Customer Reviews

We Don't Need Another Wave: Dispatches from the Next Generation of Feminists

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am not going to say that I was disappointed in this book, since that wouldn't be fair. I had higher expectations for this book, given that it fits within the growing genre of third wave, no wave, next generation of feminists genre.

I was hoping for something that was more reflexive and less self-referential, especially since the first two books in the genre had covered that terrain. (To be Real and Listen Up).

This book is interesting and will be hard for young feminists or those interested/curious in feminism. The writing is at times choppy and disorganized. A stronger copyeditor was needed, as some of the sections were rife with cliches and circular arguments that took away from the author's main point.

I enjoyed the book, but it felt like a beach read, a beach read for feminists.

I would suggest Defending Our Dreams or the Fire this Time for more analytical or scholarly work. The audience for this book is similar to Fight Like a Girl or Sisterhood Interrupted, a lay audience or lower division humanities or social sciences student(s).

In this wonderful new anthology from the independent feminist publishing company Seal Press, a diverse group of young feminists tackle difficult feminist issues like war, rape, poverty, domestic violence, racism, sex work, pornography, transphobia, eating disorders, abortion, and heterosexism. Especially interesting were the insightful reflections on the March For Women's Lives and the protests against the 2004 Republican National Convention. I also really enjoyed reading about the political work being done by feminists within the DIY punk activist community. For those of you who foolishly believe the media myth that feminism is dead, read this book. It will renew your faith in the next generation of radical feminists.

i originally purchased this book after picking it up in a store and reading a few pages out of dean spade's essay entitled "for lovers or fighters" where, as part of the essay, he describes the nuanced decisions we all make about how we want to have friendships and relationships and the ways in which we could challenge ourselves to treat our friends more like our lovers (prioritize them in our lives) and our lovers more like our friends (don't have ridiculous expectations of them). This essay remained one of my favorites (and has been interwoven into my thinking about relationships and how i want to have them) even after i read the entire book (twice) and fell in love with many other essays as well.

One of the aspects of this book that i loved so much was the ability of each author to examine the complexity of their situations. There were no clear drawn conclusions based on linear, academic arguments. People told their stories, complex as they were, and the subtlties of their lives were picked apart and examined. People decided to make themselves vulnerable and to tell us like it is, it was very real, very genuine. I was honored to read their stories and would have loved to have had extensive discussions with many of them to hear how various projects and experiences turned out for them.

There was an incredible diversity of essayists, and i was really excited and inspired by the way that so many people were represented and yet nobody was tokenized. It is difficult to figure out how to make this happen and i was thrilled when i realized this was so.

"We Don't Need Another Wave" is a book that i insisited all of my friends read. it is an incredible addition to the growing body of work that represents feminism for what it is and what it feels like and what it actually means to most young feminists today.

so, here's the deal: i'm in grad school and rarely get to read for fun, but i bought this book on thursday and was halfway through it by saturday. it's a quick read that's more fierce than fluff. it's also written in a way that's really accessible (i.e., not too high brow or academic-y). but mainly this book screams--through the varied voices of its contributors--that feminism is far from dead, rather it's something that people are enacting in their everyday lives! it's really inspiring. i'm already so in love with several of the essays (and at least one of the writers) that i can't wait to finish it. (i also just ended up buying seven more copies for gifts if that tells you anything!)

update: so, i finally found some time over the holiday/long weekend to finish this book. and i have to say i am both impressed and inspired ... and a little bummed that i didn't at least submit something when the call for submissions landed in my inbox a year or so ago. the authors weave humor, sadness, rage, craftiness, and overall "kick a*s"-ness throughout their narratives, which culminates into this great collection of feminist writing that comes at a variety of issues from a variety of approaches--the way feminism should be (at least in my mind)! (i've also quoted two excerpts of pieces from this book in my myspace blog if that tells you anything!)

Raunch culture nonsense. Subjectivity and emotionalism in place of logic and fact-based analysis. This is the new face of western feminism. Oh, wait, this has been the face of western feminism for the past 20 years!

In some parts of the world, 12 year old girls are being brutalized by fascist theocracies and treated like chattel. But let's ignore that and listen to a bunch of entitled American women whine like pre-schoolers.

Blech.

Here's a description of the western feminist: a woman who demands that she be paid the same wage as a man, but expects the man to pay for dinner. "Equality when it's convenient for me, chivalry when it's convenient for me."

A message to Valenti et. al: It's not going to be so easy to fool us anymore. Gird your loins and get ready for battle. It's going to be a good one.