Feminism and feminist theory Books
Little, Brown Book Group Fruit of Knowledge
Book Synopsis''How I loved reading Fruit of Knowledge ... Clever, angry, funny and righteous, also informative to an eye-popping degree'' Rachel Cooke, OBSERVER GRAPHIC NOVEL OF THE MONTHFrom Adam and Eve to pussy hats, people have punished, praised, pathologised and politicised vulvas, vaginas, clitorises, and menstruation. In the international bestseller Fruit of Knowledge, celebrated Swedish cartoonist Liv Strömquist traces how different cultures and traditions have shaped women''s health and beyond. Her biting, informed commentary and ponytailed avatar guides the reader from the darkest chapters of history (a clitoridectomy performed on a five-year-old American child as late as 1948) to the lightest (vulvas used as architectural details as a symbol of protection). Like Alison Bechdel and Jacky Fleming, she uses the comics medium to reveal uncomfortable truths about how far we haven''t come.''Just the thing for all the feminists in your lTrade ReviewHow I loved reading Liv Strömquist's Fruit of Knowledge. Mostly, this was down to its sheer, punchy brilliance: should you be in possession of a teenage daughter, you absolutely must buy it for her and all her friends, in addition to those copies you will now immediately purchase for yourself and all of yours . . . If her strips are clever, angry, funny and righteous, they're also informative to an eye-popping degree . . . every page is so fantastically acute -- Rachel Cooke * Observer *Brilliantly drawn, cleverly researched and deeply funny * Times Literary Supplement *Impeccably researched [and] enormously funny ... Almost every page is so brilliantly and wittily written and unarguably righteous that it is constantly tempting to show the book to the nearest person. This is a sure sign that this is a work of unusual excellence. Buy two copies - one to read and keep and one to lend out - and make peace with the idea that you may need to get more in time * The Quietus *Feminist, snappy, instructive and hilarious! * Time Out Paris *Liv Strömquist's refreshing humour and visionary ability truly make me rejoice' * Goteborgs-Posten *Imagine if you could walk through the world with a Liv Strömquist at your side. The moment you stumbled on an injustice or an error in thinking, you could point her at the culprit like a loaded wit-revolver, instead of having to stand there digging through your own murky arguments * Expressen *Will appeal to fans of popular feminist authors like Caitlin Moran ... Through witty illustrations and punchy text, the book examines society's love-hate relationship with women's sexuality ... Buy it for your teenage granddaughter and have a peek yourself * The Lady *A lively, educational and anti-idiot oration on one of society's less comfortably discussed topics * Strong Words *There are moments of genuine hilarity, as when Strömquist pictures the dinner party chatter of men living under a matriarchy, and others of fierce anger in this wild, witty and vital book * Guardian *Fruit of Knowledge: The Vulva vs the Patriarchy, is just the thing for all the feminists in your life, particularly those of a younger generation * Observer Books of the Year *This book made me laugh in public (and also cry a little). It is the book I gave to my younger sister the next time I saw her because of its anger and brilliance and because it is an overwhelming source of knowledge about things we should all already know * Daisy Johnson *
£13.49
HarperCollins Publishers Dear Ijeawele or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen
Book SynopsisFrom the best-selling author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists comes a powerful new statement about feminism today written as a letter to a friend.A few years ago, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie received a letter from a dear friend from childhood, asking her how to raise her baby girl as a feminist. Dear Ijeawele is Adichie''s letter of response.Here are fifteen invaluable suggestionscompelling, direct, wryly funny, and perceptivefor how to empower a daughter to become a strong, independent woman. From encouraging her to choose a helicopter, and not only a doll, as a toy if she so desires; having open conversations with her about clothes, makeup, and sexuality; debunking the myth that women are somehow biologically arranged to be in the kitchen making dinner, and that men can allow women to have full careers, Dear Ijeawele goes right to the heart of sexual politics in the twenty-first century. It will start a new and urgently needed conversation about what it really means to be aTrade Review‘Take note world. When Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells you to listen, you listen’ Stylist ‘Dear Ijeawele reminds us that, in the history of feminist writing, it is often the personal and epistolary voice that carries the political story most powerfully – For me, the most powerful sentence in the book is its simplest, and comes in only the third paragraph. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie urges Ijeawele to remember to transmit to her daughter “the solid unbending belief that you start off with . . . Your feminist premise should be: I matter. I matter equally. Not ‘if only’. Not ‘as long as’. I matter equally. Full stop.”..there is no doubt that if we raised all of our daughters to believe completely that they “matter equally”, to trust what they feel and think and to worry less about how they look and come across, we would soon find new ways to challenge the multiple injustices and indignities that still limit, and even wreck, so many women’s lives.’ New Statesman Praise for Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: ‘The book I'd press into the hands of girls and boys, as an inspiration for a future "world of happier men and happier women who are truer to themselves"’ Books of the Year, Independent ‘A writer with a great deal to say’ The Times 'Here is a new writer endowed with the gift of ancient storytellers.’ Chinua Achebe ‘Adiche [has] virtuosity, boundless empathy and searing social acuity’ Dave Eggers
£6.99
Granta Books The Mother of All Questions: Further Feminisms
Book SynopsisFollowing on from the success of Men Explain Things to Me comes a new collection of essays in which Rebecca Solnit opens up a feminism for all of us: one that doesn't stigmatize women's lives, whether they include spouses and children or not; that brings empathy to the silences in men's lives as well as the silencing of women's lives; celebrates the ways feminism has shifted in recent years to reclaim rape jokes, revise canons, and rethink our everyday lives.
£12.34
Orion Publishing Co What Kind of Woman
Book SynopsisThe Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller''Gorgeous.'' Glennon Doyle''Sharp observations on modern womanhood.'' Sunday Times''Exquisite.'' Fi GloverA stunning and honest debut poetry collection about the beauty and hardships of being a woman in the world today, and the many roles we play - mother, partner, and friend.''When life throws you a bag of sorrow, hold out your hands/Little by little, mountains are climbed.'' So ends Kate Baer''s remarkable poem ''Things My Girlfriends Teach Me.'' In ''Nothing Tastes as Good as Skinny Feels'' she challenges her reader to consider their grandmother''s cake, the taste of the sea, the cool swill of freedom. In her poem ''Deliverance'' about her son''s birth she writes ''What is the word for when the light leaves the body?/What is the word for when it/at last, returns?''Through poems that are as unforgettably beautiful as they are accessible, Kate Baer prov
£14.24
Faber & Faber Sex Power Money
Book Synopsis** THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 5 BESTSELLER **** FEATURED ON BBC ARTS'' BETWEEN THE COVERS **Award-winning comedian Sara Pascoe turns her attention to the things that really matter to humans sex, power and money.''A genuinely hilarious explanation of the science of sex'' FRANKIE BOYLE''I've never read a book so fast and laughed so loudly while learning so much. Pascoe is a sage for our times.'' DEBORAH FRANCES-WHITE, The Guilty Feminist Following her hit book Animal, Sara Pascoe decides to confront her fear of the male libido, and turns her attention to the things that really matter to humans, delving into such questions as:Why don't people care about the welfare of the people they masturbate to?andWhy is there such stigma around those who work in the sex industry?when Some women still want men to buy them dinner?In this com
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Soul of a Woman
Book Synopsis_______________ 'An autobiographical meditation on feminism, power and womanhood … Full of Isabel's wisdom and warm words' - Grazia 'In her small, potent polemic . . . Isabel Allende writes about the toxic effects of “machismo”, combining wit with anger as she picks apart the patriarchy' - Independent 'Allende has everything it takes: the ear, the eye, the mind, the heart, the all-encompassing humanity' - New York Times An Independent, Guardian and Grazia Highlight for 2021 _______________ The wise, warm, defiant new book from literary legend Isabel Allende – a meditation on power, feminism and what it means to be a woman When I say that I was a feminist in kindergarten, I am not exaggerating. As a child, Isabel Allende watched her mother, abandoned by her husband, provide for her three small children. As a young woman coming of age in the late 1960s, she rode the first wave of feminism. She has seen what has been accomplished by the movement in the course of her lifetime. And over the course of three marriages, she has learned how to grow as a woman while having a partner, when to step away, and the rewards of embracing one's sexuality. So what do women want? To be safe, to be valued, to live in peace, to have their own resources, to be connected, to have control over their bodies and lives, and above all, to be loved. On all these fronts, there is much work to be done, and this book, Allende hopes, will ‘light the torch of our daughters and granddaughters with mine. They will have to live for us, as we lived for our mothers, and carry on with the work still left to be finished.’ _______________ 'Her thoughts, language and ideas traverse fluidly through ideas of gender, historic injustices, her marriages and bodily experiences and literary references . . . Allende’s love for women is palpable' - Sydney Morning HeraldTrade ReviewAn autobiographical meditation on feminism, power and womanhood … Full of Isabel's wisdom and warm words * Grazia *In her small, potent polemic . . . Isabel Allende writes about the toxic effects of “machismo”, combining wit with anger as she picks apart the patriarchy * Independent *An autobiographical meditation on feminism, power and womanhood . . . Full of Isabel's wisdom and warm words * Grazia *Her thoughts, language and ideas traverse fluidly through ideas of gender, historic injustices, her marriages and bodily experiences and literary references . . . Allende’s love for women is palpable * Sydney Morning Herald *Allende has everything it takes: the ear, the eye, the mind, the heart, the all-encompassing humanity * New York Times *Isabel Allende is a grand storyteller who writes with surpassing compassion and insight. Her place as an icon of world literature was secured long ago. She will be celebrated, by readers and writers alike, for generations to come -- Khaled Hosseini
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers GIRL
Book SynopsisPowerful, intelligent and vital one of the year's must-reads' Hannah Nathanson, Features Director, ELLEFeaturing contributions from Candice Carty-Williams, Jessica Horn, Ebele Okobi, Funmi Fetto and Freddie Harrel.In the vein of Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist, but wholly its own, Girl is a provocative, heartbreaking and frequently hilarious collection of original essays on what it means to be black, a woman, a mother and a global citizen in today's ever-changing world.Black women have never been more visible or more publicly celebrated. But for every new milestone, every magazine cover, every box office record smashed, the reality of everyday life remains a complex, nuanced, contradiction-laden experience.Award-winning journalist and American in London Kenya Hunt threads razor sharp cultural observation through evocative and relatable stories, both illuminating our current cultural moment and transcending it.Trade Review‘Powerful, intelligent and vital – one of this year’s must reads’ Elle ‘Enlightening, relatable, warm and witty, Girl is a must-read for 2020’ Sunday Times Style ‘Valuable’ Guardian ‘If any book should enrich – and disrupt – your life, let it be this.’ Harper’s Bazaar UK ‘very honest and intelligent’ Dina Asher-Smith ‘Put it on your reading list, pronto’ Dazed ‘Exceptional … This book genuinely changed the way I see the world’ Red ‘Essential reading’ Psychologies ‘Brilliant … if there’s any book you should read this year, it’s this one.’ Refinery29 ‘Funny, heartbreaking, and needed now more than ever.’ Cosmopolitan ‘[A] smart, sharp look at what it means to be a black woman’ i News ‘Powerful’ Prima ‘Important’ Woman & Home ‘GIRL is written with a tenderness and urgency that will stay with you long after you have finished reading’ Press Association ‘Insightful’ ES Magazine ‘A fundamental read … This varied and at times introspective anthology is pithy, humorous and incredibly moving. We couldn’t recommend it enough.’ Magic Radio ‘Both moving and motivating; informative and transformative. I could not put it down. A truly beautiful book.’ Emma Gannon, bestselling author of Olive ‘Beautifully fluent and readable … A book not just to read but to witness.’ Afua Hirsch, author of Brit(ish) ‘Girl speaks to the Black woman of today.’ Bethann Hardison, fashion model and activist ‘Girl is a radical and magical diasporic curation of love for Black dialect, Black freedom, Black cool, Black culture, Black joy, and mostly–and specifically–Black women.’Damon Young, author What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker
