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conunhumdrum's review
4.0
An interesting collection of essays on gender based violence and women’s place in society. Very pleased to see essays on trans rights, sometimes missing from supposedly feminist books. A good overview of essays and introduction to lots of different authors you may not have heard of before, enabling you to spiral even further down your TBR pile.
mohawkm's review
5.0
This is a high quality selection of essays - both because it has a wide variety of writers who all are quite skilled with tackling the subject area, and because each focused on how to make the world better and/or what the world would look like if we believed women. Two standout essays here are from Soraya Chemaly and from Tahir Duckett. If you read nothing else, read these two, as they cover really hopeful ground with a world full of consent and respect and how to get there.
lilydoyle6's review
4.0
This was a well-put together book of essays on believing women and how it can change the world for the better. It's not a surprise that believing women is a key to improving society and we've (almost) always are on the right side of things. In my unbiased opinion as a woman, anyway.
But this book of essays was great. The authors did a wonderful job of getting essays from diverse backgrounds and viewpoints. I felt like a lot of perspectives were included, some of which I hadn't considered.
I will say I had hoped it wouldn't fully be centered around the Brett Kavanaugh "trial" but I understand how this event was a major catalyst for the movement. I initially thought it'd be about believing women in general, throughout history, versus how it's important after this specific event occurred. But in order to capture readers I think it was an important stylistic choice, which doesn't take away from the effectiveness or impact of the book.
tl;dr: read this book...everyone read it. It's worth a read. Also inspires some anger and frustration and the never ending question of when will the justice system & society catch up and start believing women?
But this book of essays was great. The authors did a wonderful job of getting essays from diverse backgrounds and viewpoints. I felt like a lot of perspectives were included, some of which I hadn't considered.
I will say I had hoped it wouldn't fully be centered around the Brett Kavanaugh "trial" but I understand how this event was a major catalyst for the movement. I initially thought it'd be about believing women in general, throughout history, versus how it's important after this specific event occurred. But in order to capture readers I think it was an important stylistic choice, which doesn't take away from the effectiveness or impact of the book.
tl;dr: read this book...everyone read it. It's worth a read. Also inspires some anger and frustration and the never ending question of when will the justice system & society catch up and start believing women?
staceface's review
5.0
This book does a really wonderful job of capturing a wide expanse of issues that all connect to this same question: What would happen if we trust women? It’s good to read this one in small bites, as each short essay packs a powerful punch.
maxwell_edits's review
4.0
As an AFAB (assigned female at birth) person, I expected to not be surprised by most of the information in this book. #MeToo happened in high school and early college for me, so I've been steeped in dialog about rape culture and creating safe spaces for women since I started looking outside my small-town bubble for political conversations. But I found that I learned much more than I bargained for about black women, disabled women, women in the porn industry, women at the beginning of rape crisis centers, women in the age of "hysteria" (a diagnostic predecessor to PTSD as one essay taught me), and immigrant women who all struggle to be believed when they raise their voices.
This collection is also not just about sexual assault -- it's about women's rights to be heard when voicing pain, asking for help, asking for their point of view to be taken seriously, asking for the world to be crafted with women in mind, and asking to be seen as equal to men in spaces where that's a perfectly reasonable request.
I would definitely recommend this as required reading for all feminists to broaden our views of womanhood. I would also recommend this to men who are seeking to be better allies to women and advocate for their right to be believed; there are several essays written by men that provide a valuable, relatable perspective for you, too.
This collection is also not just about sexual assault -- it's about women's rights to be heard when voicing pain, asking for help, asking for their point of view to be taken seriously, asking for the world to be crafted with women in mind, and asking to be seen as equal to men in spaces where that's a perfectly reasonable request.
I would definitely recommend this as required reading for all feminists to broaden our views of womanhood. I would also recommend this to men who are seeking to be better allies to women and advocate for their right to be believed; there are several essays written by men that provide a valuable, relatable perspective for you, too.
meaagan's review
4.0
This is a great, well-rounded collection of essays. I couldn't sit down and read this in one sitting. Each essay hits you in a different way, and I needed to breathe between chapters. I also had to let each author's story settle before moving on. I don't remember the last time I've experienced this. It is worth reading, but not without knocking you around.
Like many works about this subject matter, I think the people who should read it the most... won't. I do think there's something here for everyone, and knowing this collection is a great source against the most toxic of social climates. I had a similar experience with Yes Means Yes, one of my most highlighted books.
Like many works about this subject matter, I think the people who should read it the most... won't. I do think there's something here for everyone, and knowing this collection is a great source against the most toxic of social climates. I had a similar experience with Yes Means Yes, one of my most highlighted books.
dunneniamh's review
4.0
Utterly brilliant. If you put these authors names on literally anything, I would read it, and I'm so glad this came through. Put it up there with 'Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture' as essential reading for any modern day feminist.
libraryneenja's review
5.0
This collection of essays took some time to get through. The subject matter can get heavy (think sexual assault, race, war, medical difficulties as some of those heavier topics) and so going through the book quickly got a little rough. But it is absolutely worth it. All the essays were well written, obviously connected to the overall theme, and did something to help foster more understanding. The final essay wrapped things up very nicely, to the point where it helped the book feel complete. This really is worth the effort, whether you are already familiar with this sort of topic or not, because it offers so many perspectives.