Reviews

Feminists Among Us: Resistance and Advocacy in Library Leadership by Baharak Yousefi, Shirley Lew

brightestwitch_maddie's review

informative slow-paced

3.5

lattelibrarian's review

5.0

This was an astonishingly wonderful beginning into my feminist library science literature dive.  From the perspectives of different librarians of varying cultures and ethnicities, these librarians critique white feminism and how feminism has previously been used--or rather, not used--in the past to aid issues in the workplace.  Many critique how librarianship is a largely white and female dominated, and how that needs to be changed either in the hiring process, in making libraries themselves more accessible, and in making library schools more accessible.  Others critique leadership styles and how to better effectively use feminist theory in order to navigate conflict resolution and support communities.  And other essays discuss the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, ability and so on.

Overall, this was an informative little book filled with articles, examples, and interviews.  Each essay is incredibly well sourced, and each chapter ends with a feeling of hopefulness.  Certainly one of the best aspects of this book was how accessible it is--I certainly felt more able to make better feminist decisions and more able to advocate for both myself and for others.  

The library is not a neutral place, and this book  emphasizes that.  Overall, a great read.

Review cross-listed here!

baileyvk's review

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

hissingpotatoes's review

4.5

An excellent book on feminist leadership theory in libraries that says a lot of things that need to be said. I do wish it included more concrete ideas.

applescc's review

4.0

I contributed a chapter to this book but just got around to reading the whole. It’s fantastic.