Feminism and feminist theory Books

Book Synopsis"as indispensable to confronting, say, your domineering mother-in-law or your local city council as it is to helping foment an ongoing and ever-escalating insurrection against, say, a sexist, racist, nepotistic power-mad oligarchy threatening to destroy democracy as we know it...My advice: Buy one" - VOGUEA guerrilla guide to radical protest and joyful political resistance from artist, activist and Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikova. The face of modern protest is wearing a brightly colored ski mask.Nadya Tolokonnikova, founding member of the Russian activist group Pussy Riot, is a creative activist, professional protestor, brazen feminist, shocking visual artist, and force to be reckoned with. Her spontaneous, explosive approach to political action has involved jumping over barbed wire, kissing police officers, giving guerilla performances in crowded subway cars, and going on a hunger strike to protest the abuse of prisoners. She's been horse-whipped by police in Sochi, temporarily blinded when officers threw green paint in her eyes, and monitored by the Russian government. But what made Nadya an activist icon overnight happened on February 21, 2012, when she was arrested for performing an anti-Putin protest song in a Moscow church.She was sent to a Russian prison for 18 months and emerged as an international symbol of radical resistance, as calls to "Free Pussy Riot" resounded around the world. With her emblematic ski mask, black lipstick, and unwavering bravery, Nadya has become an emissary of hope and optimism despite overwhelming and ugly political corruption.Read & Riot is structured around Nadya's ten rules for revolution (Be a pirate! Make your government shit its pants! Take back the joy!) and illustrated throughout with stunning examples from her extraordinary life and the philosophies of other revolutionary rebels throughout history. Rooted in action and going beyond the typical "call your senator" guidelines, Read & Riot gives us a refreshing model for civil disobedience, and encourages our right to question every status quo and make political action exciting--even joyful.

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Book SynopsisFrom one of the most important contemporary thinkers we have, a compelling, forceful tract about women and motherhood that demands immediate attention. Moving commandingly between pop cultural references such as Roald Dahl's ''Matilda'' to observations about motherhood in the ancient world, from and thoughts about the stigmatization of single mothers in the UK, Mothers delivers a groundbreaking report into something so prevalent we hardly notice.

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Book SynopsisA radical new approach to health and caregiving in the age of COVID-19.Trade Review‘A powerful and beautiful tool for people and societies in movement. It helps us see how moments of crisis give rise to new forms of solidarity. It exemplifies what we as scholars, artists, and people in movements can do. Join this journey: you will be transformed' -- Marina Sitrin, editor of Pandemic Solidarity‘An imaginative intervention that proposes a collective model for health care as a process of political transformation. With the Covid-19 pandemic we have seen that the systems of care that prevail in capitalism do not work. 'The Hologram' offers an inspiring solution' -- Melanie Gilligan, artist and writer'What comes after Covid? How do we address the naked, class-based and racial inequalities exposed by the plague? Cassie Thornton proposes a healing hypothesis in 'The Hologram'. It could not come at a more necessary moment’ * Gregory Sholette, author of Dark Matter and Delirium and Resistance *Table of ContentsThe Fool Acknowledgments Foreword Preface: Artist’s Update 1. A Different Medicine is Possible: Visiting the Greek Solidarity Clinics 2. Is this the End or is this the Beginning? - A Four-Part Course in Social Holography Trust Wishes Time Patterns 3. The Practice 4. Wikipedia Entry from the Future 5. Feminist Economics and the People’s Apocalypse 6. Appendix I: Art, Debt, Health and Care: An Interview 7. Appendix II: Contextualizing The Hologram: Feminist Ethics, Post-Work Commons and Commons in Exile Notes The Ten of Swords

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Book Synopsis“Sheer entertainment… Bennett infuses wit and an arch sensibility into her prose… This is not mere froth, it is pure confection.” — New York Times Book Review on The Windsor KnotAmateur detective Queen Elizabeth II is back in this hugely entertaining follow-up to the bestseller The Windsor Knot, in which Her Majesty must determine how a missing painting is connected to the shocking death of a staff member inside Buckingham Palace.At Buckingham Palace, the autumn of 2016 presages uncertain times. The Queen must deal with the fallout from the Brexit referendum, a new female prime minister, and a tumultuous election in the United States—yet these prove to be the least of her worries when a staff member is found dead beside the palace swimming pool. Is it truly the result of a tragic accident, as the police think, or is something more sinister going on?Meanwhile, her assistant private secretary, Rozie Oshodi, is on the trail of a favorite painting that once hung outside the Queen’s bedroom and appears to have been misappropriated by the Royal Navy. And a series of disturbing anonymous letters have begun circulating in the palace. The Queen’s courtiers think they have it all ‘under control’, but Her Majesty is not so sure. After all, though the staff and public may not be aware, she is the keenest sleuth among them. Sometimes, it takes a Queen’s eye to see connections where no one else can.

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Book SynopsisOgadinma Or, Everything Will be All Right is a tale of departure, loss and adaptation; of mothers who experience trauma at the hands of controlling men, leaving them with burdens they find too much to bear. After an episode of abuse results in exile from her family in Kano, thwarting her plans to go to university, seventeen-year-old Ogadinma is sent to her aunt’s house in Lagos. When a whirlwind romance with an older man descends into indignity, she is forced to channel her strength and resourcefulness to escape a fate that appears all but inevitable. A feminist classic in the making, Ukamaka Olisakwe’s second novel introduces a heroine for whom it is impossible not to root and announces the author as a gifted chronicler of the patriarchal experience.Trade Review‘Ogadinma contributes to the Nigerian feminist literary canon whilst being a classic in its own right … Ogadinma proves that a character can be subdued AND heroic, well-defined AND a vessel.’ -- Jordaine Reads * Instagram Book Tour *‘This character development is so profound that readers can easily lose themselves in their anguish (or judgement) for Ogadinma to stand up for herself that they will forget that she’s a child.’ -- That Other Nigerian Girl * Instagram Book Tour *‘A harrowing tale that begins with an atrocity and ends with a stark realisation about womanhood, agency and what it means to be independent.’ -- What Grace Reads * Instagram Book Tour *‘A harrowing, unflinching, and vivid novel. There is beauty in Olisakwe’s writing but there is also considerable brutality. All of which had me wondering: will everything be alright?’ -- Brady on Books * Instagram Book Tour *‘A beautifully written coming-of-age story following the title character’s journey against gendered oppression and class adversity in 80’s Nigeria.’ -- Ripley from Bookland * Instagram Book Tour *‘This fast-paced novel comes across effortlessly and engaging. The difficult content rarely weighs it down, although there are moments that take your breath away.’ -- Aisha the Bibliophile * Instagram Book Tour *‘Ogadinma Or, Everything Will be All Right, digs out a range of emotions—rage, expectation, admiration, admonition—which keep the reader turning page after page’ http://columbiajournal.org/review-ogadinma-or-everything-will-be-alright-ukamaka-olisakwe/ -- Harriet Anena * Columbia Journal *‘The reader is only privy to a mere few years of Ogadinma’s young life, but her character ark is far-reaching.’ -- Issue 2: Bildungsroman * The Indie Insider Newsletter *‘An invaluable life lesson that one can learn from Ogadinma is that unless women learn to stand up for themselves, patriarchy will continue thrive at our expense.’ -- She Reads and Writes * Instagram *Top Reads 2020 | Fiction Extract from Ogadinma in Granta’s most popular fiction from 2020. https://granta.com/top-reads-2020-fiction/ * Granta *#YNaija2020Review: Ogadinma, Black Sunday, new Wole Soyinka…The Notable books of the year ‘Olisakwe’s debut is a tale of loss and resilience and finding the beauty among thorns.’ https://ynaija.com/ynaija2020review-ogadinma-black-sunday-new-wole-soyinkathe-notable-books-of-the-year/ -- Wilfred Okiche * YNaija *‘I found beauty in the strength and confidence that blossomed in Ogadinma but this was by no means an easy journey. A powerful and evocative novel that has been branded a new feminist classic, and I would not disagree at all.’ -- @thefeministnook * Instagram *‘The twists and turns are fast-paced, creating a sequence of events that allows the reader to continue rooting for Ogadinma as she approaches insurmountable barriers.’ ‘This smart, unforgettable novel sings out with an earnest hope for an end to intergenerational abuse.’ https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-911648-16-1 * Publisher's Weekly *

