Twelve years ago, my grandmother passed away at the age of 94. Born in 1912, she was the product of a different time, but other than maybe telling a slightly off-color joke or wondering out loud why there were so many more homosexuals around these days than when she was young, I don’t recall her being prejudiced against any particular group (except maybe Italians, but that’s a story for another day). Apparently in her final days in the nursing home, however, she started loudly proclaiming […]
A Lot Going On Here
Best for: Those looking for a quick read that’s mostly about Hillary Clinton’s run for president. In a nutshell: This is “An Open Letter to the Women Who Will Run the World.” But it’s more a short retelling of some parts of the Clinton 2016 Presidential Campaign framed around the idea that it’s a letter to the first woman to be US President. Worth quoting: “I have always thought that I could do any job a man can do just as well as him. Only recently […]
201-Level Feminism
Best for: Those looking for some (usually UK-based) facts and figures about sexism women face, in short essay form. In a nutshell: Creator of Everyday Sexism Project Bates shares her thoughts on a few different ways women deal with misogyny in their daily lives. Worth quoting: “The repeated use of the word ‘distracting’ centres the needs of men and boys above those of the girls, and suggests that girls’ bodies are powerful and dangerous, impacting on boys and teachers, whose behaviour is implicitly excused as […]
Mostly Good, Partly Really Not
Best for: Men (because you need to be told); mothers working outside the home who are looking for some support. In a nutshell: Tech journalist Sarah Lacy makes the case that motherhood is an asset to the workforce, not a detriment. Line that sticks with me: “It was the men — not the kids — that had proven to be a net negative on many of these women’s careers.” (p 206) Why I chose it: This is another book by someone in the tech world […]