£9.49
Canongate Books Namesake: Reflections on A Warrior Woman
Book Synopsis'A wonderful book about the deep backstories and the tangled histories of N. S. Nuseibeh's own multiple identit[ies]' MARK HADDON'Explores vulnerability, fragility, anxiety, and ambivalence as ways of beautifully coming to terms with the wounds and worries of the world' HOMI K. BHABHAI may not be brave enough, but somewhere deep inside of me there is, perhaps, the kernel of someone who is.That brave someone was the legendary Nusayba bint Ka'ab al Khazrajia, who fought alongside the Prophet Muhammad at the dawn of Islam, the author N.S Nuseibeh's ancestor. In drawing on Nusayba's stories, Nuseibeh delves into the experience of being an Arab woman today and in the distant past - taking her from superheroes and the glorification of violence to the rise of Arab feminism, to what courage looks like in the context of interminable conflict. By seeking to understand her namesake in the context of her own twenty-first century concerns, Nuseibeh links our current ideas of Muslims and Arabs with their origins, exploring myth-making and identity, religion and nationhood, feminism and race.As intimate as they are thoughtful, these linked essays offer a dazzling exploration of heritage, gender and the idea of home, while also showing how connecting with our history can help us understand ourselves and others today.Trade ReviewAt once vulnerable and intellectually rigorous, here is an illuminating and trenchant exploration of Muslim feminism . . . An essential read in the war against lazy stereotypes, cultural annihilation and every form of apartheid -- DINA NAYERI * * Guardian * *A wonderful book about the deep backstories and the tangled histories of N. S. Nuseibeh's own multiple identit[ies]. She is self-deprecating and thoughtful and always interesting, a rare instance of a writer who seems to listen as much as she informs -- MARK HADDONA wonderfully inventive blend of personal insight and contemporary commentary with Islamic history, myth and culture . . . Intuitive and profound * * Big Issue * *N.S. Nuseibeh conjures her diverse identities and interests to create a world that is free and hospitable. English-Palestinian, author-cook, mythologist-feminist, at home in Jerusalem, at work in Oxford, and at play in New York, Nuseibeh confronts the divisive and discriminatory issues that dog our times with a cosmopolitan ethic of justice and equality that seeks to build arguments, rather than to win them . . . Namesake explores vulnerability, fragility, anxiety and ambivalence as ways of beautifully coming to terms with the wounds and worries of the world -- HOMI K. BHABHANamesake is a brilliantly written book that will enrich how you think about feminism, identity, connection and home. A collection of fascinating and rigorous essays, it's a generous, intimate invitation to reflect on the different ways we might understand ourselves and one another -- OCTAVIA BRIGHTThe life of Nusayba - a mother, a warrior - becomes the prism through which N.S. Nuseibeh deftly and lyrically reflects the contemporary world back to us, illuminating not only the layers of a physical landscape shaped by empire and colonialism, but of our mental landscapes of myth and story. Probing questions of identity, inheritance, faith, feminism and home, Namesake is a masterful tapestry. It will leave you seeing both self and world with new eyes -- ERICA BERRYNuseibeh deftly probes a wide range of topics - history, feminism, religion, culture, nostalgia, racism, violence, anxiety, illness and motherhood - in ways that are deeply personal, specific and nuanced . . . Perhaps most beautifully and importantly, Nuseibeh's writing demands of her what it asks of her reader: self-examination, honesty and grace. It's no small thing to achieve in writing something so deeply personal that also graciously extends to others -- DIMA ALZAYATFascinating, insightful and eye-opening. Namesake taught and entertained me in equal measure with its warmth, originality and vision. I loved how N.S. Nuseibeh seamlessly navigated between the brutally personal and breathtakingly universal, how she wove in such an eclectic and impressive range of voices and ideas -- VIOLET MOLLERSuch a brave, insightful and important book. A collection of essays exploring the author's Palestinian, Arab, British, Muslim, female, academic and privileged identities through deep thinking and rigorous research while using an ancestor as her touchstone . . . I learned so much from this book -- ZEBA TALKHANIIncredible . . . A very warmly told and a very human book filled with tenderness, ample food and sensory descriptions -- CAROLINE EDEN
£15.29
AK Press We Will Not Cancel Us: And Other Dreams of
Book Synopsis
£6.24
Little, Brown Book Group The Women Who Wouldnt Wheesht
Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLEROn the 25th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament, this book captures an important moment in contemporary history: how a grassroots women''s movement, harking back to the suffragettes and second wave feminists of the 1970s and 1980s, took on the political establishment - and changed the course of history.Through a collection of over thirty essays and photographs, some of the women involved tell the story of the five-year campaign to protect women''s sex-based rights. Author J.K. Rowling explains why she used her global reach to stand up for women. Leading SNP MP Joanna Cherry writes of how she risked her political career for her beliefs. Survivors of male violence who MSPs refused to meet are given the voice they were denied at Holyrood. Ash Regan MSP recounts what it was like to become the first government minister to resign on a question of principle since the SNP came to power in 2007. Former prison governor Rhona Hotchki
£18.70
Scholastic Vote For Effie
Book SynopsisJoin Effie Kostas as she fights to become Student Council Presidentin her new school. With a campaign team of loveable misfits, shetackles the truly important subjects: gender imbalance, outdatedschool conventions...and good-looking boys stealing the last sliceof chocolate cake at lunchtime.
£6.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Gendering Taboos 10 Short Plays by African Women
Book SynopsisTen new short plays by African women tackling taboo topics on identity, gender, sexualities, family relations and power. Following the international success of Contemporary Plays by African Women, this new collection is the next step in the African Women Playwright Network (AWPN) both showcasing and encouraging the development of new work. Consisting of the ten winners of the AWPN''s international writing competition, this collection is centered around the theme of ''Tackling Taboo Topics in African Female Writing'', originally performed as staged readings at the AWPN Festival hosted by the University of Ghana in 2022. Selected from 75 submissions from nine African countries, these plays speak to contemporary and pressing issues, illuminating lived experiences of African women that are common but seldom discussed. An important resource for schools and universities looking to diversify and decolonise curricula and engage with short works for practical classes, pTable of ContentsIntroduction - by ‘Tosin Kooshima Tume, Ekua Ekumah and Yvette Hutchison Plays – with playwright biographies Yanci by Rukayat Nihinlola Banjo (Nigeria) The Arrangement by Gisemba Ursula (Kenya) A woman has Two Mouthsby Chioniso Tsikisayi (Zimbabwe) Who is in my Garden ?by Irene Isoken Agunloye (Nigeria) The Taste of Justice by Martina Omorodion (Nigeria) Desperanza by Kaulana Williams (South Africa) Oh! by Miliswa Mbandazayo (South Africa) In Her Silence by Faustina Brew (Ghana) Horny&…by Philisiwe Twijnstra (South Africa) Gnash by Katlego K Kolanyane-Kesupile (Botswana) Interview with Dr Sarah Dorgbadzi by Ekua Ekumah, AWPN-Ghana festival 2022, University of Ghana, 1-4 September. Suggested Further Reading
£14.99
Verso Books They Call It Love: The Politics of Emotional Life
Book SynopsisThey Call It Love investigates the work that makes a haven in a heartless world, examining who performs this labour, how it is organised, and how it might change. Drawing on the thought of the feminist movement Wages for Housework, Gotby demonstrates that emotion is a key element in the reproduction of society and its norms. Addressing the problem of love's labour requires nothing less than a radical restructuring of society.Trade ReviewIntellectually nourished my thinking and language on gender. -- Raymond Antrobus, Best Books of 2023 * Granta *A fascinating and exhaustive explanation as to why emotions are a political issue. -- Brit Dawson * AnOther Magazine *They Call It Love shines a light on the invisible labour involved in love, examining who is responsible for performing it, how it can blossom, and why we do it. -- Adele Walton * Dazed *Gotby makes clear our emotional lives are inherently political. Her analysis of the politics of reproductive labour is a cogent criticism of the bourgeois capitalist logics of feeling, of the free labour of intimacy and of normative femininity. -- Adele Cassigneul * Mai *Gotby's narrative masterfully outlines how emotions, feelings and their manifestations tend to be portrayed, and understood, as a feminine domain of expertise ... Gotby brilliantly dismantles the silences and abuses surrounding this invisible work by naming it and showing its societal (and capital) worth -- Patrycja Sosnowska-Buxton * Sociological Review *They Call It Love is a very fine book - one that balances polemical force with careful and rigorous research. In advancing its account of emotional reproduction, it brings together existing bodies of work on unwaged social reproduction and remunerated emotional labour to great effect, shining a light upon a too often overlooked (and heavily gendered) form of work. It is sharp, thoughtful, and well-written, and represents a substantial scholarly achievement. Alva Gotby is a writer and thinker to watch out for. -- Helen Hester, author of Xenofeminism, co-author of After WorkThis thorough book sheds new light on the critics of the political economy on emotional life. It is a welcome addition to the studies on the social meaning of the immaterial production that takes place in the domestic sphere. The Call It Love is a fascinating insider's account of the hidden, economic dimension of our emotional lives whose subject matter will make for passionate arguments and conversations among feminists and scholars in general. -- Leopoldina Fortunati, author of The Arcane of ReproductionGotby's book importantly attempts to underscore and theorise the role of emotions within social reproduction theory. Her concept of 'emotional reproduction' is a reminder that fife-making work is not devoid of affect. -- Sara Farris, author of In the Name of Women's RightsThey Call It Love is a call to attention: Alva Gotby astutely maps the work of emotional support and care that is done day in and day out and across everyday life. Gotby not only insists that more value be attributed to emotional reproduction, but makes a sophisticated and compelling case for a radical repurposing of emotions, needs, and desires in the struggle for change - a struggle that is necessarily also a struggle for new ways of being together. -- Emma Dowling, author of The Care CrisisTable of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1: Emotional ReproductionChapter 2: The Political Economy of LoveChapter 3: Gendering WorkChapter 4: Feminist EmotionsChapter 5: A Different FeelingNotes
£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group Unkind
Book Synopsis
£16.00
Andrews McMeel Publishing Jokes to Offend Men