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Book SynopsisFinalist, 2019 PROSE Award in Biography, given by the Association of American PublishersFifty years after the start of the women's liberation movement, a book that at last illuminates the profound impact Jewishness and second-wave feminism had on each other Jewish women were undeniably instrumental in shaping the women's liberation movement of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. Yet historians and participants themselves have overlooked their contributions as Jews. This has left many vital questions unasked and unanswereduntil now. Delving into archival sources and conducting extensive interviews with these fierce pioneers, Joyce Antler has at last broken the silence about the confluence of feminism and Jewish identity.Antler's exhilarating new book features dozens of compelling biographical narratives that reveal the struggles and achievements of Jewish radical feminists in Chicago, New York and Boston, as well as those who participated in the later, self-consciously Trade ReviewFrom consciousness-raising groups, to health collectives, to militant lesbians and women standing up to religious patriarchy, historianAntlerspends time with the dozens of Jewish personalities of radical feminist movementswomen who challenged the structure of society far beyond the reach of laws. * Lilith *"Jewish women were a major force in second wave feminism in the 1960s and 1970s. [Antler] illuminates this previously underappreciated history and draws clear parallels to forces shaping contemporary political and social movements . . . A critical volume for feminist Jews to understand the past and a useful primary source for historians of feminism and Judaism. * Library Journal *Jewish Radical Feminism traces the emergence of [womens liberation] collectives, including in Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., and Boston, and the backgrounds of these bold and inspirational women and the influence their Jewish roots played in shaping their lives and views. It also tells a parallel story, that of Jewish women who, beginning in the 1970s, confronted the male-dominated Jewish institutions and transformed them. * The Jewish Journal *A captivating and timely new book... that brings to light, for the first time, the ways in which feminist trailblazers were influenced by their divergent and often unspoken Jewish backgrounds. * Jewish Telegraphic Agency *Antler broadens intersectional understandings about the day-to-day workings of the U.S. women’s movement in a period of intense activity and rapid change, and about the lives and thought processes of modern Jewish American women...the book is a remarkable achievement—a thorough and engaging study. * American Historical Review *Compelling, original, and urgent reexamination of the past . . . ReadingJewish Radical Feminismfeels like witnessing a collective in the making.Those deeply committed to understanding, learning from, and building on the vital social and civil rights movements of the pastwould do well to invest in this captivating history. * Contemporary Jewry *Its reassuring to learn how these iconic women navigated their own struggles with multiple identities in their own time, and to recognize the tremendous contributions they made, even from outside the mainstream. * Forward *Antler is a deservedly esteemed historian, a complex thinker, a compelling storyteller, and a feminist with a flair, who, once again, has expanded the terrain of women's history and the history of feminism, especially second-wave feminism, American-Jewish history, the history of radicalism, the Left, histories of anti-Semitism, and multiculturalism. Jewish Radical Feminism transforms our understandings of late twentieth-century social activism and offers a powerful corrective to narrow notions of identity feminism and Judaism. -- Journal of American HistoryAntler’s thorough and meticulously researched study examines the convergence of Jewishness and activism through a nuanced analysis of Jewish radical feminism and Jewish feminism. Antler demonstrates how these two streams of feminist activism are simultaneously distinct and intricately woven together. -- Journal of Religion and CultureThe most profound reasonJewish Radical Feminismshould be widely read is that it puts many current disputes about gender and Jewish identity into long perspective. * Tablet *Antler is a first-rate historian. Her work manages to answer the question of Jewish women’s representation and self-understanding in the context of feminist movements without either overgeneralizing or individualizing; the answers were not the same for everyone but neither were they wholly unique to each person. Jewish Radical Feminism collects and tells stories from a feminist movement whose importance continues to affect American Jewish life. -- H-Net ReviewsJoyce Antler offers us a new understanding of the struggles, themes, accomplishments, and failures of my generation. It's a remarkable synthesis of landmark moments in late-20th Century Jewish feminism and an important contribution to the history of women. -- Letty Cottin Pogrebin,author and co-founder of Ms. MagazineAntler complicates histories of feminist activism by revealing the presence of Jewishness in the backgrounds of dozens of influential radical women. * Studies in Contemporary Jewry *Antler’s work makes visible Jewish feminists contributions to Jewish history and women’s history; the interviews also served to make some of the participants' Jewish identity more visible to themselves. -- CHOICEDisplayed over the interior pages are the labeled photographs of forty seminal radical American feminists who advocated for change from both inside and outside the Jewish community...never before has a scholar brought these diverse voices together to explore the impact of Jewishness on these women’s actions and life choices. * Journal of Jewish Identities *Antler is a first-rate historian. Her work manages to answer the question of Jewish women’s representation and self-understanding in the context of feminist movements without either overgeneralizing or individualizing; the answers were not the same for everyone but neither were they wholly unique to each person. Jewish Radical Feminism collects and tells stories from a feminist movement whose importance continues to affect American Jewish life. * H-Net Reviews *Joyce Antler provocatively explores the special qualities of being Jewish and Feminist in the 1960s and 70s. She cogently unwinds the personal stories of leading activists to trace how intertwined identities produced powerful political consequences. This enjoyable and illuminating book will encourage readers to probe their own complicated heritages. -- Alice Kessler-Harris,author of A Difficult Woman: The Challenging Life and Times of Lillian HellmanThis is an utterly absorbing and valuable book. Having the insight and courage to probe many questions unasked before, and not trying to press the answers into a simple story or a single model, Antler succeeds beautifully in illuminating the underrecognized ways in which feminist convictions have been related to Jewishness. Her oral interviews with scores of women having differing levels of Jewish attachment provide the books mainspring, and supply original perspectives on matters from the 1960s New Left to the 1980s World Conferences on Women. -- Nancy F. Cott,author of The Grounding of Modern FeminismThis is the book we've been waiting for. Based on exhaustive historical scholarship and written with elegance and grace, Joyce Antler has given us the gift of knowledge, ending the silence about Jewish feminists and feminist Jews. -- Ruth Rosen,author of The World Split Open: How the Modern Women's Movement Changed America

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Book Synopsis'Intensely moving, vital and artful' - Guardian'A dizzying ride . . . both timely and beguiling' - Sunday TimesFrom the award-winning author of Crudo, this is an exhilarating and eminently readable study of the long struggle for bodily freedom – from gay rights and sexual liberation to feminism and the civil rights movement.Drawing on her own experiences in protest and travelling from Weimar Berlin to the prisons of McCarthy-era America, Laing grapples with some of the most significant and complicated figures of the past century, among them Nina Simone, Sigmund Freud, Susan Sontag and Malcolm X.At a time when basic rights are once again in danger, Everybody is a crucial examination of the forces arranged against freedom – and a celebration of how ordinary human bodies can resist oppression and reshape the world.Longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize.'An ambitious, absorbing achievement that will make your brain hum' – Evening Standard 'Sets her alongside the likes of Arundhati Roy, John Berger and James Baldwin' – Financial Times Trade ReviewAn ambitious, absorbing achievement that will make your brain hum * Evening Standard *Astonishing . . . I love this book -- Esmé Weijun Wang, author of The Collected SchizophreniasLaing’s gift for weaving big ideas together with lyrical prose sets her alongside the likes of Arundhati Roy, John Berger and James Baldwin. In other words, she is among the most significant voices of our time * Financial Times *Intensely moving, vital and artful -- Josh Cohen * Guardian *Radically subversive * The Times Literary Supplement *Laing has written a piercing book. That she has no final answer to the problem of freedom does not detract from her achievement. Indeed, she encourages us all to ask new questions to discover how it feels, and what it means, to be free. -- Aziz Huq * Washington Post *Laing is a truly thrilling thinker, with an impressively roving intellectual eye * Telegraph *Andrea Dworkin, Sontag, Malcolm X, Freud – they speak to us and come alive again, but we aren’t asked to decide if they are good or bad; we can listen to their thoughts and ideas. It’s a revelation in an age when we seem endlessly to judge and condemn our artists and thinkers -- Chantal Joffe * Guardian *Even as she glides between subjects and themes, Laing remains anchored by the bond between the body and personhood. In a standout chapter, she claims that the harm of violence is not the work it does to transform subjects into objects, but the incompletion of that work: the soul becomes a “ruin with a human face” * New Yorker *Bristles with energy and understanding as it charts the body’s pleasures and pains, its fragilities, and endurance in the long 20th century . . . This really is a book for everybody -- Lisa Appignanesi, author of Mad, Bad and SadA dizzying ride . . . both timely and beguiling * The Sunday Times *A quintessential book for the precarious moment we’ve found ourselves in * Washington Post *Olivia Laing writes so well and engagingly -- Philippa Perry, author of How to Stay SaneOlivia Laing’s mind is a thrill to watch -- Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, author of The Fact of a BodyThrough [Laing’s] incisive lens, the body—that knot of mind, matter, culture, and society that we dwell inescapably within—becomes almost impossibly fascinating -- Alexandra Kleeman, author of You Too Can Have a Body Like MineA new book by Olivia Laing is always cause for celebration and Everybody: A Book About Freedom is no exception * Frieze *A provocative inquiry into the body’s power and vulnerability . . . casting fresh light on the unending struggles for freedom and autonomy -- Jenn Shapland, author of My Autobiography of Carson McCullersBrainy, open-hearted and bold -- Sarah Schulman, author of Conflict Is Not Abuse and Let the Record ShowLaing is radically empathetic, a writer-activist * Vulture *A free-wheeling and joyful exploration -- Jack Halberstam, author of Gaga FeminismAt a time in which all of our bodies have made us so strangely isolated and dangerous to each other, Everybody is especially resonant; and shows us just how important it is to explore our sexual identity in order to know who we really are -- Julia Blackburn, author of Time SongsImpassioned and provocative . . . This lucid foray into some of life’s deepest questions astonishes * Publishers Weekly, starred review *Intellectually vigorous and emotionally stirring * Kirkus, Starred Review *Everybody possesses a looseness, richness, and abundance of originality . . . One does not expect a political study to perform such sharp close readings of art and literature, or to describe emotions so elegantly. Line by line and thought by thought, Laing writes with surgical discipline * New Yorker *

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Book Synopsis*WINNER OF THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY STORYTELLING AWARD**SHORTLISTED FOR THE SLIGHTLY FOXED BEST FIRST BIOGRAPHY PRIZE 2023*The lives, loves, adventures and trailblazing musical careers of four extraordinary women from a stunning debut biographer.''Fabulous.'' Sunday Times ''A rare gift.'' Financial Times ''Passionate ... Vivid ... Timely.'' Telegraph ''Readable and inspiring.'' Guardian ''Compelling ... Ambitious ... Poignant.'' Spectator ''Magnificent.'' Kate Mosse ''Riveting.'' Antonia Fraser ''A breath of fresh air.'' Kate Molleson ''Fascinating.'' Alexandra Harris ''Wonderful.'' Claire Tomalin ''Splendid.'' Miranda Seymour ''Remarkable.'' Fiona Maddocks ''Pioneering.'' Andrew Motion ''Brilliant'' Helen PankhurstEthel Smyth (b.1858): Famed for her operas, this trailblazing queer Victorian

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Book SynopsisWhen Athena was a young girl in the 60s, she lost her hearing to a childhood fever but was misdiagnosed as "profoundly retarded" and institutionalized for thirty years. Now she''s out of the institution, awkward and bookish, and learning to integrate with mainstream society where nothing works quite like she thinks it should. Athena researches her past, trying to understand why she was institutionalized in the first place and why the people looking after her made such a huge mistake. At the same time, she tries to find a way to live with the man who was her lover in the institution, uncovering all sorts of surprises along the way.

