Book Review: Yes Means Yes

Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape is a compilation of essays by select feminist authors on sexuality and rape. Overall, these essays paint a vivid picture focusing on the struggle to stop rape and the importance of embracing female sexual pleasure.

I found this book to be a very comprehensive read; a great add to any feminist library. I would particularly recommend the essays "Beyond Yes or No: Consent as Sexual Process" by Rachel Kramer Bussel and "An Immodest Proposal" by Heather Corinna, both of which discuss taking control of your own sexuality, something that I've observed to be extremely difficult for many women.

4.5 stars.

Book Review: The Introvert Advantage

Because a key aspect of feminism is empowering women and girls, I thought this book review was relevant. This one goes out to all the introverted feminists!

Speaking as an introvert, I know how difficult it can be to be introverted in such an extroverted society. But, you should know, that both introversion and extroversion have their own strengths and weaknesses--neither one is better than the other.

In her book The Introvert Advantage, Marti Laney outlines the differences between introversion and extroversion and clears up common misconceptions about introversion. She also points out the introverted strengths that are so often overlooked in our increasingly extroverted culture. Furthermore, she outlines ways to "nurture your nature": use your temperament to your advantage rather than trying to change yourself or work against the temperament that is innate.

EXCELLENT book, although repetitive at times. Whether or not you're introverted, it is always good to try to gain understanding towards those who are different from you.

Other introverted books that I've heard good things about and are on my reading list include: The Introverted Leader & Introvert Power.

Happy reading! : )

Book Review: Heart of the Matter

Synopsis:
The author of Love the One You’re With (2008) once again tackles the subject of infidelity in a novel told in alternating chapters by the wronged wife and the other woman. Tessa Russo is celebrating her wedding anniversary with her handsome husband, Nick, a pediatric plastic surgeon, when his pager goes off. At the hospital, he meets his new patient, six-year-old Charlie, who has been badly burned while roasting s’mores. Charlie’s mother, Valerie, a high-powered lawyer who has raised Charlie on her own, is wracked with guilt. As Charlie goes through various grafts and surgeries to repair the damage done to his face and hand, Nick and Valerie become close. Tessa, a stay-at-home mom who has misgivings about leaving her professorship, recognizes the distance growing between her and Nick but isn’t sure what to attribute it to or what to do about it. The premise is a familiar one, but Giffin injects freshness by getting inside both Tessa’s and Valerie’s heads and by making both sympathetic, fleshed-out characters. Giffin’s talent lies in making her characters believable and relatable, and readers will be enthralled by this layered, absorbing novel. --Kristine Huntley

Review:
I enjoyed this book immensely, even though it was a pretty light read. I read it while at the beach over the summer and finished it in two days.

It is definitely a page turner from the beginning, but you have to accept the chick-flick-y nature of it. More than likely it will make you tear and make you laugh (although I don't know if I'm a good judge of this since I am quite the cry baby). ;) Overall though, it was fun, easy, and moving. The perfect beach read.

3.5 stars.

Book Review: Book of Shadows

If you can't tell by now, I've been doing a lot of reading about Wicca this summer, mainly just because I was interested and didn't know a lot about it. Soooo.. here's another book review related to Wicca.

book details:
paperback, 284 pages
broadway books inc.

Summary:
This memoir not only follows Phyllis Curott's journey into witchcraft and Wicca but also her struggles as a woman rising through the ranks of the corporate world.

My review:
When I first started reading this memoir, I definitely didn't expect it to have so much to do with feminism, but it deals a LOT with sexism in the work place as well as Curott's spiritual journey. It shows how she uses her new found spirituality to empower herself and help combat patriarchy and sexism within her job. Really, really interesting.


I'd definitely recommend it. 100%.

4.5 stars.

Book Review: Little Bee

Book details:
Paperback, 266 pages
Simon & Schuster, inc.

Synopsis:
The publishers of Chris Cleave's new novel "don't want to spoil" the story by revealing too much about it, and there's good reason not to tell too much about the plot's pivot point. All you should know going in to Little Bee is that what happens on the beach is brutal, and that it braids the fates of a 16-year-old Nigerian orphan (who calls herself Little Bee) and a well-off British couple--journalists trying to repair their strained marriage with a free holiday--who should have stayed behind their resort's walls. The tide of that event carries Little Bee back to their world, which she claims she couldn't explain to the girls from her village because they'd have no context for its abundance and calm. But she shows us the infinite rifts in a globalized world, where any distance can be crossed in a day--with the right papers--and "no one likes each other, but everyone likes U2." Where you have to give up the safety you'd assumed as your birthright if you decide to save the girl gazing at you through razor wire, left to the wolves of a failing state. --Amazon

My review:
Filled with feminist themes, Little Bee by Chris Cleave is a great summer read. Intense, well-written, gripping...the book will keep you immersed.

Feminist themes include rape/violence against women, racism and immigration.