Book SynopsisA modern, feminist take on the classic joke book to amuse and empower women.If a tree falls in a forest and only a woman is around to hear it, does it make a sound?We’ll never know. The male forest ranger said it was a “she said, tree said” situation.Four comedy writers flip the script on outdated, sexist joke formats while delivering sharp commentary about the everyday sexism women and people of marginalized genders face. Building off their viral McSweeney’s piece, the book arms readers with humorous ammunition to deliver pointed blows to workplace underminer Gregs and Neanderthal Uncle Larrys, or to share with their aggrieved girlfriends. A cutting satire of the old-fashioned sexist joke book, Jokes to Offend Men is a refreshing reclamation of a tired form.Trade ReviewWhat’s more “comedy book” than the original comedy book, the good ol’ joke book? Yeah, Jokes to Offend Men is a joke book, but it reinvents the subgenre by taking it to a whole new level. This is a joke book with a thesis, with the gags to back it up and bring the reader on a very satisfying ride. This is the rare occasion when pointed satire is delivered with as much glee as rage, and the material here just crackles — unabashedly vicious, hilarious, and precisely pinpointed vitriol directed at the all-too-familiar awful men who deserve to be lambasted and shamed. Not a single gag falls flat; it’s just one kill shot after another. For example: “Why are the men at my job like parrots? Because they repeat everything I say, poorly.” (Brian Boone, Vulture)
£13.49
Icon Books Women in the Picture: Women, Art and the Power of
Book Synopsis'Incisive and provocative ... a sensitive and probing critique' The New York Times'Essential reading ... gripping, inspirational, beautifully written and highly thought-provoking' Dr Helen Gørrill, author of Women Can't PaintA bold reconsideration of women in art - from the 'Old Masters' to the posts of Instagram influencersA perfect pin-up, a damsel in distress, a saintly mother, a femme fatale ...Women's identity has long been stifled by a limited set of archetypes, found everywhere in pictures from art history's classics to advertising, while women artists have been overlooked and held back from shaping more empowering roles.In this impassioned book, art historian Catherine McCormack asks us to look again at what these images have told us to value, opening up our most loved images - from those of Titian and Botticelli to Picasso and the Pre-Raphaelites. She also shows us how women artists - from Berthe Morisot to Beyoncé, Judy Chicago to Kara Walker - have offered us new ways of thinking about women's identity, sexuality, race and power.Women in the Picture gives us new ways of seeing the art of the past and the familiar images of today so that we might free women from these restrictive roles and embrace the breadth of women's vision.'A call to arms in a world where the misogyny that taints much of the western art canon is still largely ignored' Financial Times'It felt like the scales were falling from my eyes as I read it.' The HeraldTrade Review'Women in the Picture mounts a sensitive and probing critique of the motifs, the preordained poses and affectations of the female figure in art.' * The New York Times *'A call to arms in a world where the misogyny that taints much of the western art canon is still largely ignored' * Financial Times *'I'm glad this book was written because it felt like the scales were falling from my eyes as I read it. Women will continue to be objectified in art and in popular culture, but the book sheds a generous amount of angry light on how we got here.' * The Herald *'Essential reading . gripping, inspirational, beautifully written and highly thought-provoking.' * Dr Helen Gørrill, author of Women Can't Paint *'Illuminating ... [McCormack] lucidly explains the ways in which women's bodies have become symbols of male desire, sex, and violence, their subjugation culturally treated as "the unquestionable natural order of things" ... This eye-opening work will leave readers with plenty to ponder.' * Publishers Weekly starred review *'A timely, succinct, aesthetic inquiry into debates about sexuality, objectification, and representation.' * Kirkus Reviews *'McCormack succeeds in the nearly impossible task of discussing both the representation of women throughout the history of art as well as how women artists have challenged these male-centric images. She writes beautifully and with an accessible voice, moving effortlessly from the Rokeby Venus to contemporary culture's narcissistic obsession with social media selfies.' * Kathy Battista, author of New York New Wave: The Legacy of Feminist Art in Emerging Practices *'Terrifically smart ... On this grand tour of western visual culture, you couldn't ask for a better guide than McCormack, an art historian with attitude who offers a rousing new lens for looking "beyond the exchange of seeing and being seen".' * Bridget Quinn, author of Broad Strokes: 15 Women Who Made Art and Made History (in That Order) *'A well written and important art history book - one of those rare art history books where an art novice won't feel out of their depth' * FAD magazine *'Whip smart and probing' * Los Angeles Review of Books *A passionate, serious, yet often entertaining introduction to issues that will be with us for the foreseeable future, their historic context and their implications for women. * Washington Post *
£10.44
Little, Brown Book Group Hags
Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE NERO PRIZE 2023''A book that could not be more necessary'' Observer''Eloquent, clever and devastating'' The Times''Deftly illustrates how ageist misogyny remains an acceptable prejudice'' GuardianWhat is about women in middle-age and beyond that seems to enrage - almost everyone?In the last few years, as identity politics has taken hold, middle-aged women have found themselves talked and written about as morally inferior beings, the face of bigotry, entitlement and selfishness, to be ignored, pitied or abused.Hags asks the question why these women are treated with such active disdain. Each chapter takes a different theme - care work, beauty, violence, political organization, sex - and explores it in relation to middle-aged women''s beliefs, bodies and choices. Victoria Smith traces the attitudes she describes back to the same anxieties about older women that drove Early Modern witch hunts, and explores the very specific reasons why this type of misogyny is so powerful today. The demonisation of hags has never felt more now.Victoria Smith has decided in this book that she will be the Karen so nobody else has to be, and she ends on a positive note, exploring potential solutions which can benefit all women, hags and hags-in-waiting.Shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards announced 21 November 2023. Trade ReviewHer book traces the hatred and fear of the middle-aged woman back through history . . . The greatest joy of Hags is its lively erudition . . . This eloquent, clever and devastating book describes the last remaining acceptable prejudice, one that is now even posited as progress: the loathing of older women -- Janice Turner * The Times *My polemic of the year . . . a book that could not be more necessary (a sword and a shield) in the current climate -- Rachel Cooke * Observer *Riveting, vital and impossible to read without rage -- Lissa Evans, author of Old BaggageHags is rich and complex and witty and cleverer than I am. (You'd never get a male reviewer saying that.) I hope it won't be read only in an echo chamber, by the women who are, as Smith was once called to her delight, 'a batshit Mumsnet thread made flesh'. I hope it will also be read by young women who think me and the author terrible Terfs and bigots for believing in single-sex spaces; by young anyones; by the middle-aged and the elderly; by any man born of a mother; and by all those who agree with Smith when she writes: 'I am not frightened of change. I am frightened of things staying the same.' -- Rose George * Spectator *Devastating and clever -- Bel Mooney * Daily Mail *Smith makes an impassioned, powerful case . . . Hags can't come soon enough' * Mail on Sunday *Deftly illustrates how ageist misogyny remains an acceptable prejudice and, in laying out the ignominies visited upon middle-aged women, feels justifiably livid -- Fiona Sturges * Guardian *A brilliantly witty, engaging and insightful book; a righteous polemic which examines and questions why so much hatred is directed towards middle-aged women - and, crucially, what this means for women today . . . a punchy, thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable read -- Eleanor Fleming * Scotsman *
£10.44
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC No Modernism Without Lesbians
Book SynopsisA Sunday Times Book of the Year Winner of the Polari Prize 'A book about love, identity, acceptance and the freedom to write, paint, compose and wear corduroy breeches with gaiters. To swear, kiss, publish and be damned. It is vastly entertaining and often moving... There isn't a page without an entertaining vignette' The Times. The extraordinary story of how a singular group of women in a pivotal time and place – Paris, Between the Wars – fostered the birth of the Modernist movement. Sylvia Beach, Bryher, Natalie Barney, and Gertrude Stein. A trailblazing publisher; a patron of artists; a society hostess; a groundbreaking writer. They were all women who loved women. They rejected the patriarchy and made lives of their own – forming a community around them in Paris. Each of these four central women interacted with a myriad of others, some of the most influential, most entertaining, most shocking and most brilliant figures of the age. Diana Souhami weaves their stories into those of the four central women to create a vivid moving tapestry of life among the Modernists in pre-War Paris. 'One of the best books I've read this year.' James BridleTrade ReviewDiana Souhami argues that modernism would not exist without these extraordinary women, and their courage, passion and verve certainly make this lively group biography an inspirational read * Sunday Times *Souhami is one of our most rewarding and inventive biographers, and this book is a splendidly hectic and vivid read... If No Modernism Without Lesbians goes some way towards making us understand how they thought of themselves, and what they did, it will have done some good' * Spectator *Souhami has written several fine biographies... Now, in a comprehensive cultural history, she awards lesbians the credit for modernising art, manners and morals in the early twentieth century' * Observer *No Modernism Without Lesbians is undoubtedly a contribution, correcting the history of modernism to more accurately account for the women who made possible such a lasting transformation in literature and art... Souhami has opened the door to history a little further, creating more precious space for the whole truth to enter' * Daily Beast *[A] vivid cultural history... This often gossipy, always smart romp trains a well-deserved spotlight on lesser-appreciated literary and artistic lives' * Publishers Weekly *A book about love, identity, acceptance and the freedom to write, paint, compose and wear corduroy breeches with gaiters. To swear, kiss, publish and be damned * The Times *Souhami challenges the Modernist canon that has dominated cultural education at their expense, foregrounding instead great men and their muses... No Modernism Without Lesbians is important for 2020 because it rips apart the prevailing patriarchal model. What Souhami calls for is abandoning the Modernist canon and rebuilding it one lesbian at a time to create a new, inclusive, 21st-century model' * Gay & Lesbian Review *A fresh perspective on modernism * Kirkus Reviews *An extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library LGBTA /Studies and Women's Biography collections * MidWest Book Review *The lives and contributions of these four lesbians, who played a significant role in art and literature, illuminates the way lesbian work is often undervalued or discredited in comparison to those who aren't lesbian * After Ellen *Richly researched, entertaining and hugely enjoyable... Souhami is a brilliant guide and this book a celebration, corrective and fillip all in one' -- Chris Gribble, judge of the 2021 Polari Prize and CEO of the National Centre for Writing
£9.49
Oneworld Publications White Torture
