Customer Reviews

Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Misogyny is a remarkable book, melding ancient philosophy, religion, sociology, literature, art, and politics. It was written by an Irish journalist who cared deeply about women, and it seamlessly brings together the elements and causes of the omnipresent patriarchal control of women by men over thousands of years throughout the world.

The relatively modest advancements for women in developed countries in recent decades are little cause for rejoicing when hundreds of millions of women and girls continue to suffer the most horrendous treatment: rape, child sexual slavery, and physical abuse; genital mutilation; forced marriage, child-bearing, and/or late-term abortion; lack of effective, affordable contraception; infanticide of unwanted female babies; exposure to HIV/AIDS from straying husbands and partners; poorer health and shortened life span; lack of education and control of family finances; public humiliation and even violent death for flouting male cultural demands including unreasonable clothing requirements; loss of hope and opportunities on all levels.

Present-day political and religious leaders do little to help the cause of women and girls. Jack Holland lays it all out from Aristotle to Darfur, from Plato to Hitler, from the past to the present and into the uncertain future. This is a book that finally exposes the inception of the domination and maltreatment of one gender by the other through the ages. It is a gem and ought to be required reading in all high schools and colleges AND for all legislators.

Our conduct toward others defines our characters. Men, take note. And for women who ignore the history of the fight for women's rights, those rights are fragile and fleeting, and your callous ignorance is dangerous to you and to those you love . Your rights, and those of your mothers, your sisters, and your daughters will always be in peril. Know this and take action. Begin by reading Jack Holland's incisive book.

I'm as surprised to report as I'm sure you are to read that this book is neither the downer nor the inciter to riot I was expecting. It's the history of the world's oldest and most determined prejudice written with clarity and humor, beginning with Pandora and ending with the Taliban. There are discoveries -- Did you know that the main reason Menelaus fought so hard to get Helen back was that he married her because she was his claim to his kingship? Face that launched a thousand ships, indeed. Did you know that in contemporary accounts it was rumored that Brutus was Julius Ceasar's bastard son? That explains a lot. St. Paul's remarks in Romans amount to "a declaration of war on the human body," and the marquis de Sade's fictional Juliette is "a sort of Tyrannosaurus Sex." The chapters on witch burning and the Holocaust are pretty horrifying, but then so were the events, and Holland's prose is so good it pulls you through to a conclusion not lacking in hope for a better future.

This book didn't exactly rock my world. In full disclosure, I am a feminist (meaning, I don't think anyone's better or worse than anyone else based on what's between their legs), and have been reading feminist books and theory for a long time. The reviews of this book made me think, maybe, a REALLY long time. It was a very readable (I hesitate to say 'enjoyable') study over the long span of human history about the institutional and cultural biases against women. Holland is right: it's outrageous that 51% of the human race has been discriminated against for all of written history, but there's been no major outrage. It's accepted as 'common sense'. Just think of your reaction to me stating I was a feminist. I'm sure someone reading this review conjured an image of a hairy legged flannel shirt wearing manhater. Why? Because 'we all know' that women who complain are weird.

Holland's honestly at his best with the more modern events. He mumbles some facts--all crusaders were male (ummm, Eleanor of Aquitaine?) he says. Also, he seems to think Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for witchcraft. She was sentenced, actually, for the 'crime' of refusing to wear women's 'proper' clothing. I could go on, but you get the idea. Little squibs that detracted from my enjoyment of his historical broad view, but nothing that would directly contradict or nullify his claims (the Joan of Arc thing would have actually *strengthened* his point). But, it's a huge task to cram the whole of history into under 300 pages, so we'll cut him a break.

The reason this isn't five stars for me is that really, there's nothing NEW here. If you've read _History of Women_ or _History of Their Own_ or _Chalice and the Blade_, etc, there's really not much that's going to make paradigms shift. If you've read current feminists like Faludi or Kilbourne's work on advertising, again, nothing particularly new. So, if you read feminist books as a hobby, most of this book might be...unsatisfying. If you're new to the stuff, this is as good an introduction as I can think of. And his coverage of recent history, ranging from the Taliban to abortion clinics in the US, is quite good. It's useful for bringing together between two covers the 'cliff's notes' of historical feminism.

If you would like to have your thoughts stirred up more, in the same 'grand overview of history' scheme Leonard Shlain's _Alphabet Versus the Goddess_ is my pick.