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Book SynopsisFrom the acclaimed philosopher and author of One-Dimensional Woman, a bold, playful and open-minded exploration of the role of men in the twenty-first centurySomething is definitely up with men. From millions online who engage with the manosphere to the #metoo backlash, from Men''s Rights activists and incels to spiralling suicide rates, it''s easy to see that, while men still rule the world, masculinity is in crisis. How can men and women live together in a world where capitalism and consumerism has replaced the values - family, religion, service and honour - that used to give our lives meaning? Feminism has gone some way towards dismantling the patriarchy, but how can we hold on to the best aspects of our metaphorical Father? With illuminating writing from an original, big-picture perspective, Nina Power unlocks the secrets hidden in our culture to enable men and women to practice playfulness and forgiveness, and reach a true mutual understanding and a lifetime of love.Trade ReviewBracingly original ... a refreshingly sympathetic view of men and masculinity -- Louise Perry * The Times *A series of very congenial but devastating shots at contemporary gender politics ... Power seeks to carve out a new path in the relationship between men and women - one where neither side is stripped of its distinct humanity ... a refreshing take on sexual politics -- Jarryd Bartle * Critic *Hopeful ... By peppering her book with humour, Power rehumanises the gender debate -- Tim Stanley * Daily Telegraph *Power is brave ... she writes like a dream -- Christina Patterson * Sunday Times *Forceful and rather unusual ... Power's argument is that the all-out assault on men has gone too far ... men need to be heard. Simply shutting them out of the most important cultural conversations because of their perceived privilege only increases resentment between the sexes -- Jay Elwes * Spectator *Distinctive, rooted in a refusal to regard men and women as forever locked in warring positions. This perspective is combined with a humanistic approach to her subject that takes suffering in all its forms seriously ... creating space for nuance and reflection -- Mary McGill * Irish Independent *I have been moved by Nina Power's new book What Do Men Want? She searches for a more rounded take on the battle of the sexes ... Power strikes a warning note which all of us could heed -- Ian Harrow * Spectator *Provocative and rigorous ... she refuses easy essentialist answers about toxic masculinity or any simplistic notions of patriarchy -- Tim Adams * Observer *[Power is] less interested in the sins of the fathers and more concerned with the potential virtues of the sons ... her conclusion ... points to a more positive future in which the war of the sexes gives way to a playful peace -- Julian Baggini * Literary Review *This book is both significant and timely ... insightful and sharply focused ... Power invites reflection on fundamental issues of human goodness, desire and suffering, going beyond culture wars -- Tina Beattie * The Tablet *A provocative new book ... traverses taboos ... brave -- Ani O'Brien * New Zealand Herald *It has never been less fashionable to be a man. Masculinity is routinely damned as inherently "toxic" - yet "men are frequently trapped in systems of other men's making", as feminist philosopher Power points out... with humour and empathy -- Tim Stanley * Telegraph *Makes the case for a more generous and humane feminist discourse -- Zoë Heller * New Yorker *

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Book SynopsisIn a context marked by the virulent return of patriarchal and white supremacist attitudes, a new generation of feminist activists are continuing the struggle: these are very feminist times. But how do these and other movements relate to the contemporary posthuman condition? In this important new book, Rosi Braidotti examines the implications of the posthuman turn for feminist theory and practice. She defines the posthuman turn as a convergence between posthumanism on the one hand and post-anthropocentrism on the other, and she examines their complex relationship and joint impact. Braidotti claims that mainstream posthuman scholarship has neglected feminist theory, while in fact feminism is one of the precursors of the posthuman turn, through diverse social movements and political traditions. Posthuman Feminism is an analytic and creative response to contemporary conditions and a call to action. It highlights the constraints but also the potentialities available to feminist political subjects as they confront the ever-growing injustices of sexism, racism, ecocide and neoliberal capitalism. This bold new text by a leading feminist philosopher will be of great interest to students and scholars throughout the humanities and social sciences.Trade Review“This profound and energising book is uncannily insightful: read it as a talisman against the present and as a map out of its baleful conditions.”Matthew Fuller, Goldsmiths, University of London“Posthumanism Feminism is astonishingly wide-ranging and characteristically impressive in its contemporary relevance. Attending closely to submerged knowledge traditions including Indigenous and Black perspectives, Braidotti enriches our understanding of both posthumanism and feminism by showing how they are mutually generative and intimately imbricated. Everyone who engages with ideas emerging in these areas will need to know what this book has to say.”Simone Bignall, University of Technology SydneyTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction: Feminism by Any Other Name Part I Posthuman Feminism as Critique Chapter 1: Feminism is Not (Only) a Humanism Chapter 2: The Critical Edge of Posthuman Feminism Chapter 3: Decentring Anthropos: Ecofeminism Revisited Part II Posthuman Feminism as Creation Chapter 4: New Materialism and Carnal Empiricism Chapter 5: Technobodies: Gene- and Gender-editing Chapter 6: Sexuality Beyond Gender: a Thousand Little Sexes Chapter 7: Wanting Out! Epilogue: “Get a life!” Bibliography