Book SynopsisFemale prisoners of conscience and activists speak out against torture in Iranian prisonsTrade Review'The testimonies of 14 women collected in White Torture read like a charge sheet against the Islamic Republic. Fortunately for future prosecutors, this book is full of inquisitors’ names. Should the ayatollahs and their bully boys fall, it will surely form part of the case against them. And, as it did for Mr Khamenei, the torment of Iran’s prisons might yet propel their inmates to power.' Economist'Narges still roars like a lioness. This is why the regime wants to crush her. White Torture is another roar of this lioness.' Shirin Ebadi'Ms Mohammadi’s research from prison, based on interviewing inmates, resulted in a book about the emotional impact of solitary confinement and prison conditions in Iran.' New York Times'The testimonies of these brave women are made more effective for being delivered in Amir Rezanezhad’s calm, understated translation. They reveal an awe-inspiring capacity for resilience and resistance… Their courage is beyond imagination.' Irish Times'The women interviewed in this book narrate their experiences of solitary confinement in the Islamic Republic’s jails, revealing the extent of the regime’s unimaginable brutality and Iranian people’s immense suffering under its rule. But as unspeakably brutal as this regime is, its violence reveals another truth: its helplessness and defeat in the face of women like these, and the courageous resistance of so many Iranians who like these women risk so much, including their lives, but refuse to succumb to the regime. This is where hope lies, in their resilience, in their power to stand up to the totalitarian regime, in their determination to preserve their sense of dignity and individual identity. This is what makes the regime so incompetent and its violence so ineffectual. These women reveal the truth about the Islamic republic and they pay the price for it. Through reading their testimonials we too learn the truth. The question every reader should ask herself is, now that we know the truth, what are we going to do about it?' Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran'White Torture is a must-read for anyone concerned with human rights in Iran. A gripping, moving and utterly shocking account of the horrific abuse suffered by female political prisoners at the hands of the Iranian regime, Narges Mohammadi's interviews with her fellow detainees provide an invaluable window into the capricious and cruel world of Iran's prison system.' Kylie Moore-Gilbert, author of The Uncaged Sky'The personal stories compiled in White Torture offer an insight into the especially grim way Iranian authorities dole out punishment.' New Statesman'Small details shine out, speaking of strength of will and a refusal to be broken…heartrending.’ New Internationalist'White Torture is [Mohammadi’s] most thorough crie de coeur yet, combining as it does her own heart-rending testimony with interviews of 12 other imprisoned women… These testimonies are uniquely powerful, as all the interviews were carried out while the women were in jail, and make the book White Torture an important document in the fight for human rights... compelling reading on many levels, not least when it comes to showing the extraordinary spirit of Iran’s women and their devotion to justice and freedom.' The Markaz Review
£10.79
Taylor & Francis Feminism
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£29.99
Harlequin How to Grieve Like a Victorian
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£15.00
Pan Macmillan Think Like a Breadwinner: How Women Can Earn More
Book SynopsisA new kind of manifesto for the working woman, with practical guidance on building wealth as well as inspiration for harnessing the freedom and power that comes from a breadwinning mindset.Women are now the main breadwinner in one-in-four households in the UK. Yet the majority of women still aren't being brought up to think like breadwinners. In fact, they're actively discouraged – by institutional bias and subconscious beliefs – from building their own wealth, pursuing their full earning potential, and providing for themselves and others financially. The result is that women earn less, owe more, and have significantly less money saved and invested for the future than men do. And if women do end up as the main breadwinner, they've been conditioned to feel reluctant and unprepared to manage the role.In Think Like a Breadwinner, financial expert Jennifer Barrett reframes what it really means to be a breadwinner by dismantling the narrative that women don't – and shouldn't – take full financial responsibility to create the lives they want. Featuring a wide variety of case studies from women at all stages of their careers and financial lives, Barrett shares the secrets of women who already think like breadwinners. Barrett reveals not only the importance of women building their own wealth, but also the freedom and power that comes with it.'Barrett’s manifesto is a must read for any woman at any stage of her career.' - Eve Rodsky, author of Fair PlayTrade ReviewThink Like a Breadwinner is the roadmap women need to take charge of their financial futures. Jennifer Barrett empowers readers to be unabashedly confident while getting smart about their money behaviors, ultimately unlocking their fullest potentials and wildest dreams. * Reshma Saujani, CEO and author of 'Girls Who Code' and author of 'Brave, Not Perfect' *Barrett’s manifesto is a must read for any woman at any stage of her career. This book is about so much more than the power of money – it is about empowering yourself for a lifetime of success in all domains. -- Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author of Fair PlayJennifer Barrett’s Think Like a Breadwinner is an eye-opening and engaging read for any women beginning, progressing or reflecting on their career. This sharp and stylish read is a powerful narrative that you will want to share with any female in your life. -- Maya Prentis, Founder of Fempire FinanceThink Like a Breadwinner is the guide every woman needs to read in order to reframe her relationship with what it means to be a breadwinner. No matter your relationship status, Barrett encourages every woman to focus on being the breadwinner of her own life and in charge of her own financial future. -- Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial Talks MoneyThe dynamics of power are changing for women – at work, in life, and in their partnerships. Jennifer Barrett’s beautifully reported and written book shapes a new conversation about money, success and freedom that is a must-read for anyone who would like more of those things in their life! -- Ann Shoket, founder of New Power Media and author of The Big LifeThink Like A Breadwinner champions women and provides an insightful read for not just those female breadwinners but their male counterparts as well . . . The book is full of wisdom while not being too bogged down in the details. -- Ladders
£15.29
PM Press Revolution At Point Zero (2nd. Edition):
Book SynopsisThe new and expanded edition of the seminal work, with two previously unpublished essays by the author.
£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers The Female Eunuch
Book SynopsisThe 50th Anniversary edition of the ground-breaking, worldwide bestselling feminist tract.The Female Eunuch retains that power of transformation; it asserts the possibility of creativity within female experience' GuardianA worldwide bestseller, translated into over twelve languages, The Female Eunuch is a landmark in the history of the women's movement.Drawing liberally from history, literature and popular culture, past and present, Germaine Greer's searing examination of women's oppression is at once an important social commentary and a passionately argued masterpiece of polemic.Probably the most famous, most widely read book on feminism ever.Trade Review‘A dazzling tract, erudite, outrageous, funny.’Cosmopolitan ‘Brilliantly written, quirky and sensible, full of bile and insight…The best feminist book so far’New York Times ‘A dazzling combination of erudition, eccentricity and eroticism.’Newsweek ‘Intelligent, funny and beautifully written’Vogue ‘Germaine Greer in THE FEMALE EUNUCH converted me to Women’s Lib, as much by her bawdy sense of humour as by the bite of her polemic’ Kenneth Tynan, Observer ‘A fine, continuous flow of angry power…terrific polemical force’ Listener
£10.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Sophia
Book Synopsis**By the presenter of the hit podcast EMPIRE**''Sophia is the sort of remarkable, almost unbelievable untold true story that every writer dreams of chancing upon. A wonderful debut, written with real spirit and gusto. Anita Anand has produced a winner'' William Dalrymple''A fascinating and elegantly written life of one of the unknown giants of women''s suffrage'' Katie Hickman, author of Daughters of BritanniaThe enthralling story of an extraordinary woman and her part in the defining moments of recent British Indian historyWinner of the Eastern Eye Alchemy Festival Award for LiteratureIn 1876 Sophia Duleep Singh was born into royalty. Her father, Maharajah Duleep Singh, was heir to the Kingdom of the Sikhs, a realm that stretched from the lush Kashmir Valley to the craggy foothills of the Khyber Pass and included the mighty cities of Lahore and Peshawar. It was a territory irresistible to the British, who plundered everything, inTrade ReviewSophia is the sort of remarkable, almost unbelievable untold true story that every writer dreams of chancing upon. A wonderful debut, written with real spirit and gusto. Anita Anand has produced a winner * William Dalrymple *Anita Anand’s gripping book is a sad story of dispossession and dislocation … The story is fast-paced and thrilling … A noble book **** * Daily Telegraph *A fascinating and elegantly written life of one of the unknown giants of women's suffrage * Katie Hickman, author of Daughters of Britannia *Vivid and compelling … Anand writes with the vigour and imaginative reach of a novelist. The many horrors of her enthralling narrative are lightened with judicious flashes of dry wit and a fine eye for detail … A gripping, emotionally powerful story * New Statesman *A groundbreaking work that at last tells the important story of Sophia Duleep Singh: unflinching princess-in-exile, doughty moderniser and tenacious suffragette. From the streets of India to the corridors of power, Sophia artfully examines the tensions between East and West; and one woman's choice between fighting for freedom and staying silent * Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire *Anita Anand has definitively restored to history one of the most important and charismatic figures in the suffragette movement. This thoroughly absorbing and deftly informative account instantly pulled me into the irresistible adventure and vitality of Sophia Duleep Singh’s defiant and innovative existence. Anand’s timely biography is a wonderful testament to Sophia’s lifetime of commitment to Indian independence and the advancement of women, and to the range and courage of her achievements * Rachel Holmes, author of Eleanor Marx *Anand is a strong, confident writer … A rollickingly enjoyable read: a comprehensively researched and zippy account of a profoundly unusual life * Evening Standard *Anand vividly paints the picture of a society girl turned revolutionary … With deftness and sensibility, Anand tells of the extraordinary contradictions at the heart of the relationship between the Queen and this family … Anand’s skill is to bring to life a character whose name does not figure in the annals of the suffragette movement * Observer *Sometimes you hear biographers complain that all the great figures have gone … In this book, her confident and compelling debut, the BBC journalist and presenter Anita Anand leaves that argument in shreds … Anand has triumphantly rescued Sophia from the pampered oblivion in which a fearful Raj sought to bury her. In doing so, she traces the excruciating double binds, emotional as much as political, that tied imperial Britain to the jewel in its crown * Boyd Tonkin, Independent Book of the Week *Anand in her latest book uncovers not just an intriguing female life, but also an important perspective on British-Indian colonial history … Fresh and well written … What a story, and what a successful telling of it * The Times *Sophia is so well researched that this is likely to remain a definitive account … Anand’s passion shines * Daily Express *Real entertainment. Shannon has continued to build on this imagined world with intricacy, and Paige’s voice comes through to deliver a suspenseful story * Washington Post *Fascinating biography-cum-history of a singular life * Independent *A terrifically absorbing read * Mslexia *Sophia and her family cannot be understood without understanding the context of developments in the British Empire in this period. Giving details on the development of Sikh traditions, revolutionary ferment in the Indian subcontinent, the British suffrage movement, the First World War, and the partition of India and Pakistan, Anand presents a comprehensive and valuable historical biography. Anand has gone into key archives at Windsor, the Museum of London and elsewhere to uncover the official records and surviving correspondence about Sophia, enriched by photographs and her own interviews. This is a necessary biography, drawing attention to the broader facets of the British suffragette movement and the depth of connections between the Indian subcontinent and Britain in the Victorian and Edwardian eras * The Times *Anita Anand’s Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary unearths the extraordinary story of a forgotten British-Indian suffragette who went from Queen Victoria’s goddaughter to militant activist * Guardian *
