Introduction Showing 1,651-1,700 of 1,818

[Kassel]

Happy New Year everyone!

I am Kassel, a 20-years-old student from Mexico. I've been part of OSS since the very beginning, but I have been too busy lately to keep up with it. One of my new year's resolution is to try and read all the OSS books this year!

I'm wishing you all happiness and joy for the new year, may this be the year we smash the patriarchy!

[Michaela]

Hi,
i'm Michaela from germany. I just found OSS recently, but i'm very happy that i found it. While most of my friends would call themselves feminists if you ask them, they're not very active in communicating it or educating themselves further. That's why i was looking for some place to participate and i think i found my place to start here. Already looked through the books that have been read before and picked some that i have to read!
So i'm looking forward to some very good discussions and books :)

[[deleted user]]

Hello everyone ! : )

I've already posted some comments here without introduce myself before I discovered this topic. So better late than never... ; )

I'm Lewis, an IT engineer from the UK (I'm French born but I just moved to the UK for work). I knew this book club several month ago by a friend who told me it's one of the most interesting book club on GoodReads I gave a look on then and I litterally liked it !

I joined this book club cause the community seems to be very active and discussions are really fascinating.
In addition, I work in IT where we need really more equality between men and women...

Hope I'll make some friends and I'll have a lot of interesting discussions... : )

Best wishes to everyone for 2018 and after.

Lewis

[Ash]

Welcome to your new family.I hope you find it as confiding and supportive as I do.

Just as a sidenote,I realised that I never actually introduced myself before,even though I have hung around for 10 months now.But I don't think I had anything as interesting as your profiles to tell anyways.😅

Good luck to all of you.Have fun!Happy New Year. :)

[MeerderWörter]

Welcome to all the new members!
Es freut mich zu sehen, dass auch einige Leute aus Deutschland hergefunden haben:) Dann fühl ich mich weniger allein in Österreich:):)
And to everyone: I am happy that, whether you are part of OSS for a longer time now or not, you want to participate in discussions. You won't regret it.

[Maren]

Hi everyone! I'm Maren, 18 years old from Berlin, Germany and over the last 2 years I rediscovered my love for reading that I had as a child.
I read some books about feminism and racism in the last year & although my goal was to read a lot more than I ended up with, these books certainly gave me more knowledge on these topics, as well as new perspectives which I believe are the most valuable things to gain from a book.
I joined this group to get myself to read more feminist books and also to find new people to discuss the books with. I am looking forward to many great discussions!
Happy new year everyone!

[Dakota]

Hello, my name is Dakota Boden. I’m from the United States, I’m 19 and I’m currently training to enlist in the Air Force!

I joined this book club because I was absolutely inspired by the work that Emma is doing in the UN and I believe in the cause that she and everyone here in OSS are advocating, so I decided that I wanted to be apart of this mission!

Before, I really didn’t know much about feminism until I saw her speech when she launched the “HeforShe” campaign. When she said “If not me, who? If not now, when?” I was moved and it’s by far one of the most inspirational quotes I’ve ever heard, as someone soon to serve my country I believe the meaning behind that is very significant, and that is why Emma will always be one of my greatest role models, I will always strive to be the kind of example to my brothers and sisters in uniform that she is to me.

And I’m so proud to be apart of this group and to have made the commitment to HeforShe, I’m so pumped to see how far we go!

Dakota Boden

[[deleted user]]

Hello everyone,
my name is Anniki. I‘m 28 years old and live in Northern Germany. I‘m an occupational therapist and therefore always in contact with people of all ages and with different backgrounds.
I enjoy discussing various topics with my patients while I treat them and I‘ve always been a reader.
Sometimes OSS makes me reading books I might wouldn‘t have come across and I‘m always surprised in a good way.
It‘s great to see how active the members discuss various topics and I hope to participate a bit more anytime soon.

[[deleted user]]

Thank you for your welcome Ashna and MeerderWörter ! : )

[Luna]

Thanks! Directly from Brazil!

[Cyn]

Hello, everyone!
I'm Cynthia, I'm 31, I'm a primary school English teacher and I'm from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The main reasons why I joined the club is:
a) I love reading. Lately, it's what keeps me sane and distracts me from my day-to-day routine.
b) I'm a big fan of Emma and I really think what she's doing is inspiring.
c) As the topics of feminism and equality have been raising more and more in the last few years, it made me more and more curious about the topic as well as more aware of certain situations.
d) As a teacher, I think it's a very interesting topic to discuss with students.