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Book SynopsisAs we taste, chew, swallow, digest, and excrete, our foods transform us, while our eating, in its turn, affects the wider earthly environment. In Eating in Theory Annemarie Mol takes inspiration from these transformative entanglements to rethink what it is to be human. Drawing on fieldwork at food conferences, research labs, health care facilities, restaurants, and her own kitchen table, Mol reassesses the work of authors such as Hannah Arendt, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Hans Jonas, and Emmanuel Levinas. They celebrated the allegedly unique capability of humans to rise above their immediate bodily needs. Mol, by contrast, appreciates that as humans we share our fleshy substance with other living beings, whom we cultivate, cut into pieces, transport, prepare, and incorporate—and to whom we leave our excesses. This has far-reaching philosophical consequences. Taking human eating seriously suggests a reappraisal of being as transformative, knowing as entangling, doing as disperseTrade Review“Its writing limpid, its organization elegant, its argument scintillating, this book is inspirational. And radical. Annemarie Mol effectively unseats the mindset that cannot see past people as thinking and embodied beings. While her address is to questions as they are posed in philosophy, this book will find huge sympathy among those dealing with anthropological materials of all kinds and stages a striking provocation for the general reader who asks whether scholarship can tell us anything new.” -- Marilyn Strathern, author of * Relations: An Anthropological Account *“In characteristically crisp and inviting prose, Annemarie Mol thinks through eating—its social acts, sensory experiences, and metabolic processes—to re-metabolize the wisdoms so many of us have absorbed about knowing and relating, being and doing, subjectivity and agency. Eating in Theory offers a nourishingly pluralistic vision of humans permeable to their surroundings, interdependent rather than autonomous, and hungry for further thinking. It’s a book to savor.” -- Heather Paxson, Professor of Anthropology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology"Eating in Theory is a tasty and satisfying treat for anyone interested in human-nature relationships, refreshing theoretical perspectives, food studies, ethnography and more." -- Ola Plonska * LSE Review of Books *"[I]n detailing much of her critical reflection on a certain valued practice of thinking over those of eating, Mol eloquently brings into the limelight the vitality of abandoning grand theories aimed at explaining all human beings, and especially those not situated in their own theorization." -- Elin Linder * Anthropology Book Forum *"A remarkable book. . . . By dispensing with the ontological need for knowledge to be universal, Eating in Theory lives up to its title and truly theorizes eating as an act of meaning and meaning making. . . . Mol’s analysis unfolds fluidly and clearly. . . . Highly recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals." -- M. A. Lange * Choice *"I know of no health researcher who so compellingly takes health out of individual bodies and situates it in the collective ecology that bodies depend on. . . . No writings seem more relevant to the crises of the present moment." -- Arthur W. Frank * Journal of Medical Humanities *"[A] terrific little book. . . . . Anthropologists and sociologists with an interest in Food Studies can easily make strong use of Eating in Theory, as well as of course philosophers of many disciplines preoccupied with the question of what we can wrap our collective Western mouth—rather than our head—around the most pernicious theoretical effects of the Anthropocene." -- Megan Volpert * Popmatters *"I find this book a valuable philosophical and theoretical contribution to our understanding of eating and food. I find it especially useful because Annemarie Mol demonstrates, through her scrutiny of such philosophical categories as Being, Knowing, Doing, and Relating, the multiple entanglements between people, between humans and nonhumans, that highlight the complexities of eating. As she successfully demonstrates, this traditionally banalized act can be productive for thinking about what it means to be human at a time when multiple empirical realities challenge universal philosophical understandings." -- Steffan Igor Ayora-Diaz * Journal of Anthropological Research *"Eating in Theory proves to be not only brief and approachable, but exciting and thought-provoking for foodways scholars. Reminiscent of Sarah Pink’s work on sensory ethnography, Mol introduces the reader to exciting new approaches in studying food and eating. Through thoughtful fieldwork passages and engaging analysis, Mol teaches us to view the world through eating, relating it to larger issues of overconsumption and ecological sustainability." -- Ema Noëlla Kibirkstis * Digest *"This book unravels the particular and ever-present model of the human derived from Western epistemologies while demonstrating its perniciousness by experimenting with alternatives. . . . Mol's voice is precise, challenging, and insightful. . . . Mol's ideas inspire a way of laboring in the world, of which the academia is part." -- Jessica Hardin * Anthropological Quarterly *"Eating in Theory brings Mol’s sophisticated approach to materiality and its enactment to bear on the prosaic topic of eating. This fascinating yet complex topic is much enriched by her approach and clarity. . . . Mol’s choice of the familiar yet always fascinating topic of eating has allowed her to create a very helpful primer and companion for a posthuman understanding of being, knowing, thinking, and relating. Naturally it is of interest to anyone interested in the topic of food and eating but should also be read widely across the humanities and social sciences for its contributions to thinking around ecological sustainability and philosophy." -- Hannah Drayson * Leonardo *Table of Contents1. Empirical Philosophy 2. Being 3. Knowing 4. Doing 5. Relating 6. Intellectual Ingredients Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis'Raw, elemental and beautiful.' Telegraph'This is quite simply the best book about motherhood I have ever read.' - Eleanor Mills in the Sunday Times Mother to five children, Clover Stroud has navigated family life across two decades, both losing and finding herself. In her touching, provocative and profoundly insightful book, she captures a sense of what motherhood really feels like - how intense, sensuous, joyful, boring, profound and dark it can be.My Wild and Sleepless Nights examines what it means to be a mother, and reveals with unflinching honesty the many conflicting emotions that this entails: the joy and the wonder, the loneliness and despair. MORE PRAISE FOR CLOVER STROUD:'Clover's expertise is writing about family life in a way that feels both new and entirely familiar' - Pandora Sykes'As tender, blazing, funny and unflinching as the love it describes. I want to give this triumphant book to every mother I know' - Rachel Joyce'Stroud is always willing to rip open her very soul in order to reveal the truth about her life - and every time a woman tells the truth like this, it sets another woman free' - Elizabeth Gilbert'I read in one greedy gulp and am still slightly reeling. Extraordinary writing... For mothers and those even vaguely interested in family dynamics it is fascinating' - Alexandra HeminsleyCharting the course of one year, the first in her youngest child's life, Clover searches for answers to questions that many of us would be too afraid to admit to - not only about motherhood, but also about female sexuality and identity. Her story will speak to all mothers, and anyone about to embark on that journey.Trade ReviewA beautifully written, brutally honest dissection of motherhood by a woman who has five children, from pregnancy to teenagers, covering both the extreme highs and lows. Stroud's writing examines what it is to be a woman with the same sensitive skill fans of her first memoir, The Wild Other, will recall. * Independent *The best evocation of the all-consuming, self-eroding reality of motherhood, while also being luminous with love. * The Sunday Times *What does being a mother really feel like? Clover Stroud’s powerhouse of a memoir gets closer than anything else I have read to answering that question. The motherhood she describes is the very antithesis of the sanitised, smiling vision we are sold in washing powder ads... She excels in evoking the feral, instinctive forces that motherhood unleashes... This is a vision of motherhood for the (now middle-aged) MDMA generation... The reader is simply swept up in her painful, wonderful world. Buy it, read it, and enjoy it for the wild ride it is. * The Guardian *Clover Stroud's brilliantly unvarnished memoir finds the heroism and poetry in having kids ... Much of this book ..reads like a nature memoir, full of landscape both external and internal ... How brilliant for someone to write about the blankness as well as the beauty. -- Nell Frizzell * Telegraph *This is quite simply the best book about motherhood I have ever read: touching, tender, honest and true. Even as she’s bracingly direct about the frustrations of motherhood, Stroud also revels in the delights. Bliss and boredom coexist side by side — and the contradictions are at the core of it all. Stroud’s book will give anyone heading out on this fearsome journey a lantern to guide the way. The book is not always pretty, and sometimes its directness is shocking, but it is full of love and honesty. * The Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisThe instant New York Times bestseller: a hilarious and transformational book about how to tackle fear--now with a brand new bonus chapter!'You could spend a lifetime and fortune finding the perfect therapist, mentor, minister, career coach, and girlfriend - or you could just spend a day reading PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER.' Glennon Doyle, author of #1 NYT Bestseller UntamedFrom the New York Times bestselling author of I'm Judging You, a hilarious and transformational book about how to tackle fear - that everlasting hater - and audaciously step into lives, careers, and legacies that go beyond even our wildest dreams.Luvvie Ajayi Jones is known for her trademark wit, warm voice, and exceptional integrity. But even she's been challenged by the enemy of progress known as fear. She was once afraid to call herself a writer because she was afraid of the title. She nearly skipped out on doing a TED talk that changed her life because of imposter syndrome. And, as she shares in The Fear-Fighter Manual: Lessons from a Professional Troublemaker, she's not alone. We're all afraid. We're afraid of asking for what we want because we're afraid of hearing "no." We're afraid of being different, of being too much or not enough. We're afraid of leaving behind the known for the unknown. But in order to do the things that will truly, meaningfully change our lives, we have to become professional troublemakers: people who are committed to not letting fear talk them out of the things they need to do or say to live free.With humor and honesty, and guided by the influence of her professional troublemaking Nigerian grandmother, Funmilayo Faloyin, Luvvie walks us through what we must get right within ourselves before we can do the things that scare us; how to use our voice for a greater good; and how to put movement to the voice we've been silencing-because truth-telling is a muscle. The point is not to be fearless, but to know we are afraid and charge forward regardless. It is to recognize that the things we must do are more significant than our fears. This book is about how to live boldly in spite of all the reasons we have to cower. Let's go!Trade ReviewYou could spend a lifetime and fortune finding the perfect therapist, mentor, minister, career coach, and girlfriend -- or you could just spend a day reading PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER. This book - Luvvie Ajayi Jones's most helpful, bold, vulnerable, hilarious, and relevant work yet -- is equal parts catharsis and wake-up call, both comforting and galvanizing. I laughed and cried so hard that my family asked me to read in the other room. With her razor-sharp mind, soul on fire, and heart of gold --- Luvvie is the activist and artist the world needs right now. This will be my go-to gift for all the beloved troublemakers in my life. * Glennon Doyle, author of #1 NYT Bestseller Untamed and founder of Together Rising *There's nobody quite like Luvvie Ajayi Jones. She's a force and a powerhouse, the thunder and the lightning - and Professional Troublemaker shows us exactly how she got that way. This is a great book about reaching deep down inside yourself, crushing your fears, unleashing your 'too-muchness,' and giving yourself permission to shake the world. In a voice that is funny, wise, bold, and always generous, Luvvie encourages, inspires, and dares us to follow our dreams, fight against injustice, soak up the pleasures of life, and take up all the space in the room. If this book doesn't make you feel bolder and braver by the final page, then you weren't reading it right. I loved every passionate word of it * Elizabeth Gilbert, author of City of Girls and Eat Pray Love *This book is a comfort and a challenge. It inspires, encourages, heartens, and invigorates in equal measure. You should read it * Jenny Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of Furiously Happy and Let’s Pretend This Never Happened *As an oft-scared chickenhead, who cares too much about what others think, it's so comforting to be guided through my own crippling fear and self-doubt by one of the bravest, most incisively honest, hysterical voices I know. This book was so real, relatable and so much of it had me belly laughing. This is the essential manual for anybody who is ready to take that leap of faith to bet on the best, uninhibited, whole version of themselves * Issa Rae, Actor and New York Times Bestselling Author of The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl *Luvvie Ajayi Jones describes herself as 'a professional troublemaker'. From her TED talk Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable to setting up her own safe space social platform, LuvvNation, she's pushed boundaries despite struggling with fear and imposter syndrome and this book is about exactly that. We all feel fear and insecurity but that, in a world that wants to keep people in their boxes, we need to speak out, acknowledge we will always have that fear and get on with it anyway. Written with humour and verve, this is about changing the world politically and personally even if it means we need a bit of courage to do so. * The Stylist *This read underlines why facing your fears is crucial to changing the status quo - both personally and politically * Stylist *

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Book SynopsisMari Ruti combines theoretical reflection, cultural critique, feminist politics, and personal anecdotes to analyze the prevalence of bad feelings in everyday life. Proceeding from a playful engagement with Freud’s idea of penis envy, Ruti fans out to a broader consideration of neoliberal pragmatism and a trenchant critique of gender relations.Trade ReviewI returned to university as an adult to audit a course by Mari Ruti, as I have long been a fan of her writing. This book returns me to the joys of being her student, of hearing her lecture, of her lucid and lively intelligence which is grounded in lived experience and is open and probing in its analysis. I always left her classes with a renewed and expansive feeling about life and the human situation, and this book gives me the same feelings of liberty, outrage, excitement, and possibility. -- Sheila Heti, author of How Should a Person Be?Mari Ruti is a treasure—equal parts learned, generous, and wise. Whether diagnosing and naming American culture’s ‘gender obsession disorder’ or unpacking its absurd fixation on marriage, she puts the unspoken ailments of our everyday into words, and brings us that much closer to finding a cure. -- Kate Bolick, New York Times bestselling author of Spinster: Making a Life of One's OwnMari Ruti's Penis Envy and Other Bad Feelings is truly a unique book. Seamlessly weaving important concerns from recent queer and feminist theory into a quasi-autobiographical, quasi‐polemical fabric, it addresses crucial issues that permeate our daily lives in the twenty-first century. Ruti's book moves from the large‐scale to the intimate and back again, engaging both Western societies in general and specific instances of discomfort within their confines. -- Gail M. Newman, Williams CollegeMari Ruti’s Penis Envy and Other Bad Feelings brings the reader into an intimate conversation with its author, eliciting outright laughter, deep compassion, even heartbreak, and many wincing nods of oh yeah, #MeToo recognition. Fueled by a spirited appreciation of bad feelings and an affirming love of Lacan and language, Ruti deftly turns penis envy on its head into a feisty, feminist source of political agency. -- Jill Gentile, author of Feminine Law: Freud, Free Speech, and the Voice of DesireThrough an intimate portrait of Mari Ruti’s emotional landscape we encounter the phallic predicaments of everyday life. Why the penis, we may ask? This book moves through psychoanalytic theory like fire in grass. Her ethical hope is that in taking on the full range of bad feelings, we may finally know what can be enough! -- Jamieson Webster, author of The Life and Death of Psychoanalysis[Ruti] rescues penis envy from Freud's ludicrous literalism and feminism's merry spoofing. Readers versed in critical theory, a field renowned for its obscurantist prose, will find her book remarkably lucid. -- Carol Tavris * Times Literary Supplement *This is a gutsy, original foray into feminist theory, at once memoirish, polemical and even self-helpful, just the book for anyone up for an intellectual bone to gnaw on. -- Sarah Murdoch * The Toronto Star *A delightful book that spills over with insights into the everyday suffering that these neoliberal times produce in so many of us. * Hypatia *Ruti’s Penis Envy might resonate particularly with young women who are caught up in the groundswell of the #metoo movement, and also set somewhat adrift by it. -- Ronjaunee Chatterjee * ASAP/J *Ruti offers lived experiences as well as cogent readings of Sigmund Freud, Michel Foucault, and Jacques Lacan, to make her case for how feelings of inadequacy are culturally reproduced, rather than biologically determined. . . .[Penis Envy and Other Bad Feelings] invites discussion among men and women, the repressed and the celebrated, as a way of correcting fetishistic acceptance of phallic primacy. * Library Journal *Ruti interweaves theoretical insight, cultural critique, feminist politics, and personal experience to lift the lid on the prevalence of bad feelings in contemporary everyday life. Emanating from a playful engagement with Freud’s idea of penis envy, Ruti’s autotheoretical commentary fans out to a broader consideration of neoliberal pragmatism. * Public Seminar *Table of ContentsIntroduction1. The Creed of Pragmatism2. The Rationalization of Intimacy3. The Obsessions of Gender4. The Reinvention of Heteropatriarchy5. The Specificity of Desire6. The Age of AnxietyConclusionAcknowledgmentsNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisA sparkling collection of empowering affirmations and inspiring quotes from badass womenInside every woman is a diamond core of strength that helps them achieve anything they put their mind to. Tap into your magic with this beautiful collection of inspirational quotations and life-affirming statements, featuring the wisdom of modern-day icons like Beyoncé, Venus Williams and Amy Schumer, and the classic life advice of trailblazers such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Marie Curie and Maya Angelou.For some extra sparkle every day, let wise words like these inspire you to conquer the world with grit and grace:- You are a diamond - never let them dull your sparkle- She needed a hero so that's what she became- Trust your inner voice - she is a goddess talking to you- You can rule the world; just don't be afraid to wear the crown- Be your own kind of beautiful- Girls with dreams become women with vision