And lastly, I'll leave you with a sneak peak from the novel:

Understanding. That would have been a good name for my village, even before the men came to burn our huts and drill for oil. It would have been a good name for the clearing around the limba tree...We knew what we had: we had nothing. Your world and our world had come to this understanding. Even the missionaries had boarded up their mission. They left us with the holy books that were not worth the expense of shipping back to your country. In our village our only Bible had all of its pages missing after the forty-sixth verse of the twenty-seventh chapter of Matthew, so that the end of our religion, as far as any of us knew, was "My God, my god, why hast thou forsaken me?" We understood that this was the end of the story.

4 stars.

Book Review: A Witch's 10 Commandments

Book Details:
Paperback, 219 pages
Provenance Press

Synopsis:
The art of witchcraft is a different experience for everyone, but there is an underlying code of ethics and principles that binds serious practitioners together. In A Witch’s 10 Commandments, renowned Wiccan author Marian Singer uses the biblical commandments to frame the 10 tenets witches should live by. Accompanying each commandment are practical, spiritual exercises for everyday issues, such as controlling your temper, ridding yourself of negative feelings or influences, giving back to the earth, and more. A Witch’s 10 Commandments provides you with a solid blueprint for ethical practice, allowing you to walk the ancient path of the witch in today’s modern world. –back cover

My review:
I should probably start by saying that I’m quite a religion buff. I love religion and everything about it, so I often read books about religion or books by religious leaders. And, like I mentioned in a previous post, Wicca is a religion that I feel strongly represents feminist values. Thus, I felt it appropriate to review this book about Wicca’s “10 Commandments.”

I would recommend this book to anyone, mainly because I feel that Wicca is one of the most misunderstood religions out there, and when fully understood, it is a truly beautiful religion, a religion that respects life, nature and people, and sees all life as connected to one greater whole. And, while I wouldn’t call myself a Wiccan, studying Wicca has taught me many things, things that I’ve applied to my own spirituality.

Other books that I would recommend are Scott Cunningham’s Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner and Phyllis Curott’s memoir titled Book of Shadows: A Modern Woman’s Journey into the Wisdom of Witchcraft and the Magic of the Goddess.

Book Review: The Awakening

Book details:
290 pages, paperback
Fine Creative Art, inc.

Synopsis:
When it first appeared in 1899, Kate Chopin’s The Awakening was greeted with cries of outrage. The novel’s frank portrayal of a woman’s emotional, intellectual, and sexual awakening shocked the sensibilities of the time and destroyed the author’s reputation and career.

Set in and around New Orleans, The Awakening tells the story of Edna, a young wife and mother. While on vacation, Edna meets the son of a Louisiana resort owner, with whom she gradually falls in love. As she pulls away from her husband, she begins to develop a sense of herself as a whole person, with unique wants, interests, and desires. Determined to control her own life, she flouts convention by moving out of her husband’s house, having an adulterous affair, and becoming an artist. –Back cover

Review:
When I read this novel for the first time, I was a sophomore in High School and 16 I believe. I had not yet identified myself as a feminist, but when I read it, something struck me. I was not only blown away by the breathtaking descriptions and imagery (that are almost poetic) but also by the liberating storyline. The tortured artist within me could totally relate to her liberation—the way she breaks free from her conventional life—and embraces the artist within herself.

Recommended for all, feminist or not. This book remains one of my favorite books of all time. 5 stars.

P.S. I would also recommend her short stories if you are interested in reading more of her works.

Book Review: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Synopsis:


Three hundred and sixty-eight pages, no pretty pictures, and it's about food? Yes it is, and it's fascinating. Written by best-selling novelist Barbara Kingsolver, her scientist hubby and teenage daughter, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" chronicles the true story of the family's adventures as they move to a farm in rural Virginia and vow to eat locally for one year. They grow their own vegetables, raise their own poultry and buy the rest of their food directly from farmers markets and other local sources. There are touching human stories here (the family's 9-year-old learns a secret to raising chickens for food: don't name them!) but the book's purpose is serious food for thought: it argues the economic, social and health benefits of putting local foods at the center of a family diet. As Kingsolver details the family's experience month-by-month, husband Steven adds sidebars on the problems of industrial agriculture and daughter Camille tosses in some first-person essays ("Growing Up in the Kitchen") and recipes ("Holiday Corn Pudding a Nine-Year-Old Can Make"). –Amazon

Review:

I am a huge environmentalist and healthy food advocate, so I was extremely excited to read this book. I would recommend it for any environmentalist, cook, or healthy food advocate.

Whether you’re looking to support local organic food, interested in where your food comes from or are interested in learning some high quality recipes, this book has got it all. Part memoir, part investigation and part informative guide to the food industry, the book will keep you fascinated cover to cover.

For more info visit the book's website. There you can find helpful information, recipes, and related resources.

Do YOU know where your food comes from?