeForShe. So many things have brought me here, and I am glad they did. I am looking forward to this because I feel like this is going to be a great means of communication for feminists. Literature has always been a significant medium for expression and sharing experiences. :)
Message me any time, any day. I would love to converse about these topics. :)

I'm Sarah, I'm 24 and from NY. I'm currently a legal assistant looking to get into book publishing (fitting, isn't it?)
I am definitely a feminist, I am definitely a bookworm, and I am definitely a huge fan of Emma's--so, naturally this is a perfect fit for me :)
I have my own pretty extensive "to-read" list, so I'm hoping that I can read these awesome books along with those and double the amount of books I read this year (resolution #1!).
Just as a fun fact: Gloria Steinem is a client of my firm, so her book is sitting right above my desk! I call that fate.
Lovely to meet you all. xx


I joined this group in order to find more like-minded individuals to share conversations with, to challenge myself to read a more diverse selection of books, and also because I've always been inspired by Emma's spirit. I can't be the only one here who watched her speech at the United Nations and had tears of joy in my eyes. It's refreshing that someone from OUR generation, someone who has the heart, wisdom, and power to affect change, is actually willing to use that power for good. It motivates me to be the best person I can be and affect this world in a positive way.
I'm always up for conversations about book, so feel free to add me and we'll chat!


I'm super curious about this group and I hope to learn a lot, by being in it.
Im pregnant and I have to stay at home (for medical reasons), so I thought it was a nice to read and share many things in this group.
=)

My name is Justine and I'm 25 yo female from Poland.
I'm studing the history of art and I'm interested in feminist history of art and female artists. also I'm a big fan of Emma and I love what she's doing to equality.

I joined the, Our Shared Shelf, book club because I would like to learn as much about feminism (read equality) as I can in an effort to be a better human being in this world of ours.


I joined this book club because I love reading, I love Emma, I'm a feminist and I am going to be studying english in university in September and want to read more 'mature' and different genre books. I'm so looking forward to meeting more people and start this book club!!!

Susie here, I am a librarian, avid reading and audiobook addict. I joined because not only am I a fan of Emma and love what she has done with her fame but I also want to expand my reading and learn more about feminism and what a small town girl like me can do to help women around the world.

Also, I'm really loving My Life on the Road so far...makes me want to sell all my belongings and hit the road myself.

my name is Susanne and I'm from the west of Germany, a town called Duesseldorf.
I've always loved reading, actually so much, that I started studying german language and literature as well as english language and literature. My studies introduced my to the literary theory of gender studies and many lectures with a feminist focus on books. Through to literature I was introduced to the topic of feminism and started also to see books in a different light, which I sometimes discuss on my german book blog.
I hope to learn even more about feminism and gender equality in the discussions and through the books we're going to read here together.