Its amazing that this book was written by a man. This is a must read for every female especially those who take the many freedoms they have today for granted.Misogynistic practices,behaviors and attitudes are entrenched in many cultures(some more extreme than others)and it would be wise to take note that freedoms were fought for(not just generously handed over by kind hearted men)and that we have made a little progress in some areas but still have a long way to go to eliminate deeply rooted prejudices against women everywhere.

Anyone who has read history knows that brutality aimed at 'the other' (whoever 'the other' is) lies at the base of most of the events whose stories survive. Still, reading in Mr. Holland's _Misogyny_ about the millennia of contempt held by the generally stronger half of humanity (a half with almost all the power and wealth within the relative spheres of influence) for the generally less-physically strong half of humanity, makes me consider a version of the reverse of what Freud asked. "What more did those men want?"

The material in the book brings together threads of history, sheds light on events and trends, and would make a good companion to a general study of the subject.

This is a terrific book. Very informative and well written. It's making me a little angry though as it drives home the fact that some women around the world have such terribly tough lives. Even in western society there are still so many inequalities. We should all be aware of them so that they can be eventually overcome.

I agree with other reviewers--Jack Holland's book should be part of the world's curriculum. In MISOGYNY, THE WORLD'S OLDEST PREJUDICE, Holland writes an intelligent, well-researched, and gripping narrative, covering the many manifestations of misogyny from ancient to modern times, in the religious, social, scientific, and political spheres. Holland clearly illustrates the dangers of the two-valued orientation, with its appeal to the dogmatic, who have persecuted women throughout human history.

Beyond the heartbreaking and horrifying examples of misogynistic cruelty, Holland presents an insightful analysis of the core of this oldest of prejudices and offers a glimmer of hope for its transcendence.

An excellent book - written in understandable language and with intelligent and balanced analysis that you don't have to have a PHd in philosopy to follow. It was published at least two years ago and though I do not know how it went under (or maybe it was over?) my radar for so long, I am glad that I finally found it. It is definitely a keeper.

So much beauty & horrific honesty in this book, with prose like poetry, I've learned SO MUCH from this extrodinary book! It reads easily & makes it hard to put down. A moving & disturbing look at the other half of human history - womankind's. Written & researched by Jack Holland, a highly respected and widely read author, journalist, teacher and poet.
If you wish to learn more about the deceased journalist, his daughter and wife have set up a web site dedicated to his life's work - and they love visitors and wil personally answer your email.
[...]

Here is an excerpt from their site & the story on how the book came to be:
"The inspiration for The World's Oldest Prejudice sprang from a lifelong fascination with and love of women. Raised by a strong matriarchal grandmother, my father enjoyed a long and happy marriage with my mother, a formidable woman in her own right. The power of female sexuality was something he reveled in, but it never eclipsed his respect for a woman's intellect and perspective on the world.

So in 2003, after a career of analyzing Northern Ireland's political woes, he turned his journalist's eye to a daunting question: how do you explain the oppression and brutalization of half the world's population by the other half, throughout history?

Some may say his approach to this topic was unorthodox. He was not an academic historian. But the techniques he used in tackling this topic were ones he used to make other conflicts tangible to many readers -- his ability to condense difficult, inaccessible material, his deep knowledge of western culture and history, his sympathy for the oppressed, and his lyrical prose style. With those tools at his disposal, he turned what could have been a heavy, unreadable tome into a book that is remarkably light and -- given its sometimes brutal subject matter -- pleasurable to read.

The World's Oldest Prejudice is an important and timely book. While some may find its central tenets to be controversial, it was written out of a sincere desire to address the immense suffering of women worldwide, throughout time.

The fact that my father died before this book could be published is indeed a tragedy. Four days before he died, we sat together in a sun-filled lounge in the cancer ward at Columbia-Presbyterian hospital, reading through the manuscript. Even in the midst of a terminal illness, he was totally absorbed by the topic, and was determined to see the project through. That task was left to us, his family and friends.

After he died, both his publisher and his long-time agent failed to support us, and our ties with them were dissolved following a brief but unpleasant legal tussle. But we did not act out of grief. We acted out of the conviction that this book has enormous potential to inform, entertain and enlighten a wide audience of men and women throughout the world. Thanks to Constable & Robinson (UK publisher) and Carroll & Graf (US publisher) his dying wish will now come true!

For more information contact us."

I'm so very thankful a MAN WROTE THIS BOOK so that other men who might be threatened by an account of crimes against womankind have no way to bash the author as "a man hater" or "old bitter spinster" (as they did with my second most favorite book, a political tongue-in-cheek, "Are Men Necessary" by Maureen Dowd).

