The Female Man

GO READ!
by Joanna Russ | Science Fiction & Fantasy |
ISBN: 9780807062999 Global Overview for this book
Registered by phantomreader42 on 3/7/2011
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This book is in a Controlled Release! This book is in a Controlled Release!
2 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by phantomreader42 on Sunday, May 8, 2011
Pre-numbered Label used for registration.

Journal Entry 2 by phantomreader42 at Warner Robins, Georgia USA on Monday, July 4, 2011
At times, I found it difficult to make sense of this book (the author suggests that this is a good sign). The jumps from world to world and character to character are strange enough without the author herself being (sort of) one of the characters. Food for thought, but difficult to digest.

The narrative jumps from character to character, universe to universe, with metaphorical asides from the author's own thoughts, including speculation (mostly cynical) on how the book and its message is likely to be received. The war between the sexes is explored, sometimes as a literal war, but mostly by the effects on the women involved.

While reading I found myself wondering "what is wrong with the world that treated this author so badly?" And realizing that, disturbingly often, the same problems are still going on.

The right-wing war on abortion continues unabated, to the point that a pregnant woman can be prosecuted for falling down the stairs.

Women still make less than men for doing the same job, though the gap has narrowed a bit.

Motherhood is still unpaid labor. And the same fanatics who will happily murder doctors for performing an abortion fight to the death against any attempt to provide food, shelter, or medical care to living, breathing children, demanding that the women they can't trust with control of their own bodies handle the care of the children they claim to be protecting without any kind of government support, at a lower salary than men make.

Women are still blamed for their own rapes, often by law enforcement.

There has been some progress, but there's still a long way to go.

Quotes:
The is no being out too late in Whileaway, or up too early, or in the wrong part of town, or unescorted. You cannot fall out of the kinship web and become sexual prey for strangers, for there is no prey and there are no strangers--the web is world-wide.

If you are so foolish as to ask a Whileawayan child to "be a good girl" and do something for you:
"What does running other people's errands have to do with being a good girl?"


On motherhood: This is the most important job in the world. that's why they don't pay you for it.

Pray often. How else can you quarrel with God?

I am not guilty because I murdered.
I murdered because I was guilty.
Murder is my one way out.
For every drop of blood shed there is a restitution made; with ever truthful reflection in the eyes of a dying man I get back a little of my soul; with every gasp of horrified comprehension I come a little more into the light. See? It's me!
I am the force that is ripping out your guts; I, I, I, the hatred twisting your arm; I, I, I, the fury who has just put a bullet into your side. It is I who cause this pain, not you. It is I who am doing it to you, not you. It is I who will be alive tomorrow, not you. Do you know? Can you guess? Are you catching on? It is I, who you will not admit exists.
Look! Do you see me?


What future is there for a female child who aspires to being Humphrey Bogart?


Released 11 yrs ago (11/20/2012 UTC) at ~~~ ♥ ~~~ A Friend ~~~ ♥ ~~~, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Read and enjoyed this odd little feminist sci-fi tale, and now I'm shipping this off to a fellow BCer in California who is in need of books!

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