£13.49
Princeton University Press The Wife of Bath
Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Financial Times Best Summer Book""A New Yorker Best Book We've Read This Year""Shortlisted for the History Book of the Year Prize, History Reclaimed""Winner of the History Reclaimed Book of the Year Prize""A BBC History Magazine Book of the Year""A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year""The history of women in the Middle Ages is fraught with uncertainties, especially when it comes to source material and authorship; Turner unfurls this complexity in elegant, quietly angry prose, grounded in deep scholarly research. . . . Turner’s biography of Alison of Bath demonstrates the stunning resonance of medieval prejudice in the present."---Erin Maglaque, New York Times Book Review"Those who foreground alternative voices must reach for innovative forms and reworkings of genre. Turner does this brilliantly, allowing Alison of Bath to speak for the legions of contemporary women otherwise silenced by history."---Daisy Hay, Financial Times"Turner’s immensely entertaining ‘biography’ will make you fall in love with the Wife of Bath, whom she crowns ‘the first ordinary woman in English literature.’ . . . Wonderfully accessible and briskly entertaining."---Ron Charles, Washington Post"Turner writes from a feminist perspective, but she is not a presentist—the kind of person who faults the past for failing to live up to the standards, or some people’s standards, of the present. . . . You are grateful for Turner’s thoroughness. She is especially adept at drawing meaning not only from characters’ similarities but also from their differences."---Joan Acocella, The New Yorker"An intriguing combination of the fantastically bawdy and the deadly serious. . . . Thrilling."---Katy Guest, The Guardian"A wonderful biography."---Mary Wellesley, The Telegraph"This engrossing academic study helps you appreciate why, nearly eight centuries after Chaucer brought her to life, this funny, sexually confident middle-aged woman remains a titan of literature."---Martin Chilton, The Independent"Erudite."---Susie Goldsbrough, The Times"[A] thoroughly engaging book."---Mary C. Flannery, Times Literary Supplement"[A] superb biography. . . . Turner's beautifully written, rewarding and thought-provoking book about this imaginary woman shows how much her literary existence has to say about actual women’s lives."---Gillian Kenny, The Spectator"Turner’s scholarly yet lively portrait of [the Wife of Bath] reveals much about the real-life women who were the earliest readers of her tale, and about the cultures that have been captivated by her ever since."---Pippa Bailey, New Statesman"[A] fascinating book." * The Week *"[A] lively biography."---Eleanor Parker, History Today"This is a wonderfully witty, thoughtful and authoritative meditation on one of English literature’s most astonishing characters—a woman both ahead of her time and yet very much emblematic of the social changes under way in 14th-century England."---Carolyne Larrington, Literary Review"Turner’s enthralling take on Chaucer is so rich, inspiring and relevant."---Lucasta Miller, The Critic"[The Wife of Bath] finally gets the lively, full-length study she’s always deserved in Marion Turner’s new book. . . . It’s fun, thought-provoking popular scholarship at its best."---Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Review"[A] passionate literary ‘biography’. . . . Turner’s prose is straightforward, artful, and occasionally biting. . . . Fans of Chaucer’s work and literature lovers more generally shouldn’t miss this." * Publishers Weekly *"A brilliant commentary on Chaucer’s ‘Alisoun’ and the posthumous relevance of Alison in our fractious world of gender politics."---Timothy Mowl, Country Life"Written in elegant, accessible prose, The Wife of Bath reinvents literary criticism to tell the extraordinary story of one of English literature’s most memorable, norm-busting characters." * Foreword Reviews *"[A] superb exploration of the most memorable character in The Canterbury Tales."---Matt d’Ancona, Tortoise"[Turner] writes in a companionable way that makes this a most engaging book."---Sean Sheehan, The Prisma"Masterful. . . . An invaluable study not only for those who research and teach Chaucer and his Canterbury Tales but also for those who are engaged with women and gender studies from the Middle Ages to the present day." * Choice Reviews *"An illuminating social history. . . .Combin[ing] rigorous scholarship and an eye for entertaining detail."---Emily Brand, BBC History Magazine"Lively, approachable, and exhaustively researched . . . [The Wife of Bath] has something to offer for both casual readers and scholars, particularly those working on gender, medieval studies, or adaptation studies, not to mention Chaucerians of all stripes. . . . An invaluable resource, not only for information on the Wife of Bath herself, but as a brilliant and well-considered example of the myriad possibilities available for approaching an old topic from a new angle."---Kristen Haas Curtis, Studies in the Age of Chaucer"An intellectually daring study."---Terry Potter, The Letterpress Project
£19.00
Simon & Schuster Ltd White Feminism
Book Synopsis‘Koa Beck writes with passion and insight about the knotted history of racism within women’s movements and feminist culture, past and present. Curious, rigorous, and ultimately generous, White Feminism is a pleasure and an education.’ Rebecca Traister, New York Times bestselling author of Good and Mad 'Intellectually smart and emotionally intelligent, Beck brilliantly articulates how feminism has failed women of colour and non-binary people. She illuminates the broad landscapes of systemic oppression and demands that white feminism evolve lest it continue to be as oppressive as the patriarchy.' Patrisse Khan-Cullors, cofounder of Black Lives Matter, author of When They Call You a Terrorist and joint recipient of the Sydney Peace Prize 'Don’t judge this book by its cover. Koa Beck knows that feminism includes all women and girls by definition, and is writing to over
£9.49
Simon & Schuster Ltd Girl Up
Book SynopsisThey told you you need to be thin and beautiful.They told you to wear longer skirts, avoid going out late at night and move in groups - never accept drinks from a stranger, and wear shoes you can run in more easily than heels. They told you to wear just enough make-up to look presentable but not enough to be a slut; to dress to flatter your apple, pear, hourglass figure, but not to be too tarty. They warned you that if you try to be strong, or take control, you'll be shrill, bossy, a ballbreaker. Of course it's fine for the boys, but you should know your place. They told you 'that's not for girls' - 'take it as a compliment' - 'don't rock the boat' - 'that'll go straight to your hips'. They told you 'beauty is on the inside', but you knew they didn't really mean it. Well screw that. I'm here to tell you something else.Hilarious, jaunty
£11.69
And Other Stories What You Could Have Won
Book SynopsisFame is the only thing worth having. Love is temporary brain damage. Or so thinks Henry Sinclair, a failing psychiatrist, whose career-breaking discovery has been pinched by a supervisor smelling of nipple grease and hot-dog brine. An emotional miser and manipulator par excellence, desperate for the recognition he's certain his genius deserves, Henry claws his way into the limelight by transforming his girlfriend--a singer-in-ascendance, beloved for her cathartically raw performances--into a drug experiment. As he systematically works to reinforce feelings of worthlessness while at the same time feeding off Astrid's fame, and as Astrid collapses deeper into dependence, what emerges is a two-sided toxic relationship: the bullying instincts of a man shrunk by an industry where bullying is currency, and the peculiar strength of a star more comfortable offloading her talent than owning her brilliance. Pinging between their apartment in New York (where they watch endless episodes of The Sopranos), a nudist campsite in Greece (where the tantalizingly handsome Gigi thwacks octopi into the sand), and a celebrity rehab facility in Paris (founded by the cassock-wearing and sex-scandal plagued 'artist' Hypno Ray), What You Could Have Won is a relationship born of regrettable events, and a novel about female resilience in the face of social control.Trade Review'Exuberant, limber, sexy, incandescent, frenetic, addictive.' Joanna Walsh----'Every page hums with incisive detail, black wit and hard truth.' Sara Baume----'Sensuous, fraught-languorous, and wholly compelling: Genn's novel is a triumph of wit, stylish prose and observation. I loved it.' Eley Williams----'Genn brings light to the darker sides of love, writing with sensitivity and empathy about fame, desire and resilience. Intricately plotted and delicately written, What You Could Have Won is subtle, yet sharp.' Juliet Jacques----'Spectacular, dizzying, utterly addictive: regret, desire, hopeless love, searing wit. As one protagonist says: "a good story is a good story because it makes you its own". Genn's novel completely claimed me.' Helen Mort----'How can I write something that does justice to the unexpected turns, the dazzling intricacies, the humour and the heartbreak and the poetic description of this novel? I can't - I'd better ask Rachel Genn to do it for me.' Andrew McMillan----'Rachel Genn takes up her tender knife again, to lay open the complexities of a relationship entangled in both public and private power. What You Could Have Won is a fiery, irresistible trip through music, drugs and personal agency.' M John Harrison----'Imagine William Gibson and M John Harrison had been commissioned to collaborate on a novel about sex, drugs, rock & roll and The Sopranos.' Nicholas Royle----Praise for The Cure ----'Startlingly tender.' Time Out----'Genn's narrative voice proves unusually nimble in its ironic, sympathetic shifts between the players in this compact saga. The Cure yields a surprising tensile strength for such a slim volume.' The Herald (Scotland)----'I loved The Cure. Rachel Genn offers a new and convincing take on the experience of the Irish migrant worker, evoking in exhilarating dialogue the multi-ethnic Babel of contemporary London. This is a story of family secrets, fierce male friendships and slow-burning love.' Joe Treasure----'The Geiger counter of Rachel Genn's prose moves over her characters' souls with forensic precision, detecting the minute shifts and vacillations that take place below the level of consciousness - those very things that make us human.' Katharine Towers, Seamus Heaney Centre prize-winning poet
£9.50
Cornerstone Loud
Book SynopsisA summoning cry to rid our lives of 'terrible men' and fight outdated patriarchal ideals by a young activist with more than 9 million followersThe empowering, inspiring, patriarchy-smashing first book by the TikTok and Spotify star Drew Afualo. Drew Afualo is best known as the internet's 'Crusader for Women' and is at the head of a new generation of entertainment's rising stars, with more than nine million followers across her social platforms. She soon realized that men on social media were creating sexist content aimed at disparaging women, and also containing rampant fatphobia, racism, and other forms of bigotry with very real-life consequences. It didn't take long for her to step into the role of unofficial watchdog for misogyny, and her signature laugh is now recognized as a feminist call to arms. Loud is part manual, part manifesto and part memoir. It is a summoning cry to rid the internet (and our hearts, minds, and lives) of terrible men and create a space to fight outdat
£17.09
Penguin Books Ltd On Liberty and the Subjection of Women
Book SynopsisA prodigiously brilliant thinker who sharply challenged the beliefs of his age, the political and social radical John Stuart Mill was the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the nineteenth century. Regarded as one of the sacred texts of liberalism, his great work On Liberty argues lucidly that any democracy risks becoming a ''tyranny of opinion'' in which minority views are suppressed if they do not conform with those of the majority. Written in the same period as On Liberty, shortly after the death of Mill''s beloved wife and fellow-thinker Harriet, The Subjection of Women stresses the importance of equality for the sexes. Together, the works provide a fascinating testimony to the hopes and anxieties of mid-Victorian England, and offer a compelling consideration of what it truly means to be free.Trade ReviewOn Liberty remains a classic. . . . The present world would be better than it is if [MillÆs] principles were more respected. (Bertrand Russell)
