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pattricejones's review against another edition
I was excited by the premise of this book, and I applaud all of the contributors for exercising their imaginations, but what I mostly felt while reading this anthology was... sad.
Why I was excited: We're in the midst, I think, of a profound crisis of imagination. We don't even know, I suspect, how to think the thoughts we would need to think in order to imagine a way out of the worldwide crises of climate change and escalating hate-based violence. And so we need to provoke ourselves to envision a world of truly different relationships, both among people and between people and the rest of the planet.
Why I felt sad: When asked to imagine a feminist utopia, the contributors to this volume mostly summoned up... the Democratic Party platform. Universal health care. Paid family leave. Reproductive freedom. All fine and important, but hardly the stimulating imaginary I was hoping for.
And then came the disappointments: Trans liberation mostly envisioned as rights/acceptance within the same old gender binary, as if it were impossible to imagine 5 genders or no genders or something else altogether to replace that particularly constrictive social construct. No attention whatsoever to how humans exploit the earth and other animals, as if utopia would be a world where we continue to trample all over everybody else but are nicer to each other.
I'm hesitating to publish this, because I don't want anybody involved with the project to feel sad as a result. But I really do think that our crisis of imagination is a real crisis and that, unfortunately, this book shows how constricted our dreams have become. It IS wonderful to imagine a world where people have to work hard to figure out what the word "rape" might have meant (that was actually one of the handful of truly creative contributions that I did enjoy). We just have to learn to imagine much more expansively.
Why I was excited: We're in the midst, I think, of a profound crisis of imagination. We don't even know, I suspect, how to think the thoughts we would need to think in order to imagine a way out of the worldwide crises of climate change and escalating hate-based violence. And so we need to provoke ourselves to envision a world of truly different relationships, both among people and between people and the rest of the planet.
Why I felt sad: When asked to imagine a feminist utopia, the contributors to this volume mostly summoned up... the Democratic Party platform. Universal health care. Paid family leave. Reproductive freedom. All fine and important, but hardly the stimulating imaginary I was hoping for.
And then came the disappointments: Trans liberation mostly envisioned as rights/acceptance within the same old gender binary, as if it were impossible to imagine 5 genders or no genders or something else altogether to replace that particularly constrictive social construct. No attention whatsoever to how humans exploit the earth and other animals, as if utopia would be a world where we continue to trample all over everybody else but are nicer to each other.
I'm hesitating to publish this, because I don't want anybody involved with the project to feel sad as a result. But I really do think that our crisis of imagination is a real crisis and that, unfortunately, this book shows how constricted our dreams have become. It IS wonderful to imagine a world where people have to work hard to figure out what the word "rape" might have meant (that was actually one of the handful of truly creative contributions that I did enjoy). We just have to learn to imagine much more expansively.
sidewriter's review against another edition
3.0
I love the idea of this so much, but the execution is a little lacking. I suspect the editors had enough connection with each writer to ask for a contribution, but not enough money to entice contributors to spend the kind of time on these essays that they spend on their daily work. Most of the essays are rather shallow and vague. There are a handful of standouts though -- one about what a feminist constitution might look like, and one about how the next step in workers' justice is not higher wages but more free time. The design, concept, and organization are stellar, so refreshingly creative, and I did find the exercise of reading about various aspects of a feminist utopia very useful as a jumpstart for my own imaginings.
shannonreads96's review against another edition
5.0
This book was a collaboration of individuals and their visions for a feminist utopia. Many inspired hope, joy, and also sadness that I likely will never see many of the Utopias described.
It's a good read but also is a sobering reminder of how far we have to go to achieve such a utopia
It's a good read but also is a sobering reminder of how far we have to go to achieve such a utopia
burcuk's review against another edition
3.0
I really like the project itself. I think what they did and achieved was remarkable. Thinking about a feminist utopia is a rebellian act by itself. I really like some of the stories and visions in this book. I was expecting more story based writings in general and more out of the box crazy ideas and theories. In that term I cannot say I found what I was looking for. I think for us, it's really hard to imagine world without Patriarca. Our minds are extremely busy with current problems and It's totally understandable. I personally believe the feminine world( does not even have to be an utopia at all) will probably look like complately different that this one. We need to completely forget what we learned so far and push our imagination to the sky to get close to the reality of such a world
supercoolhotgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I read Justice by Miriam Kaba separate from the rest of this book, and it struck me. I immediately bought a copy so I could read the rest of it, and it lived up to its potential. Feminism as an idea is all about change in every aspect of humanity, and this book captures that. Change within healthcare, teaching, parenting, gender expression, sex, and government. Feminism affects every aspect of our lives, and there’s a way to weave it into everything that matters to us. This book did just that, offering 57 different opinions on feminism and intersectionality. I do wish there was another, newer copy so it was more relevant, but this was amazing.
itsmebee's review against another edition
4.0
If you're looking for an anthology of fiction, this is not the book for you. However, if you are looking to push the boundary lines of your dreams and hopes for the future this is the book for you. I appreciated such a diverse range on writers with different identities, backgrounds, and perspectives that came together to show a view of a possible world that would not exist sans-struggle, but rather sans-violence. My only complaint is that I would have liked more short stories, but all of the interviews, drawings, and other content was powerful and enjoyable.
maxcarwile's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5