Customer Reviews

Good Will Toward Men: Women Talk Candidly About the Balance of Power Between the Sexes

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

 

 

This book brings a glimmer of hope to men. It also exposes much of the ugly hypocrisy and bigotry of feminism. It does so by allowing 22 women to express their views on how men are treated by women. The fact that most of these women call themselves feminists is what makes their honesty about the biased and misandric nature of modern feminist society so surprising. In a time when male views on anything related to gender issues are almost completely ignored Jack Kammer's book manages to express what men have been trying to say all along. Most importantly, the book accomplishes this in perhaps the only way that women will listen to - by quoting from the mouths of women themselves. For women this book offers a realistic look at what it's like to be male. For men this book offers hope. It shows that there are still women in the world who realize that men are people, too. And it shows that there are women who are willing to admit that sometimes women can be wrong.

Obviously, I disagree with the the review that called this book unsatisfying; it has to be one of the more satisfying books I have seen. I have read parts of this book so many times I lost count; it is indeed heartening to hear from intelligent women sympathetic to men. Not only that, Jack Kammer appears unafraid of being firm and, at the same time, respectful to these individuals. He never stoops to misogyny; he seems to know that if there is to be a greater understanding between the sexes, these women are the ones who will help bring it about.

One of the few books on gender attempting to show that men suffer from inequalities and injustices in our society. Better yet women in the book say let's stop hating and bashing men; let's stop thinking of all women as victims and get on with our lives.

I read the prologue to Jack Kammer's Good Will Towards Men not long before it was published. I liked it so much I clipped it and put it in my re-read file. Sixteen years later I came across it cleaning out my files and ordered the book. I am glad I did. The perspective presented by the women Jack interviewed confirms what I have thought all along: that the views of many women who claim the feminist flag are chauvinism in drag. They do violence to our common humanity and are no less distorted than the views of the anti-feminist wing of the men's movement. Five stars to Jack Kammer who boldly claimed a victory for sanity in a world attuned to media bytes and a three-second attention span. Ole!

I disagree with the reviewer below who says this book exposes the 'hypocrisy' of feminism. This book is certainly of some value to me, and I am a feminist (and proud to be one). 'Good Will Toward Men' could hardly be said to contradict the tenets of feminism, when the book is a collection of opinion responses. I suppose a lot of uptight men will like this book (especially with that title!), but I think more women should give it a try. I find many of the opinions expressed in it worthy of debate, and many intelligent thoughts as well. For the other posters here, let me say, not all feminists are small spiteful creatures with too much time on their hands. In fact, most feminists don't make a living at it, but are simply interested in the world becoming accessible to women in all respects, and without the violence and cruelty that we suffer at the hands of men. Take this book to heart, guys; someday the bullies of feminism will have to take a back seat.

This book sparks a conversation that is long overdue on a national level. Unfortunately, it does so from a perspective that adds ammunition to the gender-war. Niether men nor women benefit from one gender trying to blame the other for social issues. However, the hypocracy of the book is that it continues the exact problem it claims to be trying to stop. It's just another book from a long line of finger-pointers and gender blamers. It gave me the feeling the author was trying to play a big game of "gotcha!" by creating a laundry list of women's sins. It would have been more enjoyable if written from a human perspective rather than being so obviously one-sided. It certainly got me thinking more about gender issues but it failed to assist in working toward any type of solution.