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Book SynopsisPeriod Power is a profound but practical blueprint for aligning daily life with the menstrual cycle, to give women a no-nonsense explanation of what the hell happens to their hormones every month and how they can use each phase to its full advantage.Ninety per cent of women experience symptoms of PMS, a syndrome which features a wide range of signs and symptoms and yet there''s an enduring lack of understanding about what it actually is, and a disappointingly meager range of treatment options.So many of us have a Jekyll and Hyde experience of our lives; we feel on top of the world, capable, confident and sexy for part of each month, then find ourselves in a state of physical and emotional discomfort and fatigue, wanting nothing more than to collapse on the sofa in front of Netflix. But what if instead of just trying to plan for our dark days, women were equipped with ways to improve them? What if our desire to improve ourselves could be combined with ouTrade ReviewThank GOODNESS for Maisie Hill! Flipping open the lid on a vital conversation. It’s about time we claimed the power of our periods! -- Gemma Cairney, broadcaster & co-founder of Boom Shakalaka ProductionsThis is such an important book. Maisie's insights and cycle strategy have changed my life and my cycle. Period Power is written with such intelligence, humour and a deep understanding of women's health. If you have a period you need to read this book. -- Anna Jones, author of The Modern Cook’s YearMaisie Hill has written a bloody brilliant book (pun intended). Everything you need to know about periods and how they affect you and your life is here. It’s revolutionary. -- Miranda SawyerI absolutely loved it. Really informative but also super easy to read. Totally riveting. Would recommend! -- Anniki SommervillePeriod Power reveals a new way of being for people who menstruate. Based in fact and articulated with both love and humour, Maisie Hill’s strategy - to work with our cycles rather than against them - is life-changing. -- Lisa Williams * The Hotbed Collective *A detailed guide to what happens to our bodies as part of the monthly cycle, and how to cope with whatever feelings or sensations arise. An essential bible. * The Scotsman magazine *Maisie Hill helps you understand the changes in your body and psyche during the lead-up to menopause and how to handle symptoms. * Top Sante *Hill’s advice is straightforward and no-nonsense * The Guardian *GET THIS BOOK -- Aisling BeaA life-transforming book… fascinating * Daily Mail *An empowering and practical guide to the ins and outs of our menstrual cycle * Psychologies *This fantastic guide to menstruation is the perfect way to learn more about the human body and how periods impact far more than we realize. Striking the perfect balance between research and accessibility, this book will have you saying, ‘Wow, I had no idea!’ at least once per chapter. * BookRiot *Incredibly informative -- Hannah Betts * The Times *Brilliant – I’ve told so many female friends to buy it -- Clemmie HooperMaisie Hill gets rid of myths, sheds some light and allows for an open, honest and much-needed conversation * Mind *Great…teaches a great irony: the more we embrace our hormones, instead of trying to rule them, the less they rule us. -- Bryony Gordon * The Daily Telegraph *[This book] made me want to send Marvel my period schedule … Can I do stunts around this time, please? -- Jameela JamilA periodic timetable * Evening Standard *A hormone bible… informative, clear, funny and reassuring, full of life-enhancing, reliable information. * Simple Things *Table of ContentsIntroduction Section One: Get to Know Yo'self Chapter 1: The notorious v.a.g. Chapter 2: What that wet patch in your knickers is all about Section Two: The Cycle Strategy Chapter 3: There will be blood (Winter) Chapter 4: Let's get this party started (Spring) Chapter 5: Don't stop me now (Summer) Chapter 6: Highway to hell (Autumn) Chapter 7: Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes Section Three: Treat Yo'self Chapter 8: Self-care Chapter 9: When things fall apart Epilogue Appendix Glossary Resources References Acknowledgements Index

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For nearly fifty years, Vivian Gornick's essays, written with her characteristic clarity of perception and vibrant prose, have explored feminism and writing, literature and culture, politics and personal experience. Drawing writing from the course of her career, Taking a Long Look illuminates one of the driving themes behind Gornick's work: that the painful process of understanding one's self is what binds us to the larger world.In these essays, Gornick explores the lives and literature of Alfred Kazin, Mary McCarthy, Diana Trilling, Philip Roth, Joan Didion, and Herman Melville; the cultural impact of Silent Spring and Uncle Tom's Cabin; and the characters you might only find in a New York barber shop or midtown bus terminal. Even more, All That Is Given brings back into print her incendiary essays, first published in the Village Voice, championing the emergence of the women's liberation movement of the 1970s.Alternately crackling with urgency or lucid with insight, the essays in Taking a Long Look demonstrate one of America's most beloved critics at her best.

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Book SynopsisNERO BOOK AWARDS WINNER 2023WINNER, NON FICTION BOOK 2023, BOOKS ARE MY BAG AWARDSSHORTLIST, BOOKSHOP.ORG INDIE CHAMPIONS SHORTLIST, AMAZON NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST, GOODREADS CHOICE BOOK OF THE YEARAudible Books of the Year 2023The Times Books of the Year 2023Apple Best Audiobooks of 2023BOOKSHOP.ORG Book of the Month January 2024THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'I tore through this hilarious, smart, sad, revealing book' - Bob Odenkirk 'Funny, sharp and has incredible clarity' - Jon Ronson'An absolute riot. I'm literally going to read it again once I've finished, and I'm a miserable bastard...it's a belter' - FRANKIE BOYLE'Strong Female Character is a testament to the importance of self-knowledge.' - Rachael Healy, The GuardianA summary of my book:1. I'm diagnosed with autism 20 years after telling a doctor I had it.2. My terrible Catholic childhood: I hate my parents etc.3. My friendship with an elderly man who runs the corner shop and is definitely not trying to groom me. I get groomed.4. Homelessness.5. Stripping.6. More stripping but with more nervous breakdowns.7. I hate everyone at uni and live with a psycho etc.8. REDACTED as too spicy.9. After everyone tells me I don't look autistic, I try to cure my autism and get addicted to Xanax.10. REDACTED as too embarrassing.'Fern's book, like everything she does, is awesome. Incredibly funny, and so unapologetically frank that I feel genuinely sorry for her lawyers.' - PHIL WANG'Of course it's funny - it's Fern Brady - but this book is also deeply moving and eye-opening'- ADAM KAY'It made me laugh out loud and broke my heart and made me weep...I hope absolutely everyone reads this, and it makes them kinder and more curious about the way we all live' - DAISY BUCHANAN'Glorious. Frank but nuanced, a memoir that doesn't sacrifice voice or self-awareness. And it has brilliant things to say about being autistic and being funny' - ELLE MCNICOLL'A set text for all of us in 2023' - DEBORAH FRANCES-WHITE'Fern is a brilliant, beautiful writer with a unique voice and even more unique story. Astute, honest and very, very funny.' - LOU SANDERS'So funny and brilliant' - HOLLY SMALE'Witty, dry, and gimlet-eyed, Strong Female Character is a necessary corrective. Brady offers a compelling, messy, highly resonant portrait of what masked Autism feels like.' - Devon Price, author of Unmasking Autism Trade ReviewOf course it's funny - it's Fern Brady - but this book is also deeply moving and eye-opening -- ADAM KAYIt made me laugh out loud and broke my heart and made me weep...I hope absolutely everyone reads this, and it makes them kinder and more curious about the way we all live -- DAISY BUCHANANGlorious. Frank but nuanced, a memoir that doesn't sacrifice voice or self-awareness. And it has brilliant things to say about being autistic and being funny -- ELLE MCNICOLLFern is a brilliant, beautiful writer with a unique voice and even more unique story. Astute, honest and very, very funny. -- LOU SANDERSSo funny and brilliant -- HOLLY SMALEAn absolute riot. I'm literally going to read it again once I've finished, and I'm a miserable bastard...it's a belter -- FRANKIE BOYLEFern Brady's book is alive in your hands. Brave doesn't cover it and I'm not sure what will. Fizzing with intelligence, it will hit you in the heart, lungs and liver. You'll laugh, cry, be still and if you're not autistic - by god you'll learn. If you are autistic you'll be seen, heard, held, rocked and loved here. A set text for all of us in 2023 * DEBORAH FRANCES-WHITE *Strong Female Character is a testament to the importance of self-knowledge. Fern Brady is a natural and engaging writer, weaving bleak episodes with moments of pure comedy as she re-appraises crucial moments in her life through the lens of her autism diagnosis. Brutal honesty and a talent for storytelling combine to make an insightful memoir that's not only very funny, but will no doubt provide invaluable moments of recognition for many readers. * RACHAEL HEALY, The Guardian *Witty, dry, and gimlet-eyed, Strong Female Character is a necessary corrective. Brady offers a compelling, messy, highly resonant portrait of what masked Autism feels like * Devon Price, author of Unmasking Autism *This Bathgate girl has more jaw-dropping tales to share than your average comedian-cum-author could hope to harvest in a lifetime. Perhaps more of us ought to grapple with our own mortality if it births something so bold as Strong Female Character. * The List *Strong Female Character will reassure fellow autistic folk that they are not alone * Chortle *Shocking and incredibly moving - and it will make you laugh at subjects that you didn't think you possibly could * Scotland on Sunday *A brutal, funny and heartbreaking memoir. The pace is brisk and her deadpan humour makes the darkest material hilariously funny. -- Marianne Power * The Times *Brilliant! -- Sarah Atkinson, CEO Social Mobility Foundation * HR Magazine *This very personal account of bullying, stripping, homelessness and stand-up is shocking and incredibly moving - and will make you laugh at subjects that you didn't realise could be funny. -- Kirsty McLuckie * i Paper *[Brady] brings unsparing wit to a memoir that calls out the bulls--t in every culture she's experienced. -- Helen Brown * The Telegraph *Strong Female Character is a clear-eyed, deeply sane account of an at times tumultuous life; a life shaped by class and gender, but mostly, it's now clear to her, by her autism. * The Herald *