I think that being in this book would give me more resources to use in my classroom as well as new perspectives on equality and feminism, and of course (but not the least), it would give me the opportunity and pleasure to meet new and interesting people from around the world.

So... thank you, everyone!

[Mystic Orange]

My name is Rumell Khan. I am from Greater Manchester in United Kingdom. I am quite intellectual. I currently run a group called: The Friendly Book Cave and I have a hunger to add more members to my group and getting them involved.

I have joined this group because I have realised that this group is the most popular in Goodreads. It has over 200,000 members. I am here to learn and grasp how you have increased amount of members in this group.

I value education and believe it is important. I put all my heart towards the teaching us and guiding us. They taught us what is right and what is wrong. If it was not for any of them I would not have been where I am. I am now currently doing A-levels in college. The teachers our role models. So what if they were strict. Because who was in the wrong in the first place. They work so hard. I dislike people who disrespect them. Also Teachers are the first and the longest job professions who come in contacts with. Of course you have police, doctors and nurse but they aren't the people who we see day-to-day. I am currently studying Biology, Chemistry, Psychology and Sociology.

I think it is wrong for a person point a finger of a whole group of people of the same characteristics. Bosses and Managers should not judge you in your sex, race, age, religion or culture etc. When you are at a workplace you should only be focussed by your work ethic e.g Attendance, Punctuality, Behaviour and Professionalism etc. Communication skill is not compulsory in the world of work, but lack of it may affect your professionalism. I believe that this world is for all different kind of people with different characteristics. We should be proud of who we are and we should be proud of others as they are.

This is my personal quote: 'Learn Before You Earn'

Please reply if you have read.

[Lu]

Hi! I'm Luiza, I'm 30 years old and I live in São Paulo/Brazil.

I joined this bookclub because I want to read more books in 2018 and I am interested in reading the books listed here.

I'm very glad to be part of here and read your thoughts on each month! But I couldnt find a list of the past books everyone already read. So I will catch up only from now on I guess.

Thanks!

[Sue]

I'm Sue, 52 years old and currently living in Arizona in the southwest United States. I had the privilege of living in the UK for 3 years in my 20's, and have also had the opportunity to travel extensively for work. I'm very excited to see many of the members here are from around the world!

I'm very interested in the books and the "mission" of this group.

I started my professional life back when women were just starting to gain recognition in the work place. I found that the women about half a generation ahead of me weren't in any position to help me in a professional or mentoring capacity - they were still working hard on their own acceptance.

I've spend my own career in an extremely male dominated job - I sell very high tech IT solutions, and have made it my mini mission in life to help other women climb the ladder and feel accepted in generally male environments.

I'm looking to read books I enjoy and learn from the experiences of women in literature as well as the interactions here in discussions.

Thank you for putting this group together!

[Leslie]

Hi Sue - I love the desert areas of the US. Good for you for being successful in your field. I was a computer programmer in 1974, and loved the work. I was the only female programmer at my place of employment. Unfortunately, as a single parent of 2 kids, I couldn't afford to keep the job. We were paid twice a month, and my pay was $209 each pay day. My rent was $250, and child care $100, which didn't leave enough for groceries, transportation, etc. so I felt forced to return to nursing. I really wish things had been different.

[MeerderWörter]

Luiza wrote: "Hi! I'm Luiza, I'm 30 years old and I live in São Paulo/Brazil.

I joined this bookclub because I want to read more books in 2018 and I am interested in reading the books listed here.

I'm very gla..."

If you go to "Bookshelf" in the upper-right corner, (on the desktop, it doesn't work on the app) you will see a header "read" on the left side. Those are the ones we have read already.
You can also scroll down to the bottom and then see which books have been read already.

[Zachary]

Hi everyone,

My name is Zachary and I am 27 years old, currently living in Sicily, but I am from Kentucky in the United States. I am an English major, near graduation, and have truly found myself drawn to the topic of feminism in my studies. Personally I have always consider myself a bit of a feminist, but didn't truly know what that meant aside from equality.
My wife is a huge feminist, and at times in our community is looked at as weird for her thinking. I have learned much in the past few years with regards to feminism, but I know there is much more. I joined this group in order to broaden my book horizons, and better understand the modern feminist thinking. I want to find my place in the greater fight for equality, and find where I am truly needed in order to insure that women across the world are living in a better world than even today.
One of my biggest mantras is I don't know what I don't know, and I think this is truly indicative of my thinking with feminism. The topics I understand I can speak on well or even just listen, but I assume that I have many pitfalls in my own thinking that prevent me from truly being of help to the feminist cause. Recently I have realized that I need to move out of the way and listen in order to truly be effective for change. All the best.