My hope is to hand down this book to the females in my family, thru the generations.
As for the book itself, a must read & a must share!
For males too.
Hope this review helped.


Thank you for giving us a voice, Jack Holland (& family), and rest in honor as well as in peace.

Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice by Jack Holland

"Misogyny" is a powerful and riveting book about the cruel and crude history of misogyny. The late Jack Holland delivers an important book, an eye-opening book that at times is very uncomfortable to read but the knowledge is appreciated. This 320-page book is composed of the following nine chapters: 1. Pandora's Daughters, 2. Women at the Gates: Misogyny in Ancient Rome, 3. Divine Intervention: Misogyny and the Rise of Christianity, 4. From Queen of Heaven to Devil Woman, 5. O Brave New World: Literature, Misogyny and the Rise of Modernity, 6. Victorians' Secrets, 7. Misogyny in the Age of Supermen, 8. Body Politics, and 9. In Conclusion: Making Sense of Misogyny.

Positives:
1. Passionate prose. The late Mr. Holland pulls no punches.
2. Well-written and well researched.
3. The fascinating topic of misogyny in the hands of a master.
4. Takes you on a ride that covers the globe and time.
5. A heartfelt introduction from author's daughter.
6. The book grabs and doesn't let you go. At times jaw-dropping, at times horrifying but never boring.
7. How the rise of Greece and Rome laid the foundation for misogyny.
8. A recurring theme, how woman's supposed weakness is responsible for all subsequent human suffering, misery and death. The Fall of Man...
9. The similarities and differences between slavery and misogyny.
10. So much interesting history packed into three-hundred pages.
11. The influence of Plato...the Theory of Forms as the basis for the Christian doctrine of Original Sin.
12. Aristotle as one of the most ferocious misogynists of all time.
13. Some of the most amusing anecdotes you will ever read. Aristotle once stated that women had fewer teeth than men, Bertrand Russell's comment, "Aristotle would never have made this mistake if he had allowed his wife to open her mouth once in a while".
14. Some ancient customs (and current ones for that matter) will blow your mind. The custom of allowing male babies to live over female. WT??
15. The history of some prominent Roman women.
16. Cleopatra...always a riveting read.
17. This book really does a good job of expressing the hang-ups of men throughout history.
18. The basis of Christian misogyny in its entire splendor.
19. I can't tell you how many jaw-dropping moments I had reading this book.
20. The history of Christian apologetics and misogyny: Tertullian, Aquinas, St. Paul, Origen, St. Augustine, etc...some of the philosophy of Tertullian is just utter ridiculous.
21. Hypatia...BTW, I highly recommend Agora, the movie about Hypatia played beautifully by Rachel Weisz.
22. The history of the Catholic Church and misogyny. Oh my G...
23. One of the most horrifying accounts of cruelty, witch hunts! Witchcraft and demonic sex.
24. The Enlightenment meets the Dark Ages.
25. The history of religious upheavals. Martin Luther makes his presence felt.
26. Great quotes. "If all men are born free, how is it that all women are born slaves?" Mary Astell.
27. In short, the basic attitude of Christianity towards sex was that it was a shameful act. Shame on them.
28. The Enlightenment and sex.
29. Eastern religions and sexuality.
30. Great wisdom, "Perhaps poverty doesn't create misogyny, but experience suggests that it tends to reinforce it". So true.
31. Evil is never be complete until Hitler is mentioned. Nazism and misogyny.
32. The cruelty of North Korea toward women. Appalling!
33. Many examples of nationalist, religious-based misogyny throughout book.
34. Rape as war crimes.
35. Women and abortions. Some of the best material on this sensitive topic. Great stuff!
36. What do Hitler, Stalin and Mao have in common? A woman's right to choose, a fundamental aspect of her autonomy, must be crushed in order to achieve what they have deemed a "higher" religious, moral or social goal". Wow.
37. Misogyny from the Taliban.
38. The eye-opening fact, "Women still own less than 1 percent of the world's property. Just wrong!
39. Great book suggestions. Comprehensive notes section.

Negatives:
1. Links did not work.
2. Some of the crude tortures illustrated in this book may be a bit much for some. Very troubling accounts.

In summary, "Misogyny" is a must read. All truth be known, I haven't read a lot about this topic and my newfound fascination for it may have biased my review. Be that as it may, I found the topic not only fascinating but also enlightening. I highly recommend this book.

Further recommendation: "The Blank Slate" by Steven Pinker, and "Man Made God" by Barbara G. Walker.