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd Feminist Fight Club
Book Synopsis''Engaging, hilarious and practical - I will proudly proclaim myself a card-carrying member of the FFC'' - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and bestselling author of Lean InThis is a call to arms.Are you aged zero to infinity? Finished with the sexist status quo? Ready to kick ass and take names?Welcome to the Feminist Fight Club. You have lifetime membership.Feminist Fight Club provides an arsenal of weapons for surviving in an unequal world. You will learn how to fight micro-aggressions, correct unconscious bias, deal with male colleagues who can''t stop ''manterrupting'' or ''bro-propriating'' your ideas - and how to lean in without falling the f*ck over.Every woman needs this book - and they needed it yesterday.This is not a drill.Trade ReviewI'll be buying this for any young woman I know starting out on her career ... It is invaluable wisdom * Sunday Times *Seriously useful... Feminist Fight Club is a perfect gift for the friend who just needs a little push to start standing up for herself * Refinery29 *Funny and fresh ... One of those books that every person, not just every woman, should read * Glamour *Feminist Fight Club is engaging, hilarious and practical - full of simple tools for battling workplace sexism that every woman should have at her disposal. Jessica is a unique voice - and I will proudly proclaim myself a card-carrying member of the FFC -- Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and bestselling author of LEAN INA classic, f*ck-you feminist battle guide, with unapologetic strategies for how to get down and strength up with female comrades to fight patriarchy on the daily. Every woman should have a Feminist Fight Club -- Ilana Glazer, comedian and co-creator of BROAD CITYThis book offers the weapons that women need to win the war on inequality. With mighty wit, Jessica Bennett shows women how to defeat the enemies - and men how to stop being enemies. I was not prepared to laugh out loud so many times while learning so much about a serious topic. -- Adam Grant, bestselling author of ORIGINALS and GIVE AND TAKEFeminist Fight Club is a worthy addition to the library of any young female professional or frustrated middle manager-or male coworker who wants to help * Fortune *Lean In conceived as an illustrated guide for millennials. Feminist Fight Club is as grounded in academic research as Lean In... Ms. Bennett manages to convey a remarkable amount of substance briskly and entertainingly... it has performed a huge service not just to its target audience but to the businesses they will be joining. * New York Times *
£10.44
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Victorian Feminists
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£22.50
Hodder & Stoughton The Shift: JOIN THE MENOPAUSE REVOLUTION
Book Synopsis'If you're a woman over 40, ever going to be a woman over 40 or you've ever met a woman over 40 you should read this book' JANE FALLON'I NEED this book. We ALL need this book! If menopause happened to men, there would be CELEBRATIONS and parties every time one of them completed their change.' MARIAN KEYES'A compelling voice within [the menopause] movement' DAILY TELEGRAPH'Funny, frank and empowering... a vital book for any woman who is at the beginning of her radicalisation journey, looking at her life and finally piecing together the personal and the political.' THE OBSERVER'Sam Baker is rewriting the narrative around menopause' WOMAN & HOME'A rollicking read' MAIL ON SUNDAY'I loved it.. blazingly hopeful and beautifully written. This book is meant to be mainlined.' LISA TADDEO'This gem is a guide to navigating your 40s and 50s and just generally being yourself. ... joyful, positive, and goes to ALL the places. Highly recommended.' JOJO MOYESThe essential manifesto for any woman staring the second half of their lives in the face and wondering, WTF is going on?* Invisible to society now you're past child-bearing age?* Tired of being disregarded, overlooked and underestimated?* Wondering what the hell is happening to your body, mind and internal thermostat?Women over forty are the most ignored demographic in society. And yet this is the time when you are likely to have the most freedom, power, confidence and self knowledge than ever before. Some serious life has been lived: there have been great loves, heartbreaks, births, marriages, careers, betrayals, bereavements and survival. So what now? What happens when the narrative given to you by society - husband, babies, house - runs out and you become storyless? Including chapters on menopause, sex, culture, work, rage and freedom, writer and journalist Sam Baker shares her experiences of life post 40 and shows how women to create their own story. This needn't herald the era of loose clothing and hair dye; or hot flashes and bad sleep (though there is that too). It's time women north of 40 took a leaf out of the millennial handbook and reinvented things our way. Sam hosts a podcast of the same name, now with over 50 thousand downloads. Harness your energy, opinions and power and create a liberating new narrative for the second half of life.'I am so glad The Shift exists. Sam's writing is a wonderful generous mixture of no-bullsh*t and a comforting hug. I'll be passing this book on to many women I know and love.' EMMA GANNON 'brilliant - powerful, brimming with integrity, inspiring, the politics of anger and what it means when we refuse to be invisible. Every woman (whatever her age) should buy, borrow, lend a copy' KATE MOSSE'This is such a painfully beautiful look at the menopause in all its complexity. As honest as it is insightful, this is the first book I've read about later womanhood that exchanges shame and fear for truth and celebration... does for 40-something women what the honest parenting movement did for mothers.' ANNA WHITEHOUSE, founder, Mother Pukka'great pace and feisty content. It will be a great help to women to see their lives mirrored and not feel like they are going mad... bold and funny.' CARYN FRANKLIN'[Sam] tackles the menopause with her customary wit and wisdom' i PAPER'Honest and witter account of life post-40. Makes for essential reading at any age.' - KATE WILLS, FABULOUS MAGAZINE'Insightful, thoughtful, inspirational - impressive work.' - VICTORIA DERBYSHIRE
£9.99
Icon Books The Vagina Business
Book SynopsisThis tech could change everything for women - here's how. From periods and childbirth to menopause, female pain has been normalized, as society shrugs and says 'welcome to being a woman' instead of coming up with better solutions. But it doesn't have to be this way. In The Vagina Business, award-winning journalist Marina Gerner takes an eye-opening look at the innovators challenging the status quo to deliver the healthcare solutions women need. With interviews from 100 entrepreneurs, researchers and investors across 15 countries, The Vagina Business explores the future of women's health, where female-focused companies are developing products to help women at every stage of life. From a life-saving bra to non-hormonal contraception and new takes on fertility and menopause, it shines a light on innovation that matters. Women should not be denied solutions to health issues just because people are embarrassed to talk about vaginas. We deserve much better.
£21.25
Verso Books A Short History of Trans Misogyny
Book Synopsis"A beautifully written and argued book." - Torrey Peters, author of Detransition, BabyThere is no shortage of voices demanding everyone pay attention to the violence trans women suffer. But one frighteningly basic question seems never to be answered: why does it happen? If men are not inherently evil and trans women do not intrinsically invite reprisal-which would make violence unstoppable-then the psychology of that violence had to arise at a certain place and time. The trans panic had to be invented.Award-winning historian Jules Gill-Peterson takes us from the bustling port cities of New York and New Orleans to the streets of London and Paris in search of the emergence of modern trans misogyny. She connects the colonial and military districts of the British Raj, the Philippines, and Hawai'i to the lively travesti communities of Latin America, where state violence has stamped a trans label on vastly different ways of life. Weaving together the stories of historical figures in a richly detailed narrative, the book shows how trans femininity emerged under colonial governments, the sex work industry, the policing of urban public spaces, and the area between the formal and informal economy.A Short History of Trans Misogyny is the first book to explain why trans women are burdened by such a weight of injustice and hatred.Trade ReviewJules Gill-Peterson is one of the most original thinkers on gender of the past decade; now in this beautifully written and argued book, she makes her compelling vision accessible to everyone. -- Torrey Peters, author of Detransition, BabyThis is a sharply argued work by a brilliant thinker. By placing current the familiar and current political attack on trans femininity in Europe and North America within a much broader global and historical context, this text provides us with a rigorous and scholarly understanding of the origins and rationale of such violence. It educated and challenged me and it will become a vital contribution to political thought and organising around gender. -- Shon Faye, author of The Transgender IssueIn Jules Gill-Peterson's provocative and generative framing, trans misogyny is not a minoritizing term for describing the disparagement of femininity in trans women; it is a ubiquitous, infrastructural pressure that effects everyone to some degree, informing the hierarchy of lives deemed worth living. Details inside. -- Susan Stryker, Transgender History: The Roots of Today's RevolutionA Short History of Trans Misogyny is a nuanced, wide-ranging, and instantly canonical account from one of our foremost historians. Rich and eloquent with archival detail, this is a trans history that honors the complexity the subject deserves, that exposes the violence of colonial and neocolonial forms of sexualization, and that describes spaces of refusal to this brutality, both within the past and as threads of resistance in our present political landscape. An urgent, propulsive, and profound book." -- Jordy Rosenberg, author of Confessions of the FoxTable of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction: Femmes against Trans1. The Global Trans Panic2. Sex and the Antebellum City3. Queens of the Gay WorldConclusion: Mujerísima and Scarcity FeminismAcknowledgmentsNotesIndex
£14.24
Canongate Books Climbing Days
Book SynopsisWhen Dorothy Pilley first began climbing in the 1910s, female mountaineers were seen as a dangerous liability, their achievements ignored, unrecorded or disbelieved. Undeterred, Dorothy proved herself on the vertiginous slopes of Wales, Scotland and the Lake District before tackling rock faces in the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Rockies, Mount Fuji and the Himalayas. Her tireless championing of fellow women climbers and her own trailblazing example helped establish female alpinists as serious mountaineers with impressive records on bravery, skill and endurance. First published in 1935, Climbing Days tells a daredevil tale of adventure, near-death slips and rapturous achievement in high places, interleaved with moments highlighting the particular challenges of being a woman in a sport seen as the province of men.
£11.69
Hodder & Stoughton Daughters of Sparta: A tale of secrets, betrayal
