Feminist Fight Club has some great aspects. Its funny, its spot on in many points. I think it really is a good guide for women entering the workplace for the first time. There are some excellent scripts on requesting raises and equal pay.
My qualm with this book was that it pushes the definition of feminism past the equal rights to supporting only women. My suggestion is that when you read this, take it lightly. Accept the good but don't be crazy with it.
Jen Kirkman is a goddammit National treasure, in this book she goes beyond her first novel, in which she discussed her decision to not have children, to her decision to live her life as she sees fit
Our goal in life should be to live it as we want. It's nuts that women still have to explain their decisions to others, to have to explain why a romantic partner isn't top priority in life, to explain that you left a relationship because you didn't want to be in it ...
We seem to still live in a world where we are supposed to live for others. Kirkman lives for herself.
If you find yourself in a bookstore, I highly suggest taking this book home with you, also pick up her first novel and listen to her podcast on the way home.
Favorite quote: "No! The answer is always no to the question 'Should I call him/her? Nobody should call anybody."
Amanda Palmer, loathed by the internet, immensely loved by her fan-base, has written a non-fiction book based on her famous TedTalk.
I first became aware of Amanda via her band, The Dresden Dolls, I then promptly forgot that she existed until she became engaged to THE NEIL GAIMAN. I then had to figure this chick out to see if she was worthy of my Neil (you see the crazy here right??). I started listening to her music and it touched me in a way that only books had prior. When I started looking into Amanda, I was seriously depressed. Depression seeps into my life and I don’t always realize that its happened until I’m half a year into being a complete nut job. Amanda writes songs that are sometimes crazy, sometimes non-sensical, but most of the time, her music is about accepting yourself for who you are, crazy and all. Amanda Palmer taught me to love myself, and for that I’m incredibly thankful. Anywho…
The Art of Asking is hard to classify, its part rockumentary, part self-help, and part business (business being the smallest part). Like her music, this is mostly a biography of how Amanda learned to accept herself. Her method is not for everyone.
The Art of Asking, describes how she has crowdsourced to get to where she is today. In some ways, its unsettling, I’m not one to ask for help (ever). I would rather starve with my pride than accept help. Amanda, on the other hand, has no problem asking for help. She accepts gifts and money and love and acceptance from all the people in her life. What I found most interesting in her story was her hesitance to allow her husband to help her. For some reason, and I don’t think this is solely Amanda’s issue, it was harder to accept help from a successful man. Feminists will pounce on Amanda for this, I’ve already seen some of the reviews, its painful. There is no shame in accepting help. Especially from someone who loves you. And what Amanda gives back makes it worth it. Its not a one-way-street. Amanda is renowned for her relationship with her fans. And she speaks of this in her books. The good and the bad. The issue that this implied intimacy causes amongst her fans. I first met Amanda in Florida. And it was incredibly awkward. I knew everything about her, I knew why she was in Florida and who she was visiting. I know things about her sex life with her husband and her open marriage. I know all of this because she shares these aspects of her life with her fans. So the awkwardness of meeting her was that I knew her but she didn’t know me. So this person who meant so much to me, I was a complete stranger to her. The internet makes things weird….
If you have the opportunity to see the book tour that is currently in action, GO. Its worth it. I saw Amanda during the performance at Sixth and I in DC. It was a small venue, which is perfect for Amanda. The performance was a musical performance, peppered with book readings. After the performance, she spent HOURS signing books for her fans.
Amanda Fucking Palmer, thank you.
Favorite quotes:
Believe me. Believe Me. I'm real.
The problem was that I craved intimacy to the same burning degree that I detested commitment.
If you’re in the mood for a Hollywood tell-all, look elsewhere. Amy Poehler writes this book with the foresight of knowing that people will read this book. She keeps a great deal of her personal life to herself. This is an interesting contrast to Lena Dunham’s method of sharing EVERYTHING. Poehler shares interesting, encouraging bits of her life for you to chew on.
Poehler splits her book into three parts: "Say Whatever You Want", "Do Whatever You Like", and "Be Whoever You Are"; which in itself should be a mantra for everyone… unless you’re a serial killer…then do other stuff.
The book flows well and the construction of the book is GORGEOUS. Dey St. outdid themselves, every part of Poehler’s book is pleasing to the eyes; from the cover, to the spine, to the heavy magazine type pages of the book.
There’s nothing surprising here. Do you like Amy Poehler? Go read her book…please.
The book that the entire bookish internet has been waiting for has finally arrived, Not that Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham. I have to say that I loved it. I have a love-hate relationship with Lena Dunham, which I’m sure stems from creative jealously on my part. Why is it that all her projects are amazing??
Not that Kind of Girl is a collection of personal essays on Dunham’s life thus far, split into sections, such as: friendship, romance, work, etc. The essays bring the same fearless quality of her HBO show Girls.
I was disappointed in the body image section, which isn’t fair to Dunham. I assumed that her brazen ability to bare an imperfect body in a world where perfection is key would make her in some way above body issues. She was my idol in this area, but alas, she has the same thoughts of all us peons regarding our looks.
Dunham expands upon the thoughts that my generation and hers have thought but rarely say. We are the generations waiting for our lives to begin. Forever lost. Forever waiting. Some have an inherent compass telling them which way to go, the rest of us are waiting for something in us to scream THAT, DO THAT. And again, waiting for someone to tell us how to do it.
Dunham has had a fortunate life. I think this book will be readily accepted by 20-30 something white girls from good homes and readily rejected by all others.
My favorite quote:
“Emotions are exhausted to have.”
Quick note: Sorry for the blog silence, I've gone through a bit of personal drama, but am now settled enough to get back into this blog, yay!
Anywho, this is a bit of a quickie because I listened to the audiobook several months ago and though I recall general information regarding this book, I've lost the specific details.
The narrator was ok. She tended to often fade into the background, which I believe was a mix between her voice and the author's style of writing, which tended to over explain. The story itself was interesting,
Susannah was a young-writer in NYC. She began to experience what many thought to be psychological issues. So much so that she was diagnosed as bipolar, a diagnosis which quickly escalating to schizophrenia. Her mother and father refused to accept the diagnosis, as it is so far removed from the Susannah that they know. After a month of hospitals, tests, and specialists, the true cause is found and Susannah begins her road to recovery.
This originated as a column explaining the situation and it should have remained as such. Susannah seemed to have to stretch a lot to make this interesting as a book; she peppered the text with phrases such as: "little did I know" or "I would soon find out." She was trying to insert drama into a story that was dramatic enough.
Fifty years ago it was mind-boggling to think of a married couple not wanting to have children. Though the decision to abstain from child-rearing has become more common the shock of society seems to not have lifted at all. This is the subject of Kirkman's work.
You may recognize Jen Kirkman from the roundtable of Chelsea Lately or even from her Drunken History videos. She is her mid-thirties and quite happy to be child-free. However, complete strangers cannot grasp this, and since Jen does speak about not having children in her stand-up act, these strangers feel ok to corner Kirkman and try to get her to change her mind. Jen tells several stories of being cornered by women who feel the need to get her to change her decision.
I have experienced the situations that Jen describes in her book. It was nice to have someone voice my frustrations with the situation. When a stranger says that "oh, you'll change your mind," I am flabbergasted. Why does this person think that they know me more than I know me? My hope is that more women (and men) will be outspoken about their reproduction choice so that the decision will loose its taboo status.
As far at the book, I felt it to be entertaining but a bit repetitive. I think this would be better delivered an as audiobook.
I Can Barely Take Care of Myself was released this week. Visit your favorite indie store (or mine) to purchase this book.