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Book SynopsisFrom one of the great thinkers and writers of our time, comes the unmissable final instalment in Deborah Levy''s critically acclaimed ''Living Autobiography''.''A beautifully crafted and thought-provoking snapshot of a life'' The Evening Standard_________________________________''I began to wonder what myself and all unwritten and unseen women would possess in their property portfolios at the end of their lives. Literally, her physical property and possessions, and then everything else she valued, though it might not be valued by society. What might she claim, own, discard and bequeath? Or is she the real estate, owned by patriarchy? In this sense, Real Estate is a tricky business. We rent it and buy it, sell and inherit it - but we must also knock it down.''Following the critical acclaim of Things I Don''t Want to Know and The Cost of Living, this final volume of Deborah Levy''s ''Living Autobiography'' is an exhilarating, thought-provoking and boldly intimate meditation on home and the spectres that haunt it._________________________________''Real Estate is a book to dive into. Come on in, the water''s lovely'' The Daily Telegraph''Her reflections on domesticity, freedom and romance are so beautiful, I found myself underlining multiple sentences a page. Wry, warm and uplifting, it''s a book I''ll return to again and again'' Stylist''[Levy''s living autobiography series is] a glittering triple echo of books that are as much philosophical discourse as a manifesto for living and writing'' Financial TimesTrade ReviewA beautifully crafted and thought-provoking snapshot of a life * Evening Standard *One of those wise books where you want to underline every sentence * Good Housekeeping *Her reflections on domesticity, freedom and romance are so beautiful, I found myself underlining multiple sentences a page. Wry, warm and uplifting, it's a book I'll return to again and again. * Stylist *The narrator of Real Estate is drily funny, irreverent, curious, even wise; she makes the reader want her for a companion . . . each of the books [in Levy's living autobiography series] bears several re-readings; together, they offer one version of how a woman might continually rewrite her own story. * The Observer *Levy is experimenting with language in subversive ways * Literary Review *This is a work about what it means to be a writer: its reinventions, isolations, self-interrogations, its shifting penury and riches, both emotional and financial. . . [Levy's living autobiography series is] a glittering triple echo of books that are as much philosophical discourse as a manifesto for living and writing. * Financial Times *Lyrical sentences come naturally, full of cadence . . . She's particularly touching on the love between mothers and daughters, and funny too . . . Real Estate is a book to dive into. Come on in, the water's lovely. * Daily Telegraph *Her voice - at once jokey and elliptical - is so casually intimate that it feels like catching up with an old friend . . . In three moving memoirs, Levy has perfectly fused the act of writing with the art of living. * i *Levy's intellectual energy is as frenetic as [the] dance floor, her memoirs a string of disparate pearls that entwine travelogue with philosophy and memory with literature * i *Expect fierce prose and bold meditations on what it means to be a woman. * Red *

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Book SynopsisIn eleven acute and widely ranging essays, Irigaray reconsiders the question of female sexuality in a variety of contexts that are relevant to current discussion of feminist theory and practice.Trade ReviewPsychoanalyst and philosopher by profession, feminist by choice, and radical by nature, Irigaray is one of the most important women writers of contemporary France, with an armful of books since the early seventies, two of them now translated into English. * The Antioch Review *This Sex is complex, readable, and worth the effort it takes to make it part of what you know. It is a valuable step in disrupting phallic discourse and jamming the theoretical machinery itself. * Perspectives *The publication of these two translations is an event to be celebrated by feminists of all persuasions. * Women's Review of Books *Table of Contents1. The Looking Glass, from the Other Side2. This Sex Which Is Not One3. Psychoanalytic Theory: Another Look4. The Power of Discourse and the Subordination of the Feminine5. Cosi Fan Tutti6. The "Mechanics" of Fluids7. Questions8. Women on the Market9. Commodities among Themselves10. "Frenchwomen," Stop Trying11. When Our Lips Speak TogetherPublisher's Note and Notes on Selected Terms

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Book SynopsisIF YOU'RE TIRED OF BEING AT WAR WITH YOUR BODY, THEN THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU. With guest essays and contributions from several highly influential bloggers and social media stars, this book from body positivity campaigner and activist Megan Jayne Crabbe (@meganjaynecrabbe) is the perfect call to arms for anyone who has ever felt bad about themselves and wondered if life would be cooler/easier/more fun if they just looked 'better' somehow...'This book is nothing short of pure magic <3' -- ***** Reader review'A must-read' -- ***** Reader review 'This book is definitely a must-read for everyone, and a total eyeopener too!' -- ***** Reader review'Enlightening! Profound body positive power!' -- ***** Reader review'Such a beautiful book' -- ***** Reader review'Buy book, read book, prepare for your mindset to change for the better!' -- ***** Reader review'Not enough stars to credit this amazing work' -- ***** Reader review*******************************************************************************************************We've been convinced that happiness is something that only comes once we hit that goal weight, get those washboard abs, shrink ourselves down and change every part of ourselves. We believe that our bodies are the problem, but this is not true. It's how we've been taught to see our bodies that's the problem... It's time for us all to stop believing the lies we've been fed about what it means to be beautiful, and take our power back.Megan's body image issues began when she was five years old. She spent her childhood and teen years chasing thinness and spiralling into anorexia. After recovery she spent years dieting, binging, losing and gaining weight. But then she found body positivity and finally escaped the cult of thin. Now she's determined to let as many people as possible know the truth: that we are all good enough as we are.With her inimitable flair, whip-smart wit and kickass attitude, Megan argues in an entertaining, engaging and accessible way for a new way of seeing ourselves, and a world where every body is celebrated. Where there is no such thing as a 'bikini body diet' and 97% of women don't hate the way they look.A powerful call to arms as much as it is inspirational and practical, this book is the life-changing answer you've been looking for.