message 1: by Ryan
5 hours, 25 min ago
I'm Ryan Knight it's nice to meet everyone. I don't know a lot about feminism but I do enjoy a good book, good people and good conversation. debates are the best in opinion and I enjoy the idea of a group setting focused on a passion.
again the feminist movement isn't my area of expertise but I do hope read as much as possible and gather/share the opinions of those who've read the book =)
that's about it haha introduction completed!
message 2: by Ryan
5 hours, 23 min ago
side note I wish good reads had a an edit comment button spellcheck isn't my best friend in the slightest
message 3: by Ryan 5
hours, 22 min ago
case and point ^
message 4: by Kodak
5 hours, 4 min ago
Morning Ryan!
Don't worry, I think it may just be a glitch in the system, sometime full words hide from my posts when I know I wrote them ;)
Lovely meeting you! Do keep a look out on the Announcements thread, all the details you need to know are in there! But do browse around, and look forward to getting to know you :)
KM
message 5: by Rebecca
4 hours, 38 min ago
Ryan wrote: "I'm Ryan Knight it's nice to meet everyone. I don't know a lot about feminism but I do enjoy a good book, good people and good conversation. debates are the best in opinion and I enjoy the idea of ..."
Nice to meet you too! I think a number of us have been exposed to feminist writings in the past, and I'm really glad to see people from outside of feminism (or people who didn't realize they were feminists) because I think it'll add to the conversation.
message 6: by Alia
4 hours, 37 min ago
Alia. Nice to meet you. The most recent feminist book I read was Giovanni's Room (by James Baldwin) over Christmas. I'm not as big on memoirs as on novels, but will try to keep up.
message 7: by Nessie
4 hours, 33 min ago
Hello everyone! My name is Nessie Marie and I am from the Philippines. I am very excited to be part of this awesome group.
message 8: by Ryan
4 hours, 15 min ago
Nice to meet everyone (=
message 9: by Daiana
4 hours, 9 min ago
hi my name is daiana we talked about feminism on my highschool in philosophy class and i want to know more about it
im dislexic so i really need to read more even if its hard
message 10: by Allan
3 hours, 41 min ago
Hi,
I’m Allan Tingey, I’m in the USA, and I’m probably here because of Emma. I’ve always been an “equal rights” kind of person but I’ve just been living it and never had any real need to study it. There are many other areas where my knowledge is lacking, and they are all higher on my list of priorities, but here I am anyway. I’m pretty sure Emma gets the credit.
… and, note to Kodak …
I’ve done a lot of photography so your name jumps off the page at me every time I scroll through one. I should probably say “Hi” because I’ll most likely read everything you post. I’ve looked at your work. Very nice. I’d like to see more so feel free to drop me a note when you add to it.
message 11: by Mindy
3 hours, 9 min ago
Hi,
My name is Mindy and I am 22. I am very excited about this group as feminism is a cherished subject of mine. I believe in the work that He For She is doing, because as opposed to other feminist groups that focusing on how women are superior and just like men, He For She focuses on helping women reach equality without losing their feminine identity. I look forward to this book club and hope to grow from it. Thank you Emma for starting something so important to us all.
Mindy
message 12: by Rayna
3 hours, 8 min ago
Hi everyone! :) My name is Rayna and I'm from Canada, specifically the Northwest Territories. I thought it would be fun to join a book club especially one celebrating feminism (and one started by Emma). Now normally my reading preferences would edge more towards romance and popular teen books, but I'm more than willing to broaden my mind and discuss topics like some already written in 'Life on the Road'. Already excited for more! ...wait, thank you Emma!
message 13: by Antonio
2 hours, 53 min ago
Hello, people. I am Antonio and i'm from Brazil.
Xd
message 14: by Serena
2 hours, 22 min ago
Hi! I'm Serena. I'm from the US. I live in the Appalachian area. I'm going this group because I want to be introduced to new types of books. I am a special education teacher in a low income area and I have girls how don't have a very good role model in their home lives. I want to find women that they can look up to.
message 15: by Rosie
2 hours, 20 min ago
Hello everyone. My name is Rosie, and I'm from the US. It is lovely to meet all of you!
message 16: by Grace
1 hour, 53 min ago
Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you all.
My name is Grace, I'm from the US and am currently residing in the state of Texas :)
Looking forward to talking more with you all!
message 17: by Richard
1 hour, 42 min ago
just want to say there is already an introduction thread with over 1000 comments so this one is just taking up space as a copy. not trying to be rude, just trying to keep this group as clean as possible.
message 18: by Melanie
1 hour, 13 min ago
Hello! My name is Melanie. I'm in the US, and I'm 4 months away from being an physician. I am passionate about breaking through the unconscious bias that permeates society, and I am excited to dive into this book club head first.
message 19: by Melissa
1 hour, 7 min ago
I'm Melissa- 29 living in Honolulu, originally from Portland, Oregon.
message 20: by Elizabeth
1 hour, 6 min ago
Hello! My name is Elizabeth and I'm from Southern California. I am a single mom of two, a full time student and I work at In N Out (which everyone loves) I love reading, baking, hiking, and Emma. I'm so excited for this group to read and discuss noteworthy literature.
message 21: by Taryn
1 hour, 5 min ago
Hi! I'm Taryn, I'm 18 and I'm from Canada.
message 22: by Ryan
14 minutes ago
looks like moderators can merge topics into different folders. that's great! that makes this introduction thread unessassary so if the moderators see this feel free to delete it. not really a need for two of the same thing lol
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Dancing With Ghosts (other topics)
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (other topics)
Women's Work (other topics)
More...
My name is Cassi. I am a fourth-year English major at a university in Southern California.
I'm an avid reader and am always looking for an outlet to discuss what I've read! I never thought I would find myself in a group like Our Shared Shelf, but I was so inspired by Emma's UN Speech and was ecstatic when I heard about this opportunity. I am really excited to read these books and hear what you all have to say about them. I am pretty shy, but I am also fiercely independent. I look forward to reading about so many brave, independent women and the emerging male support of the feminist movement, to hopefully learning more about how to emulate these women in my own life, and to hear all of your thoughts and opinions through it all. Happy reading!