Book SynopsisTwo sisters parted. Two women blamed. Two stories reclaimed.'Required reading for fans of Circe . . . a remarkable, thrilling debut' - Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth AvenueFor millennia, two women have been blamed for the fall of a mighty civilisation - but now it's time to hear their side of the story . . .As princesses of Sparta, Helen and Klytemnestra have known nothing but luxury and plenty. With their high birth and unrivalled beauty, they are the envy of all of Greece.Such privilege comes at a high price, though, and their destinies are not theirs to command. While still only girls they are separated and married off to legendary foreign kings Agamemnon and Menelaos, never to meet again. Their duty is now to give birth to the heirs society demands and be the meek, submissive queens their men expect.But when the weight of their husbands' neglect, cruelty and ambition becomes too heavy to bear, they must push against the constraints of their sex to carve new lives for themselves - and in doing so make waves that will ripple throughout the next three thousand years.Perfect for readers of Circe and Ariadne, Daughters of Sparta is a vivid and illuminating retelling of the Siege of Troy that tells the story of mythology's most vilified women from their own mouths at long last.Helen of Troy and her sister Klytemnestra are reimagined in this gorgeous retelling of the classic Greek myth - not as women defined by their husbands and lovers but as battle-weary survivors of a patriarchal society who take control of their own destiny. Absolutely riveting!' - Alka Joshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Henna ArtistTrade ReviewThe story of the Trojan War has been told for close to three millennia and writers are still finding ways to refashion it . . . Seen through the eyes of Klytemnestra and her sister Helen, the war proves very different from the Homeric conflict with which we are familiar . . . [Heywood] tells her story vividly, setting it convincingly in the period. * Sunday Times *Fluent and persuasive. I admire the ambition with which Heywood tackles the subject, to which she brings freshness and verve. I enjoyed it very much -- Elizabeth BuchanDaughters of Sparta has such a compelling narrative; it is utterly absorbing from beginning to end. I found it both captivating and poignant; an enthralling and powerful tale of family politics, gender constraints, love, betrayal and revenge, with a masterful handling of feelings and emotions that truly resonates down the ages. -- Laura CarlinHelen of Troy and her sister Klytemnestra are reimagined in this gorgeous retelling of the classic Greek myth - not as women defined by their husbands and lovers but as battle-weary survivors of a patriarchal society who take control of their own destiny. Absolutely riveting! * Alka Joshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Henna Artist *'Heywood's wondrous retelling of the lives of two ancient princesses struggling for independence and agency in a patriarchal society resonates deeply in today's imperfect world. Required reading for fans of Circe, and a remarkable, thrilling debut.' * Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue *Brilliantly compelling . . . the perfect balance between historical authenticity and characters who I really connected with -- Sarah BonnerAn immersive, intimate take on a well-known tale. By focussing on the diverging fates of two sisters, Heywood reveals the private lives of these women to be just as compelling as the epic events unfolding around them. -- Amanda BlockIf you love epic books about Greek mythology and the often misunderstood or misinterpreted women within these tales, Daughters of Sparta should be right at the top of your reading list. It's a vividly written and compelling retelling that brings the Spartan princesses to life with all the human fortitude and foibles you'd expect from flesh and blood people. I'm already impatiently awaiting the reveal of the next set of female perspectives from the ancient world that Claire Heywood will be writing about in her second novel. * CultureFly *
£9.49
Oneworld Publications Boys Will Be Boys: Power, Patriarchy and Toxic
Book Synopsis 'The most important thing you'll read this year' Elle The incendiary new book about toxic masculinity and misogyny from Clementine Ford, author of the bestselling feminist manifesto, Fight Like A Girl. Boys Will Be Boys answers the question Clementine Ford is most often asked: 'How do I raise my son to respect women?’ With equal parts passion and humour, Ford reveals how patriarchal society is as destructive for men as it is for women, creating a dangerously limited idea of what it is to be a man. She traces the way gender norms creep into the home from early childhood, through popular culture or the division of housework and shines a light on what needs to change for equality to become a reality. Trade Review'An impassioned polemic highlighting the contrasting ways in which how boys and girls are raised harms them both.' * Herald *'A damning look at toxic masculinity. It's the most important thing you'll read this year.' * Elle *‘Ford's book, which draws on current events in Australia, the UK and the US as well as her own life as a wife and mother of a son, launches yet another furious and necessary salvo at the gender status quo while offering a blueprint for a more enlightened world. A witty polemic with significant contemporary value.’ * Kirkus *‘Ferocious, incisive, an effective treatise.’ * Australian Book Review *‘Ford follows up her powerful book Fight Like a Girl with a much-needed, unapologetic study of toxic masculinity that relentlessly excavates how complicit we all are in the creation, reinforcement, and perpetuation of a "boys will be boys" mind-set.’ * Library Journal, starred review *‘A timely cultural critic... Ford is intelligent, thoughtful, well-researched, and witty, but most importantly, she is hopeful for a future of justice and equality.’ * Booklist, starred review *‘Boys Will Be Boys is a timely contribution to feminist literature. Her central point is clear and confronting, and it represents something of a challenge.’ * Australian Book Review *'A truly vital piece of social commentary from Australia’s fiercest feminist, Boys Will Be Boys should be shoved into the hands of every person you know. Clementine Ford has done her research – despite what her angry detractors would have you believe – and spits truths about toxic masculinity and the dangers of the patriarchy with passion and a wonderfully wry sense of humour. Read it, learn from it, and share it – this book is absolute GOLD!' * The AU Review, 16 Best Books of 2018 *‘Clementine Ford’s Boys Will Be Boys is a blazing exploration of the frightening damage the patriarchy does to us all.’ * The AU Review *‘Boys Will Be Boys is an impassioned call for societal change from a writer who has become a stand-out voice of her generation (and has the trolls to prove it) and an act of devotion from a mother to her son.’ * Readings *‘Clementine Ford reveals the fragility behind ‘toxic masculinity’ in Boys Will Be Boys.’ * The Conversation *'Boys Will Be Boys highlights the need to refocus on how we’re raising our boys to be better men. The ingrained toxic masculinity within society does just as much damage to our boys as it does to our girls, and this book highlights how to change that.' * Fernwood Magazine *'Fierce.' * Publishers Weekly *'With pithy jokes and witty commentary, this is an engrossing read, and Ford’s spirited tone evokes passion for change.' * Foreword *'Fantastic...a well-crafted blend of passion, anger and humour.' * Right Now *
£10.44
Canongate Books Why Women Grow: Stories of Soil, Sisterhood and
Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITINGSHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKSHOP.ORG INDIE CHAMPION AWARDSSHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKS ARE MY BAG READERS AWARD FOR NON-FICTIONTHE TIMES / WATERSTONES TOP 10 BESTSELLERA RHS TOP 10 GARDENING BOOK TO GIFT THIS CHRISTMASA GARDENS ILLUSTRATED BEST BOOK FOR 2023Women have always gardened, but our stories have been buried with our work. Alice Vincent is on a quest to change that. To understand what encourages women to go out, work the soil, plant seeds and nurture them, even when so many other responsibilities sit upon their shoulders. To recover the histories that have been lost among the soil. Why Women Grow is a much-needed exploration of why women turn to the earth, as gardeners, growers and custodians. This book emerged from a deeply rooted desire to share the stories of women who are silenced and overlooked. In doing so, Alice fosters connections with gardeners that unfurl into a tender exploration of women's lives, their gardens and what the ground has offered them, with conversations spanning creation and loss, celebration and grief, power, protest, identity and renaissance. Wise, curious and sensitive, Why Women Grow follows Alice in her search for answers, with inquisitive fronds reaching and curling around the intimate anecdotes of others.Trade ReviewA compelling, enriching read. Above all, this is a wonderful tribute to the perseverance and tenacity of women . . . a joy, full of restless curiosity about gardening, life, the longing for meaning, and the simple yet quietly feminist act of creating a space for yourself * * Independent * *Why Women Grow shows the beauty and grit of tending the soil in difficult times. Alice Vincent shows us that the cure for uncertainty is to get mud under our nails -- KATHERINE MAY, author of WINTERINGA poignant exploration of the relationship between healing and growing, and the power and mystery of nature * * New Statesman * *Both tender yet fierce, this book is written with an acute sense of women's relationship to the land and how vital that is. I loved it -- RAYNOR WINN, author of THE SALT PATHAlice Vincent delves into what it is that makes women want to garden, uncovering what drives the urge to sow seeds and nurture plants, and by doing so goes on her own journey of discovery * * Sunday Times * *A conversational odyssey from a Canary Wharf balcony to Charleston, the Bloomsbury set's hangout, and a windswept smallholding in Denmark. Why Women Grow is the splendid-looking account of these encounters. The narrative unfurls like a vagabond anthology of potted biographies, confessions jostling alongside social commentary . . . If you enjoy window-shopping other people's lives, you'll relish this staggeringly diverse array of individuals. Vincent's affection for her subject is infectious * * Telegraph * *A beautiful meditation on the overlooked history of female gardeners, tracing how women have drawn strength and power from the natural world * * i * *Alice's writing is sublime. Gentle yet certain, warm yet fierce. Why Women Grow is an exquisite exploration of our many womanhoods and the reasons why some of us find our steadiness and solace in our relationship to the earth. I adored it -- CLAIRE RATINON, author of UNEARTHEDOne of those rare and special books that reminds you why, especially during trying times, you might suddenly find more joy in caring for a plant, or seeing the turn of Spring. Highly recommended! -- EMMA GANNONBeautifully written * * Independent * *Vincent sympathetically draws out the women who speak about loss, abusive relationships and racial prejudice . . . she brings women and their problems to life * * Daily Express * *A glorious, sweet-scented joy of a read, it's the literary equivalent of a stroll through a cornflower meadow on a warm summer's evening * * Buzz Magazine * *Why Women Grow is a wonderful ode to gardening, in which Alice charts her own emotional gardening journey but also that of dozens of other women of all ages and backgrounds. Whether you're a gardener or not, it will make you think about why and how we grow -- SAM BAKERThe history of horticulture has often overlooked the contribution made by women, and this book offers a timely antidote * * ELLE Decoration * *Reading this is pure poetry -- OLIA HERCULES
£16.99
Sourcebooks, Inc Unlikeable Female Characters: The Women Pop Culture Wants You to Hate
How bitches, trainwrecks, shrews, and crazy women have taken over pop culture and liberated women from having to be nice.Female characters throughout history have been burdened by the moral trap that is likeability. Any woman who dares to reveal her messy side has been treated as a cautionary tale. Today, unlikeable female characters are everywhere in film, TV, and wider pop culture. For the first time ever, they are being accepted by audiences and even showered with industry awards. We are finally accepting that women are-gasp-fully fledged human beings. How did we get to this point?Unlikeable Female Characters traces the evolution of highly memorable female characters, from Samantha Jones as "The Slut" in Sex and the City to the iconic Mean Girl, Regina George, examining what exactly makes them popular, how audiences have reacted to them, and the ways in which pop culture is finally allowing us to celebrate the complexities of being a woman. Anna Bogutskaya, film programmer, broadcaster, and co-founder of the horror film collective and podcast The Final Girls, takes us on a journey through popular film, TV, and music, looking at the nuances of womanhood on and off-screen to reveal whether pop culture-and society-is finally ready to embrace complicated women.
£11.69
Pan Macmillan A Room of One's Own
Book SynopsisIn this extraordinary essay, Virginia Woolf examines the limitations of womanhood in the early twentieth century. With the startling prose and poetic licence of a novelist, she makes a bid for freedom, emphasizing that the lack of an independent income, and the titular ‘room of one’s own’, prevents most women from reaching their full literary potential. As relevant in its insight and indignation today as it was when first delivered in those hallowed lecture theatres, A Room of One’s Own remains both a beautiful work of literature and an incisive analysis of women and their place in the world.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition of A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf features an afterword by the British art historian Frances Spalding.