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Book SynopsisProfessor Mommy is designed as a guide for women who want to combine the life of the mind with the joys of motherhood. The book provides practical suggestions from the authors'' experiences together with those of other women who have successfully combined parenting with professorships. Professor Mommy addresses key questionswhen to have children and how many, what kinds of academic institutions are the most family friendly, how to negotiate around the myths that many people hold about academic life, etc.for women throughout all stages of their academic careers, from graduate school through full professor. The authors follow the demands of motherhood all the way from the infant stages through the empty nest. At each stage, the authors offer invaluable advice and tested strategies from women who have successfully juggled the demands and rewards of an academic career and motherhood. Written in clear, jargon-free prose, the book is accessible to women in all disciplines, with concise chaptTrade ReviewBowdoin faculty members Connelly and Ghodsee are mothers who’ve struggled with the challenges of research, teaching, publishing, and caring for children in defiance of the conventional wisdom that women in academia have to choose between family and career. They devote an entire chapter to debunking the myths that discourage many women from pursuing tenure during their most fertile reproductive years. Drawing on their experiences and on surveys of and interviews with a variety of women in academia, they first review the decision to have an academic career and the decision to have children, including how many and when to have them. They proceed with a detailed chronology of the tenure track, a comprehensive guide, and unwavering encouragement. They are frank about sacrifices and challenges encountered during graduate study and the PhD dissertation, and they detail the hurdles presented by low salaries, undesirable work locations, and long working hours. But they also note the rewards of both academic life and motherhood. Women interested in careers in academia should appreciate this helpful, encouraging resource. * Booklist *In Professor Mommy, Rachel Connelly and Kristen Ghodsee present a thorough set of questions for women to consider and strategies to utilize in order to make informed decisions about pursuing both an academic career and family life. ... Professor Mommy is a practical guide written for women who are considering or currently combining family life and the pursuit of tenure. The authors recognize that tenure-track fathers have challenges when they are involved parents of small children, but Connelly and Ghodsee intentionally speak to the particular concerns and situations that mothers face. ... Professor Mommy has many helpful insider tips for any junior faculty member or graduate student who has not had these conversations with a trusted (mommy) mentor. ...[F]or those of us who desire to seek tenure within the existing system, having access to the information in Professor Mommy is invaluable. The book does what it sets out to do, providing information and options for women to make decisions that will position them as best as possible for tenure and promotion within the existing system. Recognizing that the assimilationist approach will not work for every woman, it provides guidance for the many. * Feminist Collections: A Quarterly Of Women's Studies Resources *Don't believe the myths—you can conquer the academy while raising children. It isn't easy, but few worthwhile things in life are. Connelly and Ghodsee show, step by step, how smart women win at work and win at home by protecting their time and focusing on what matters most (hint: it's not grading papers or ironing shirts!). -- Laura Vanderkam, author of 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You ThinkDo read this 'can do book for mothers who want to pursue an academic career! Yes, you can succeed and this book guides you through every step and pitfall—from choosing the type of institution that is for you to coming up for full professor. It doesn't shy away from the very real obstacles, like exhaustion during the early child-raising years, but offers alternative strategies for climbing the ladder. The sound advice is aimed at mothers—but it could be the handbook for any Ph.D. who is deciding on an academic career. I will recommend it to all my graduate students. -- Mary Ann Mason, professor and co-director of the Center, Economics & Family Security at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law; aRachel Connelly and Kristen Ghodsee have written a book that is not just a must-read for anyone contemplating the intricate and as-yet imperfect balance of academic life and family life, but for anyone at all interested in promoting equity in the workplace and more importantly, in the world of ideas. Professor Mommy lays out in stark detail the dismal record and very real statistics of the “maternal wall,” “glass ceiling” and the steep personal costs that women academics often face. But rather than stop there, they offer detailed, practical and user-friendly guidance on how to set your own priorities, draw boundaries and forge a path through this thorny obstacle course. They show it is not easy, but it is indeed possible to be both a successful academic and a loving parent with a rich family life. More, Professor Mommy is a call to action: that lasting change and that longed-for balance will come only when men become aware of the stacked deck against women and when women academics make the hard decision not to opt out, but to opt in, writing, publishing, thinking, promoting their ideas, and by their very presence, change the calcified system from within. -- Brigid Schulte, Washington Post; Pulitzer Prize co-winnerProfessor Mommy is a well-researched, yet anecdotal account of parenting across disciplines relevant to all family forms in academia. It’s one-of-a-kind, doesn't present 'defeatist' statements of sacrifice, but provides real strategies and support for anyone in their child-bearing years attempting to navigate this challenging yet rewarding period in life. -- Tiffany Jenson, Brigham Young University-IdahoTable of ContentsChapter 1 Contents Chapter 2 Introduction: Why We Decided to Write this Book and Who We Are Anyway Chapter 3 Chapter 1: A Success Story Told with the Hindsight of 20/20 Vision Chapter 4 Chapter 2: The Nefarious Nine or the Not-So-Pretty Truth about Motherhood and Academia Chapter 5 Chapter 3: Know Thyself Part I -Deciding to Become an Academic Chapter 6 Chapter 4: Know Thyself Part II -Deciding How Many Children to Have and When To Have Them Chapter 7 Chapter 5: The Last Year of Graduate School: Heading for the Job Market and Choosing the Institution that is Right for You Chapter 8 Chapter 6: On the Tenure Track Part I - Scholarship and Networking Chapter 9 Chapter 7: On the Tenure Track Part II - Teaching, Service, and Your Family Chapter 10 Chapter 8: The Immediate Post-Tenure Years Chapter 11 Chapter 9: Coming up for Full Professor Chapter 12 Conclusion Chapter 13 Appendix 1: Different Types of Institutions Chapter 14 Appendix 2: The Other Perspective: Words from our Children Chapter 15 Suggested Reading

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Book SynopsisIn Sensuous Knowledge, Minna Salami draws on Africa-centric, feminist-first and artistic traditions to help us rediscover inclusive and invigorating ways of experiencing the world afresh. Combining the playfulness of a storyteller with the insight of a social critic, the book pries apart the systems of power and privilege that have dominated ways of thinking for centuries – and which have led to so much division, prejudice and damage. And it puts forward a new, sensuous, approach to knowledge: one grounded in a host of global perspectives – from Black Feminism to personal narrative, pop culture to high art, Western philosophy to African mythology – together comprising a vision of hope for a fragmented world riven by crisis. Through the prism of this new knowledge, Salami offers fresh insights into the key cultural issues that affect women’s lives. How are we to view Sisterhood, Motherhood or even Womanhood itself? What is Power and why do we conceive of Beauty? How does one achieve Liberation? She asks women to break free of the prison made by ingrained male-centric biases, and build a house themselves – a home that can nurture us all. Sensuous Knowledge confirms Minna Salami as one the most important spokespeople of today, and the arrival of a blistering new literary voice.Trade ReviewSensuous Knowledge is a probing, challenging and imaginative book that dares position black feminism as the prism through which we can all better experience and understand the world. I read it slowly, savouring it as intellectual soul food, while relishing the richness of Minna Salami's ideas and the persuasiveness of her writing. This book is an important addition to the feminist canon in that it shifts our world view and introduces new and exciting possibilities for ways of being that feel liberating. * Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, Other *In this provocative and vital book, Minna Salami, in elegant prose and lucid arguments, centers the black female body and experience at the heart of global feminist discourse. Employing African myth, religious and cultural traditions, the historical presences and accomplishments of women in African history and spaces of power, and the modes and practices of feminism from the continent, she interrogates the facts of history. Accounting for the omissions for and by patriarchy, adjusting for the neglect of white feminism, she confronts the central privilege of modern thought, which is that men represent the default human experience. She attempts a new way of thinking, cataloging, archiving, and accounting for black female experiences by black women in this new century. Inclusive, rigorous in process and thought, she has created a strong and important testament, the map perhaps, for now and the future. * Chris Abani, author of The Secret History of Las Vegas and The Virgin of Flames *A timely, refreshing, nourishing and captivating read. In the era of ever-widening division and cultural strife, Sensuous Knowledge urges us to rethink power, sisterhood, beauty, Identity and more. A crucial read which through the sharing of African-centered approaches alleviate political and social frustrations. On these pages there really is something to learn for everyone. * Ayishat Akanbi, writer and cultural commentator *Sensuous Knowledge is an opulent symphony of progressive ideas, vast and astonishing as it is detailed and specific, from one who has lived multiple lives and realities. Drawing from Audre Lorde to Socrates, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, to Nipsey Hustle, Orunmila to Gloria Steinem and so many more, Minna Salami mixes her lived experience into a deeply considered and tempered tide that swells with wisdom, that challenges, defines and redefines various parts of our unbalanced and gendered world. It is an emotive text, that emanates with love, which, by looking at who we have been and how we became, begs us to search ourselves for who we might yet become. * Inua Ellams, poet & playwright *This book is an eloquent mélange of ideas and disciplines; part deep, intersectional analysis of structural power, part metaphysical journey into a genius the West hasn’t given language to. An essential read for a new decade. * Johny Pitts, author of Afropean: Notes from Black Europe *Sensuous Knowledge is a glorious addition to the many feminist manifestos we live for. * Brittle Paper *Table of Contents1. Introduction: The Mountain 2. of Knowledge 3. of Liberation 4. of Decolonization 5. of Identity 6. of Blackness 7. of Womanhood 8. of Sisterhood 9. of Power 10. of Beauty

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Book SynopsisAn unconventional take on the oldest convention.Trade ReviewKristeva's and Sollers' shared love of literature and interpretation, their appreciation of each others' work is evident throughout this volume. These play a very real part in their fine art of marriage. As they explore its lineaments, they also share their deep knowledge of psychoanalysis and literature with us. -- Lisa Appignanesi, author of All About Love and Trials of Passion [Kristeva & Sollers's] performance, so smart, so practiced, is genuinely entertaining, enacted, as it is, by two people who are openly energized by showing off to and for one another. Their mutual enjoyment, as they go through their paces, is palpable. Clearly, intellectual busking is the glue that binds Kristeva and Sollers to one another. -- Vivian Gornick New Republic A fascinating book. -- Shahidha Bari Times Higher EducationTable of ContentsPreface: Adventure, by Philippe Sollers Preface: Harmonizing Our Foreignnesses, by Julia Kristeva 1. Complicity, Laughter, Hurt 2. Inner Experience Against the Current 3. Childhood and Youth of a French Writer 4. Love of the Other

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics.

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Book SynopsisI was supposed to be having the time of my life.When Esther Greenwood wins an internship on a New York fashion magazine in 1953, she is elated, believing she will finally realise her dream to become a writer.

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Book SynopsisIn Carina Chocano's insightful, witty and moving You Play The Girl, we travel down the rabbit hole into the Wonderland of pop cultureTrade ReviewIn this whip-smart essay collection, pop culture critic Chocano explores representations of women in books, movies, and television, with characters ranging in time and temperament from Edith Wharton's Lily Bart to Mad Men's Joan and Peggy. Remarkably comprehensive and enjoyably associative, the essays move quickly from the haunting performances of French actress Isabelle Adjani to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Bewitched, and I Dream of Jeannie as allegories for the potential of powerful women to "wreck civilization." Chocano astutely observes that Thelma and Louise and Pretty Woman are "dueling metanarratives" from the same cultural moment, offering diametrically opposed messages about women's aspirations. On a personal note, Chocano describes her laborious efforts to raise a daughter without the patriarchy's cultural hangups via an extremely thorough examination of Disney's Frozen and its famous aria, asking-"What exactly is she letting go of?" Readers with even a rudimentary understanding of feminism may find it wearisome to have such seminal texts as Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) and Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique (1963) rehashed; with a vast spectrum of material, and Chocano's incisive and witty approach, however, these essays will appeal to anyone interested in how women's stories are told. * Publishers Weekly, starred review *Every woman often faces the unwelcome prospect of "playing the girl." These essays by journalist Chocano, inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice, lead readers on a journey to identify and understand just who this girl is and from where she originates. The author interweaves relevant personal stories from her childhood and adult experiences with and entertaining and insightful review of female characters from the last 50 years of pop culture, including television, film and literature. Chocano not only looks back at her own experiences, she also writes emotionally about the realities of the world that her young daughter faces today. Each piece combines numerous, well-connected examples from the author's extensive knowledge of pop culture, with an analysis of a theme related to the various aspects of women's lives: work, relationships, marriage, sexuality, motherhood, and even math. As a result, the essays have a sound research foundation and are well documented. VERDICT: This entertaining, engaging, enlightening tour of the portrayal of women in pop culture will appeal to general readers and researchers in a variety of cross-disciplinary fields. * Library Review *Super insightful book on the female form in film. This will really get your wheels turning about the images we were shown growing up and the new ways women can be depicted in the future * Stylist *