Zachary

[Zachary]

Sue wrote: "I'm Sue, 52 years old and currently living in Arizona in the southwest United States. I had the privilege of living in the UK for 3 years in my 20's, and have also had the opportunity to travel ext..."

Hi Sue,

I found your post incredibly interesting, especially your recognition of working women a generation before you, and how you differ. My own mother is part of the generation in which you speak, and I remember hearing her stories of working life in very male dominated workplaces (such as construction, factory work, or business). My own mother barely graduated high school, and was unable to truly work at her full potential because of the changing times, but she has experienced a lot of adversity in the workplace which I truly think has influenced my own thinking.

I want to congratulate you on your success, as well as being a needed mentor for younger women. One of the biggest problems I see when it comes to the fight for equality in the work place is the constant overarching title of "male dominated." Not that I don't think it is extremely accurate but that we need, to borrow from Mina Loy "Absolute Demolition" of the standard thinking of the workplace. I don't think gender has anything to do with the workplace, it should always be case to case. Humans are extraordinary, and I think too often we try to generalize everything into can and can't, especially in the work place. "Men are better equipped/naturally accustomed to doing 'X'." It's faulty thinking that allows for men to dominate the work place even today. Sorry I went on a tangent. Nice to meet you, and to be in this group to learn so much more.

All the best
Zachary

[Sue]

Zachary wrote: "Hi everyone,

My name is Zachary and I am 27 years old, currently living in Sicily, but I am from Kentucky in the United States. I am an English major, near graduation, and have truly found myself ..."

Welcome Zachary! How wonderful to live in Sicily!

I appreciated the comments you made on "male dominated" - and I agree! There are no (or at least few) jobs that can only be done by men or only done by women.

What I meant by my comment is that, even now in 2018, I'm often the ONLY woman in the room. I will be attending a team meeting in a couple weeks - this meeting will include me and my 9 colleagues - all men.

I usually think of myself as a tribe of one - and many years ago I gave myself permission to not be a "mini man". I've learned to "fit in" by carving out my own place in the world.

[Zachary]

Sue wrote: "Zachary wrote: "Hi everyone,

My name is Zachary and I am 27 years old, currently living in Sicily, but I am from Kentucky in the United States. I am an English major, near graduation, and have tru..."

Sue,

Thank you for the welcome, and the response. Sicily is really amazing. I completely understand what you meant when talking about the propensity of male dominated fields in 2018. Eventually I think we will get to a point where jobs are universal for all, and no one will rest on the laurels of what men are able to do or women. I think the "mini man" statement is one of the most troubling parts of any jobs, why do we feel the need to think that women can only succeed if they act like men. I'm glad you were able to make your own way. It is unfortunate fact of the world that women are still the minority in the work force, but it is getting better. I hope to see a future where it isn't a surprise when women become anything.

[Stephanie]

My name is Stephanie, 45, and I'm a college professor in the Humanities Department at Penn State University. One of the classes I teach is Effective Speaking, and I show Emma Watson's UN speech on gender equality during the semester because it's so amazing!

I was raised by a true feminist from the 1960s who took me to marches when I was young, and I've taken to heart what my mom taught me throughout my life. Now, I'm trying to pass this down to my eight-year-old daughter who is also an avid reader! I'm hoping to find some wonderful books that I could possibly share with both my mom and my daughter :)

[Pam]

Welcome Stephanie!

You'll find plenty to read and see here. We have a thread dedicated to books for young readers:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Stephanie]

Thank you for the link, that is perfect for my little girl! She's such an avid reader and I was hoping to do something with her over the summer where we have our own little "book club," and these suggestions are wonderful!!

[[deleted user]]

I'm Kimberly, or Kim whichever is okay with me. I've lived in many worlds with books. They're my haven. Our Shared Shelf appealed to me due to the cause they stand for.

[Rebecca]

Hi all! My name is Rebecca. I am a 24 year old librarian living on Cape Cod originally from Louisiana.

I joined because I'm completing my MLIS this month, and wanted to get involved in something new. I grew up hard-core Roman Catholic and bisexual. When I was in undergrad I came out and left the church. Our Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance on campus did a lot to help me, and I want to be able to do that for other people and put some good back into the world.

[Rebecca]

Kimberly wrote: "I'm Kimberly, or Kim whichever is okay with me. I've lived in many worlds with books. They're my haven. Our Shared Shelf appealed to me due to the cause they stand for."