£10.44
Little, Brown Book Group Zarifa
Book Synopsis''Zarifa will break your heart'' Christina Lamb, author of Our Bodies, Their Battlefields and I Am MalalaZarifa Ghafari was two years old when the Taliban banned girls from schools, and she began her education in secret. She was seven when American airstrikes began. She was twenty-four when she became the youngest and one of the first female mayors of Maidan Wardak, Kabul. An extremist mob barred her from her office; her male staff walked out in protest; assassins tried to kill her six times. Through it all, Zarifa stood her ground. She ended corruption in the province, promoted peace, and tried to lift up women, despite constant fear for herself and her family. When the Taliban took Kabul in 2021, Ghafari had to flee. But even that couldn''t stop her. Six months later, she returned, to continue her work empowering women.Zarifa is an astonishing memoir that offers an unparalleled perspective of the last two decades in Afghanistan from a citizen, daughter, woman and mayor. Written with honesty, pain, and ultimately, hope, Zarifa describes the work she did, the women she still tries to help as they live under Taliban rule, and her vision for how grassroots activism can change their lives and the lives of women everywhere.Trade ReviewAnyone wanting to know the grim reality of being a woman in Afghanistan and trying to make a difference, could not find a more illuminating book. Zarifa will break your heart. * Christina Lamb, author of Our Bodies, Their Battlefields *Incredible -- Francesca Brown * Stylist *In this earnest and fiery memoir, an activist and politician from Afghanistan recounts how her country's instability marked her life * New York Times *Frank and impassioned, Ghafari's narrative spotlights the power of activism... a remarkable story of perseverance and resilience * Publishers Weekly *Candid, poignant and powerful ... This gripping book can be read at one go and surely is a must buy * Telegraph (India) *This is a simply written and inspiring work that zips along with the pace of an adventure story. You can only be left in awestruck admiration at everything Zarifa has already achieved in her short life. Despite the current situation, you at least feel some hope that Afghanistan's trajectory will have been nudged towards a better tomorrow by her unceasing vision for a just and corruption-free homeland' -- Olivia Edward * Geographical Magazine *[Ghafari] tells her inspiring life story with sincerity and passion, providing a nuanced and, at times, horrifying glimpse into Afghanistan's devastating history ... A searingly honest, profoundly courageous memoir of one fearless woman's fight for her homeland * Kirkus *Zarifa's words, like her life, are an act of courage, weaving heartache with hope. They illuminate all the things we take for granted, especially the ordinary moments, the daily freedoms and most intimate of relationships. They illuminate the threads that connect our rights, freedoms, and happiness into an interconnected whole. * Shubhangi Swarup, Tata Prize winning author of Latitudes of Longing *Zarifa Ghafari's story is one of strength in the face of adversity. She perfectly captures the tragic reversal of fortune over the past year in Afghanistan as the Taliban have once again risen to power. Everyone should read this inspirational and heart-wrenching account of life in Afghanistan for women. * Layla Moran, MP *
£17.00
Little, Brown Book Group Material Girls
Book Synopsis''A clear, concise, easy-to-read account of the issues between sex, gender and feminism . . . an important book'' Evening Standard ''A call for cool heads at a time of great heat and a vital reminder that revolutions don''t always end well'' Sunday Times Material Girls is a timely and trenchant critique of the influential theory that we all have an inner feeling known as a gender identity, and that this feeling is more socially significant than our biological sex.Professor Kathleen Stock surveys the philosophical ideas that led to this point, and closely interrogates each one, from De Beauvoir''s statement that, ''One is not born, but rather becomes a woman'' (an assertion she contends has been misinterpreted and repurposed), to Judith Butler''s claim that language creates biological reality, rather than describing it. She looks at biological sex in a range of important contexts, including women-only spaces and resources, heTrade Review[Material Girls] pack[s] a punch . . . A call for cool heads at a time of great heat and a vital reminder that revolutions don't always end well -- Christina Patterson * Sunday Times *Reading the book I felt an intense sense of relief that finally a comprehensive account of gender identity theory was presented and explored with both clarity and depth . . . a clear, concise, easy-to-read account of the issues between sex, gender and feminism . . . an important book, and it is the middle ground who need to read it as it shows how, if we are to live in a world where gender identity trumps biological sex, then it will be women - the physically weaker sex - who lose out -- Stella O’Malley * Evening Standard *In her commitment to free speech, good-faith debate, clear and careful argument and upholding reason over dogma, Stock writes faithfully in the tradition of the Enlightenment -- Mary Carington * UnHerd *A fearless, rigorous study of gender identity . . . [Material Girls is] a brave, enlightening, closely argued book -- Jane O’Grady * Daily Telegraph *A clear-sighted analysis in tricky territory * Evening Standard *Anyone who has felt confounded by the shifting debate about sex and gender will find some clarity here. More importantly, you will find a curious mind and a generous spirit -- Sarah Ditum * Mail on Sunday *
£10.44
Hodder & Stoughton The Charmed Wife: 'Does for fairy tales what
Book SynopsisOne of Oprah Magazine's Most Anticipated Books of 2021! 'Genre-bending and darkly comic, Grushin's fourth novel is a weird and wonderful triumph.'And they lived happily ever after . . . didn't they?Cinderella married the man of her dreams - the perfect ending she deserved after diligently following all the fairy-tale rules. Yet now, two children and thirteen-and-a-half years later, things have gone badly wrong. One night, she sneaks out of the palace to get help from the Witch who, for a price, offers love potions to disgruntled housewives. But as the old hag flings the last ingredients into the cauldron, Cinderella doesn't ask for a love spell to win back her Prince Charming. Instead, she wants him dead. Endlessly surprising and wildly inventive, The Charmed Wife is a sophisticated literary fairy tale for the twenty-first century that weaves together time and place, fantasy and reality, to conjure a world unlike any other. Nothing in it is quite what it seems, and the twists and turns of its magical, dark, swiftly shifting paths take us deep into the heart of romance, marriage and the very nature of storytelling.'Dark and dreamy. Inside the plot, magic comes and goes. But inside the reader, it's all magic - all of us happily caught in Grushin's hypnotic spell.' - Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves and The Jane Austen Book Club'Fall under its charms, I dare you' - Gregory Maguire, author of WickedTrade ReviewDoes for fairy tales what Bridgerton has done for Regency England * Mail on Sunday *Pure escapism * Sun *The comedy is devastating in this autopsy of a marriage that dies of "happily ever after" syndrome. Seldom has such emotional realism been spied in the precincts of wild magic. This alumna of the Cinderella marriage is overwhelmed, over-enchanted, and so over it. Fall under its charms, I dare you. * Gregory Maguire, author of WICKED *Different and compelling * Daily Mail *Dark and dreamy. Inside the plot, magic comes and goes. But inside the reader, it's all magic - all of us happily caught in Grushin's hypnotic spell. * Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves *Surprising, darkly comedic and enchanting * CNN *THE CHARMED WIFE is a thought-provoking, wickedly clever, and beautifully written fairy tale character study that enchants at every turn. Olga Grushin dissects fairy tales, marriage, and the messy human heart with a pen as sharp as any scalpel. * Melissa Bashardoust *Lush and powerful, The Charmed Wife is brimful of magic and the seething darkness that lies beneath the glittering surface of every good fairy tale. * Leife Shallcross, author of The Beast's Heart *In The Charmed Wife, Olga Grushin turns the fairy tale romance on its head, and then just keeps turning it, playfully, subversively, brilliantly: a feat of fierce imagination. * Jess Walter, author of Beautiful Ruins *A powerful, provocative and quite wonderful modern literary fairy tale, but if you enter expecting 'happily ever after' you'll be sorely disappointed. Rather than sugar and spice and all things nice, you'll instead find a novel brimming with exquisitely sharp and pointed attitude. Thirteen and a half years after Cinderella married the man of her dreams and she's had enough, she wants out. The prologue pierces love, and binds hate, firmly setting the tone, yet wicked humour and gentle observations also tickle the page. The echoes of well known fairy tales make themselves felt, adding to the enchantment. There is much to take delight in, yet beware, all magic is paid for and you'll need to be on the look out for hidden snares. I adore the tale that runs alongside the main story, of the two mice that accompanied Cinderella and live in a world circling through an entire civilisation. How easy it is to view what you want to see, rather than what is actually there. As the fairy tale splinters and a shimmer of reality breaks through, I found my thoughts tossed high in the air, and where they will land, I still don't know. So bright, so clever, and thought-provoking this just had to sit as a Liz Pick of the Month. I danced through the deep dark magic of The Charmed Wife, long live the fairy tale that lives beyond 'happily ever after'. * Lovereading.co.uk *
£8.54
Atlantic Books She Speaks: Women's Speeches That Changed the
Book SynopsisFully updated with new preface and five new speeches for paperback edition.A Guardian Book of the Year.Looking at lists of the greatest speeches of all time, you might think that powerful oratory is the preserve of men. But the truth is very different - countless brave and bold women have used their voices to inspire change, transform lives and radically alter history.In this timely and personal selection of exceptional speeches, Yvette Cooper MP tells the rousing story of female oratory. From Boudica to Greta Thunberg and Chimamanda Adichie to Malala Yousafzai, Yvette introduces each speech and demonstrates how powerful and persuasive oratory can be decidedly female. Written by one of our leading public voices, this is an inspirational call for women to be heard across the globe.Trade ReviewA treasure trove of trail-blazers... These are women who have braved discrimination, bigotry and appalling threats to their lives to ensure their voices are heard. The least we can do is listen - and marvel at the inspiration they offer us. * Cathy Newman, presenter, Channel 4 News and author of Bloody Brilliant Women *Inspirational. A book to rouse the orator in all of us. An anthology of powerhouse speeches deftly deconstructed by Cooper - a speaker with poise & passion. * Deborah Frances-White, author of The Guilty Feminist *Wonderful... Cooper's book is more than a woke stocking-filler; it's an urgent reminder of the current chilling climate of political violence that is aimed disproportionately at women. * Independent *Table of Contents0: Introduction 1: BOUDICA: 'A Woman's Resolve' 2: QUEEN ELIZABETH I 'The Heart and Stomach of a King' 3: SOJOURNOR TRUTH 'I Am a Woman's Rights' 4: JOSEPHINE BUTLER 'A Voice in the Wilderness' 5: EMMELINE PANKHURST 'Freedom or Death' 6: ELEANOR RATHBONE 'An Insult to Mothers' 7: JOAN O'CONNELL 'The Promise of a Dream' 8: AUDRE LORDE 'There Are So Many Silences to Be Broken' 9: MARGARET THATCHER 'The Lady's Not for Turning' 10: MAYA ANGELOU 'On the Pulse of Morning' 11: BENAZIR BHUTTO 'The Ethos of Islam is Equality Between the Sexes' 12: BARBARA CASTLE 'The Red Light Has Gone On' 13: EVA KOR 'A Message of Hope and Healing' 14: THERESA MAY 'Modernising the Conservative Party' 15: WANGARI MAATHAI 'A World of Beauty and Wonder' 16: ELLEN DEGENERES 'I Know Who I Am' 17: ANGELA MERKEL 'A Door Suddenly Opened' 18: ALISON DRAKE 'Get Up There and Get At It' 19: JOANNE O'RIORDAN 'No Limbs No Limits' 20: JULIA GILLARD 'He Needs a Mirror' 21: CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE 'We Should All Be Feminists' 22: MALALA YOUSAFZAI 'Let Us Pick Up Our Books and Our Pens' 23: KAVITA KRISHNAN 'Freedom Without Fear' 24: LUPITA NYONG'O 'Being Beautiful Inside' 25: HARRIET HARMAN 'Parliament Must Lead by Example' 26: EMMA WATSON 'HeForShe' 27: JO COX 'More in Common' 28: YVETTE COOPER 'Britain Has to Play Our Part' 29: MICHELLE OBAMA 'When They Go Low, We Go High' 30: DONNA STRICKLAND 'Physics Is Fun' 31: ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ 'Today I Rise' 32: JACINDA ARDERN 'They Are Us' 33: DIANE ABBOTT 'We Will Not Rest' 34: LILIT MARTIROSYAN 'We Are Making History Today' 35: GRETA THUNBERG 'Let's Start Acting'
£8.54
Verso Books The Arcana of Reproduction
Book SynopsisThe definitive feminist analysis of reproductive and ‘caring’ labor to emerge from Italian feminism of the 1970sEmerging from the great social upheavals that contested the sexual and racial divisions of labor globally in the 1970s, Leopoldina Fortunati’s classic work expands and transforms how we analyze the sphere of reproduction, redefining the value of the individual’s life and the labor performed in the home.Released here for the first time in its unabridged form with historical notation and contemporary commentary, The Arcana of Reproduction is a foundational text and essential contribution to today’s discussions of social reproduction and the history of Italian feminism. Fortunati’s work provides some of the earliest theorizations of ‘immaterial,’ ‘affective,’ and ‘caring’ labor, and of the role of technology in reproduction, articulated decades before their popular reception in English academic literature.Reading this work some 50 years after its original publication gives us the tools to analyze the contemporary state of capitalist development and of women’s lives today. The text remains prefigurative and essential in our era of digital labor.
£22.46
Watkins Media Limited Collapse Feminism: The Online Battle for
Book SynopsisAnalysing a wide range of online communities and subcultures, Alice Capelle shows how an unprecedented backlash against women is being orchestrated online. Covering everything from the reactionary politics of the "manosphere" to hookup culture, traditional feminity, the politics of sexual liberation and liberal-friendly lifestyle content, Collapse Feminism shows how the future of feminism is being determined in these online spaces, and what this means for women in the twenty-first century. As conservative and anti-feminist political groups grow in power and popularity online and in the real world, it is urgent that we collectively reject political ideas that harm people of all genders, and instead work to create a freer, fairer and more creative future for all.Trade Review"A breezy, accessible, and non-fatalistic exploration of feminism in the "end times", rooted in a deep appreciation for and knowledge of contemporary digital cultures."
£10.44
