Ever since someone told me about the word “mansplaining,” I felt an enormous sense of relief. So that’s what they call it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been interrupted, openly contradicted, shamed, or talked over in settings with men. It’s quite common in English graduate programs to be told that you’re wrong when you’re not, or that someone’s subjective opinion is passed off as incontrovertible fact. I won’t spoil the full review, which is replete with lots of caps, and a special […]
The plan, a memory of the future, tries on reality to see if it fits.
This short, deeply smart collection of essays is really important. Seriously, “Men Explain Things to Me” resonated with me on every level. It’s a perfect gut-check… when some (most) men imply that I’m not entitled to articulate my own experience… when some (most) men cut me off in conversation about a topic on which I’m an authority because they have a couple of thoughts about it… when colleges and universities respond to reports of rape by instituting curfews and behavioral guidelines for women… when my […]
I Didn’t Know How Much I Needed to Read This
This collection of essays contains the type of work I dream of doing. The writing is fantastic, and every sentence, every word serves a purpose. It is descriptive but not flowery; the author makes her case in each essay clearly and convincingly, yet still manages to challenge the reader. You may be familiar with the titular essay in Rebecca Solnit’s collection “Men Explain Things to Me.” The essay was born from an experience she had at a party, where someone introduced her to a man […]