I was drawn by the cause as well. Excited to read more feminist works. Glad other people are joining late in the game with me!

[Laura]

Hi! My name is Laura, I'm 27. I just started going back to school online to finish my Bachelor's degree in English. I took a Women's Studies class and became interested to learn more about Feminism. So, I am excited that I found this book club. Excited to read some new books and learn more!

[Cendaquenta]

I could've sworn I joined this group back when I signed up to Goodreads in January. Apparently not. Oh well, I'm here now!

I'm Cenda (not real name) from Scotland. Always interested in social-justice and feminism type books, and in general books about life all across the spectrum of human experience. :)

[Susan]

Hi everyone. My name is Susan. I’m fascinated by women’s issues and look forward to good conversations with you about them. It’s so interesting to hear different perspectives on these topics.

[Anastasia]

Hello. My name is Anastasia.I live in Sydney, Australia. I have been a feminist for 39 years. In my life I have seen big changes especially in tn the area of work. Opportunities have opened up for women and continue to open up. When I was young there were few opportunities.

[Pam]

Anastasia wrote: "Hello. My name is Anastasia.I live in Sydney, Australia. I have been a feminist for 39 years. In my life I have seen big changes especially in tn the area of work. Opportunities have opened up for ..."

You bring hope for the next generation. Thank you for pushing for these rights for all of these years.

[Susan]

Nice to meet you all!

[[deleted user]]

Wow I have a late response, but I'm happy to see such a warm welcome. Thanks Rebecca and Emma

[Pam]

Hi all new members,

You've picked a great time to join as we're just about to start a new book.

Help decide what it will be by choosing in the poll linked below. The survey closes this weekend!
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[MeerderWörter]

Anastasia wrote: "Hello. My name is Anastasia.I live in Sydney, Australia. I have been a feminist for 39 years. In my life I have seen big changes especially in tn the area of work. Opportunities have opened up for ..."

Hello Anastasia!
Thank you for fighting for all these years...

[[deleted user]]

Hello! My name is Hamda, I'm 21-year-old from the UAE.

Feminism, especially intersectional feminism, is a topic very close to me, as I have always been exposed to misogyny, as well as internalized misogyny, in my society. I would like to educate people in my society on the importance of equality.

[Pam]

Excellent! Looking forward to reading your thoughts Hamda!

[Ross]

Hi Hamda, welcome to the best feminist site on the Web.

[Gemma]

Hi! I'm Gem, I'm 32 and from the UK. I've always been interested in feminism, politics and social justice but have started to realise over the years how much I still have to learn, particularly with regards to intersectionality and recognising and challenging my own privilege. Really glad to find this group and hopefully learn a lot and contribute where I can and where appropriate.

[Pam]

Welcome Gem!

[Aniya]

Hello everyone,

I'm Ciri and I live in germany.
I've always been interested in feminism, but the backlash from certain groups pushed me even more into the topic.
Looking forward to interact with people with a similiar mindset and to read great books! :)

[gabriella ♡]

Hi everyone!
I’m Gabriella, I’m 17 and from the US. I love to read all kinds of books! I joined this group in hopes to educate myself more on feminism, and to broaden my genres of books I read.

[J.]

No new intros since June, eh? Perhaps now is as good a time as any to introduce myself. My (pen) name is J. Magus Zennith, but the J. stands for Joshua which is my actual given name. I am 38 years old, and from the Middle of Nowhere, Michigan (US). I want to say I actually joined this group 2 years ago when it was formed, but it was under a regular user account for which I lost the login info - or just forgot that I had it. I made a new account several months ago for a reason that I'll get to, and re-joined this group back in June - I just am not active due to monthly data restraints (don't get me started).

When I originally joined - or at least intended to join - back in 2016, it was mostly out of curiosity as to what books would be selected, topics for discussion, and out of admiration for Ms. Watson. At the time, I was focused on working on my own project and didn't pay much heed to it, and forgot about it. I created a new user account in February because I wanted to use ... well, the author's dashboard. Technically, I am a Goodreads author. I hope mentioning this isn't a violation of the OSS guidelines. There IS a relevant reason for me bringing it up, and it involves this group's cause and, particularly, its founder.

As with many others, I was inspired by Emma's speech to the UN back in 2014. I didn't watch it, but read the transcript, and what struck me most was her desire to invite men to the feminism conversation, and help liberate men from their own gender chains, so to speak. This struck a chord with me, as I never felt altogether comfortable voicing an opinion on what still felt like a subject best left to women. But helping to free men from their stereotypical gender roles? That's something I felt I could give voice to, with one subject in particular that I am quite familiar with.

