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mihaaap's review against another edition
2.0
It was a bit difficult for me to follow the ideas from one paragraph to another, mostly because of the excess words and extra comparisons. I must admit that I was excited to read this book, but for me it looked like a collection of one's research papers.
divreadsbooks's review against another edition
A great collection of essays on society, culture and expectations. Not all of them found their way to an actual point, but they're though provoking in their own ways.
I enjoyed the first one on the internet and its incentives, the two on women, gender roles and expectations and the last one on weddings. They all captured this sense of weirdness that comes up when you're thinking about modernity and progress but still find yourself doing things that don't really function to further your cause. As if maybe it was the same problems under a shiny new name
I enjoyed the first one on the internet and its incentives, the two on women, gender roles and expectations and the last one on weddings. They all captured this sense of weirdness that comes up when you're thinking about modernity and progress but still find yourself doing things that don't really function to further your cause. As if maybe it was the same problems under a shiny new name
jenmangler's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed reading this collection, especially "Scams," "We Come From Old Virginia," and "The Cult of the Difficult Woman." Really thought-provoking and well done. I did feel that many of the essays were too long and would have had a greater impact if they'd been shorter.
2000s's review against another edition
3.5
A few essays I enjoyed - the I in Internet, the scam one, and the barre essay were pretty well done and the reality TV one was fun. But the rest was just too millennial Democrat thinkpiecey in how the author used a lot of fancy words to hide the fact that many of her ideas were actually pretty basic (well that tracks as someone who writes for an overhyped insidious millennial news outlet).
Also it feels almost outdated as of 2024 the way she conflates Trump presidency with all the issues in society, and the way she addresses the consumerist girlboss brand of feminism....Like she knows she benefits from it, but she's also a little too proud about indulging in it herself, so her arguments against it just feel stilted and hypocritical.
Also it feels almost outdated as of 2024 the way she conflates Trump presidency with all the issues in society, and the way she addresses the consumerist girlboss brand of feminism....Like she knows she benefits from it, but she's also a little too proud about indulging in it herself, so her arguments against it just feel stilted and hypocritical.
hannahsutherland's review against another edition
I don't know. This is bland. The "insights" don't feel fresh or new and the "feminism" has a light "not like other girls tinge". Plus there's a lot of bemoaning the loss of a more relaxed, sinpler past, which is just not something I buy into. Also, some of it just isn't relatable unless you work in a coorperate space. I was hoping for more.
akstory's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
2.5
This collection of feminist essays “on self delusion” came recommended on TikTok in a list of nonfiction books a creator loved, especially the chapter on weddings. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author herself, and felt it was far too wordy (in a way that seems to obscure the point) and not at all groundbreaking. I did enjoy parts of the book, especially those that felt more memoir than “trying to reach my 5,000 words for my essay.” There were a few interesting essays — I did find the one about weddings entertaining and somewhat informative, but the author ends the book saying something akin to “if I’m so fiercely independent, why am I so uncomfortable being alone?” Which seems to negate so much of what she said. Maybe I missed the revelation of this book, or maybe in the 5 years since it was published it has lost its cutting edge voice.
aas393's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5