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Book SynopsisA history of Riot Grrrl, a group of extraordinary young women coming of age angrily, collectively, and publicly. It tells the story of a time when America thought feminism was dead, and feminism seemed to buy into the slacker myths of Generation X, but a generation of noisy girls rose up to prove everybody wrong.Trade Review"For a Second Wave feminist like myself, Girls to the Front evokes wonderfully the way the generation after mine soaked up the promise and the punishment of feminist consciousness: all in all, a richly moving story." -- Vivian Gornick "Compelling... A brash, gutsy chronicle of the empowering music and feminist movement of the early 1990s... Marcus enthusiastically tracks the 'scattered cartographies of rebellion' and captures the combustible excitement of this significant if short-lived moment." -- Publishers Weekly "Marcus has done a commendable job of telling the little-known history of an important social and cultural movement... A compelling history." -- Booklist (starred review) "Original, witty, idealistic and down-to-earth, Girls to the Front is a chronicle of women, girls, music, sexism-and, best of all, what it means to be alive. Reader take heart: Feminism is not dead." -- Brenda Wineapple, author of White Heat "Sara Marcus's Girls to the Front is a great & true & real history. Thank God. At last." -- Eileen Myles, author of Chelsea Girls and Inferno (A Poet's Novel) "Feminism seems to change every five years. It's hard to grasp the movement... Girls to the Front is not just a keeper of the flame but brings you to yr own fire." -- Kim Gordon "Stirring... Eloquent... Like Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain did in Please Kill Me... Sara Marcus's Girls to the Front tells the story of riot grrrl, one person at a time." -- Bitch Magazine "Ambitious and convincing... Girls to the Front makes narrative sense out of events that had so far been recorded only in mythic, unverified, and fragmentary form." -- Johanna Fateman, Bookforum "A historical rockument of the revolutionary 90s counterculture Riot Grrrl movement... A rousing inspiration for a new generation of empowered rebel girls to strap on guitars and stick it to The Man." -- Vanity Fair "Girls to the Front is more than just a historical account of the riot grrrl movement. It is a reliving. For those who missed the happenings of that era, this book will make you feel as though you were right there." -- Venus Zine "One hell of an empowering read... A scorching history of the Riot Grrrl movement... There's inspiration here. Read this book and feel it-a renewed energy, in talking about the roles women play in the scenes that we live in today." -- HTMLGIANT "A painstakingly researched and well thought-out tribute to a punk feminist era Sara Marcus clearly holds dear... It should be heralded as an uncannily insightful revelation of the motivations and inner-workings of Riot Grrrl." -- Allison Wolfe, New York Press "Exhilarating... Girls to the Front is the well-documented history Riot Grrrl deserves... Marcus writes with the empathy, grace, and balance of a good war correspondent... Her book will undoubtedly prompt a whole new generation of teenage girls." -- The Los Angeles Times "A fascinaqting social history... In her impassioned study, Marcus focuses on the girls in the crowd as much as stars like Bikini Kill, placing the story in the context of liberalism's post-Reagan crisis and mapping a civilization of Xeroxed jeremiads." -- Rolling Stone

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Book SynopsisWhat has made women unhappy in the last decade? Faludi writes ''is not their equality'' - which they don''t yet have - but the rising pressure to halt, even worse, women''s quest for that equality.Trade ReviewFaludi uses her dazzling investigative powers to zap the smug detractors of feminism, the hypocrites, backsliders, and antifeminists. The result is a rich and juicy read, informed by powerful logic and moral clarity -- Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and DimedPersuasive, fair, entertaining, wonderfully informed, diverting -- Fay Weldon * Daily Mail *The backlash against women is real. This is the book we need to understand it, to struggle through the battle fatigue and to keep going -- Alice WalkerAs ground-breaking in its own way as its two important predecessors, Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex and Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, Faludi's book is just as gripping * Newsweek *Recommended as essential reading for both sexes * Today *

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Book SynopsisExistentialism was one of the leading philosophical movements of the twentieth century. Focusing on its seven leading figures, Sartre, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Kierkegaard, de Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty and Camus, this Very Short Introduction provides a clear account of the key themes of the movement which emphasized individuality, free will, and personal responsibility in the modern world. Drawing in the movement''s varied relationships with the arts, humanism, and politics, this book clarifies the philosophy and original meaning of ''existentialism'' - which has tended to be obscured by misappropriation. Placing it in its historical context, Thomas Flynn also highlights how existentialism is still relevant to us today.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of Contents1. Philosophy as a Way of Life ; 2. Becoming an Individual ; 3. Humanism, For and Against ; 4. Authenticity ; 5. A Chastened Individualism? Existentialism and Social Thought ; 6. What is Living and What is Dead in Existentialist Thought?

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Book SynopsisMargaret Atwood is the author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry and critical essays. Her novels include Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin and the MaddAddam trilogy. Her 1985 classic The Handmaid's Tale was followed in 2019 by a sequel, The Testaments, which was a global number one bestseller and shared the Booker Prize. Her most recent publications are the poetry collections Dearly and Paper Boat; Burning Questions, a selection of essays; and Old Babes in the Wood, a volume of short stories. Atwood is a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour, and has won numerous awards including the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Imagination in Service to Society, the Franz Kafka Prize, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. She has also worked as a cartoonist, illustrator, librettist, playwright and puppeteer. She lives in Toronto, Canada.Trade ReviewA fantastic, chilling story. And so powerfully feminist -- Bernadine Evaristo, author of GIRL, WOMAN, OTHERCompulsively readable * Daily Telegraph *Out of a narrative shadowed by terror, gleam sharp perceptions, brilliant intense images and sardonic wit * Independent *The Handmaid's Tale is both a superlative exercise in science fiction and a profoundly felt moral story -- Angela CarterMoving, vivid and terrifying. I only hope it's not prophetic * The Listener *

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Book SynopsisA Room of One''s Own is Virginia Woolf''s most powerful feminist essay, justifying the need for women to possess intellectual freedom and financial independence. Based on a lecture given at Girton College, Cambridge, the essay is one of the great feminist polemics, ranging in its themes from Jane Austen and Carlotte Brontë to the silent fate of Shakespeare''s gifted (imaginary) sister and the effects of poverty and sexual constraint on female creativity.Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) is regarded as a major twentieth-century author and essayist, a key figure in literary history as a feminist and modernist, and the centre of ''The Bloomsbury Group''. Between 1925 and 1931 Woolf produced what are now regarded as her finest masterpieces, from Mrs Dalloway (1925) to the poetic and highly experimental novel The Waves (1931). She also maintained an astonishing output of literary criticism, short fiction, journalism and biography, including the playfully subversive Orlando (1928) and A Room of One''s Own (1929).If you enjoyed A Room of One''s Own, you might like Woolf''s Orlando, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.''Probably the most influential piece of non-fictional writing by a woman in this century''Hermione Lee, Financial Times

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Book SynopsisAmazingly off-beat, feisty, fashionable, fun-loving and self-assured... the women that young artist Sangita Jogi conjures up in her imagination are incredible. Playfully balancing the limits of her life as a woman with the freedom of her imagination as an artist, this book leaves the reader with a felt sense of the radical potential of art.

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Book SynopsisIn the introduction to "The Second Sex", Simone de Beauvoir notes that "a man never begins by establishing himself as an individual of a certain sex: his being a man poses no problem." This book shows that Beauvoir's magnum opus constitutes a meditation on the relationship between women and philosophy that remains profoundly undervalued.Trade ReviewIn her concise but closely argued book, Bauer demonstrates the philosophical importance of Beauvoir's work, not only as foundational for contemporary feminism but as a major contribution to philosophy... A real must-have for libraries serving serious women's studies programs. Choice A powerfully argued, lucid and fascinating book which, as well as offering a timely reassessment of Beauvoir's thought, raises important questions for feminism about the most effective way to undermine masculine privilege. -- Lois McNay Times Literary Supplement A brilliant study of Simone de Beauvoir's masterpiece. -- Hilary Putnam Bauer's subtle and original elucidation of Beauvoir's philosophical relationship to Descartes, Hegel, and Sartre is a truly important contribution to the field of feminism and philosophy-and to feminist theory in general. -- Toril MoiTable of Contents1. Is Feminist Philosophy a Contradiction in Terms? First Philosophy, The Second Sex, and The Third Wave 2. I am a Woman, Therefrom I Think: The Second Sex and the Meditations Introduction: Recounting Women 5. Reading Beauvoir Reading Hegel: Pyrrhus et CinCas and the Ethics of Ambiguity 3. The Truth of Self-Certainty: A Rendering of Hegel's Master-Slave Dialectic 4. The Conditions of Hell: Sartre on Hegel 6. The Second Sex and the Master-Slave Dialectic 7. The Struggle for Self in The Second Sex

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Book SynopsisA biography of Ann Hathaway and a social history of Shakespeare's time by the redoubtable Germaine GreerTrade Review‘Greer dares to think the unthinkable ... this is a bold and imaginative book' * Independent *‘Excellent ... a marvellous imagining of the life of Shakespeare's wife and a devastating exposure of the misogyny of the male biographers who have disparaged her' * Sunday Telegraph *‘This is a spirited, voluble, scholarly book which gives some depth and some dignity to the marginalised Mrs Shakespeare' * Guardian *‘A refreshing corrective to the usual portrait ... Greer is impressive when it comes to detailing their Stratford life and times ... It's robust, lively stuff' * The Times *

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