Anyway, I felt compelled to contribute something to the conversation / debate and the larger world. I had written an essay on a subject close to me earlier in the year that I had expanded upon somewhat, but it wasn't until after I read her speech that it became the basis for the novel I ended up writing. Ms. Watson was the initial inspiration for a few key character traits of one my two protagonists. I don't think I ever really intended for it to get as long as it is, but there it is. I self-published it in January - which is why I say *technically* a Goodreads author. Whether anything ever comes of it, who can say? If it helps or inspires just one person even remotely, as she did for me, then mission accomplished, I suppose.

I hope this didn't come off as too self-promoting, but it's difficult for me to not bring it up, considering the circumstances behind its very existence and my joining - or rejoining. Aside from being an introduction, this is also kind of a 'thank you' to her (though I doubt she'll read it), and to everyone else that helps in the struggle for gender equality in whatever way they can muster. Greetings, Good Fortune, and Good Reading to everyone.

[Cyn]

Totally agree with you, Emma. That speech was incredibly inspiring. I even showed it to my 6th-form students last year when we finished our Civil Rights unit and we talked about it. They loved it!

[Soya]

Hi everyone! I'm Hasmin from the Philippines. I work on gender and development and I would like to widen my perspective on feminism in addition to our theory and practice. Fiction/literature has always served as one of the channels for women to be able to advocate on our rights and issues. Stories seem to be the best way for us humans to realize the oneness of the women's movement. I hope to learn a lot from everyone's posts as well as contribute in the discussions.

Thank you Emma for this initiative and continue your good work!

[Colleen Chi-Girl]

Hi, I'm a feminist! Love starting out my intro like that. I live in California with my partner and have been an elementary school educator for forever. I love my diverse and inclusive school (in every aspect you can imagine).....although retiring to travel one day sounds dreamy. Meanwhile, we work to do the good work of teaching brilliant minds, have important discussions, including living in a world of kindness and inclusiveness, and still become who we want or are destined to become. Hopefully, happy/smart/inclusive kids = same kind of adults. Thanks to Emma and everyone for participating.

[Emily]

Hey all! I am Emily and I am a graduate student and waitress from New York! I joined this group because I admire Emma Watson and what she stands for. I am interested in learning more about the topics I support through reading!

[Katie]

Hi everyone!

My name is Katie, and I am a graduate student in a Language, Literacy, and Culture PhD program. I have been following along OSS for awhile and have tried to read many of the books that are selected. I just picked up Rebecca to read!

This semester, for a class project, I am trying to learn more about the type of community that online book clubs, like Our Shared Shelf, provides and creates. I have a survey that asks a few questions about you as a reader and how you participate in OSS. All of your responses will be kept anonymous and I won't be publishing the data anywhere--just using it for my class.

I would so appreciate any of you filling this survey out! It should only take about 15 min to do so. Please feel free to message me if you have any additional questions or concerns.

Here is a link to the survey: https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/...

Thanks in advance for your help on my class project!
Katie

[Eitan]

Hello everybody!

My name is Eitan. I'm 23 years old, and I am from the exotic Southeast Asian country Malaysia. I am a freelance illustrator, simultaneously a passionate baker, English language teacher for autistic children, and a proud feminist. FYI, I am also a transgender man! :D hashtag: trans rights are human rights!

I joined because I am passionate and in love with books, and I would love to gain more knowledge of feminism and educate myself about society so that I can be of a role model to anyone else in the world, especially in my own country, too. Besides I have been a huge fan of Emma Watson since watching Harry Potter and Beauty and the Beast.

I also love her way of spreading awareness and her taste in books! She inspires me to read, and to gain knowledge about society.

Nice to meet everybody!

[Charlee]

Hi I'm Charlee. I'm 23 and from Australia and absolutely love reading and expanding my knowledge, creativity and self-awareness. I'm currently studying Media and Communication Majoring in Public Relations at Swinburne University.

In my spare time I help advocate for literacy and education in third world countries and improvement in the education system in first world countries.

For anyone under the age of 24, the World Literacy Foundation Youth Ambassador Program is a really good opportunity to join a community of young like-minded individuals from all around the world advocating to eradicate illiteracy and promote education. During the online program you also learn leadership, advocacy and fundraising skills and will have the chance to attend the world literacy summit at Oxford University all expenses paid! Sorry for the shameless promotion but eradicating illiteracy is a cause i'm passionate about :)