Manifesta by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards: I finished it last week, and I would definitely recommend it to those who want a good Third Wave overview. There’s a lot of emphasis on feminist history and the relationships between generations, which to me is more interesting than a simple timeline of waves. They do a good job at showing, not telling, interweaving stories throughout the book.
Our Bodies, Ourselves (the new edition): This is a bit of a mixed review. I recommend it, because it’s huge and comprehensive and has a lot of great charts that lay out things we need to know about everything from anatomy to nutrition to STIs. What I don’t like, and it’s not really a complaint because these things are important to women, but… well, what I don’t like is that the book made me feel quite isolated. A lot of space is dedicated to menstruation (I don’t menstruate), sex with men (don’t do that one either), and pregnancy/children (not interested). They do make an effort to be very inclusive, which I like, but there were things that got to me, like the separate chapters for relationships with men and relationships with women. The organization didn’t make a lot of sense, and it was odd the way they did the sections. That said, it’s a great reference guide to keep around for your body-related questions.
Bitchfest (anthology): Oh, hells to the fucking yeah. This collection of essays includes cultural criticism from a feminist perspective over ten years of Bitch magazine’s existence (1996-2006), covering all sorts of topics. I love the women who submitted essays, and I love the range of topics included. There are plenty of things you wouldn’t necessarily think about, but it’s accessible to someone who isn’t a big pop culture fan as well. It covers topics from lesbian novels to slash fanfiction to the Guerilla Girls, and is a must read for young feminists.
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