Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit

"In her comic, scathing essay "Men Explain Things to Me," Rebecca Solnit took on what often goes wrong in conversations between men and women. She wrote about men who wrongly assume they know things and wrongly assume women don't, about why this arises, and how this aspect of the gender wars works, airing some of her own hilariously awful encounters. She ends on a serious note-- because the ultimate problem is the silencing of women who have something to say, including those saying things like, "He's trying to kill me!" This book features that now-classic essay with six perfect complements, including an examination of the great feminist writer Virginia Woolf 's embrace of mystery, of not knowing, of doubt and ambiguity, a highly original inquiry into marriage equality, and a terrifying survey of the scope of contemporary violence against women"--

Incredibly well-written and honestly a bit depressing, but comforting to read because it explains itself in such an eloquent and powerful way. And there's hope in there, too, which it seems we are in need of these days.

I took this book with me to the barber to read while I was waiting. My barber noticed it and asked me what I thought, but before I could respond he started to expound on what he thought were the “problems” with Solnit's first essay. I sat quietly as he listed, without realising it, all the reasons that this book, and feminism in general, threaten him and his perspective on the world (i.e. the best bits).

Five stars; minus one for having to find a new barber.

I really enjoy Rebecca Solnit's writing style and essay structures. I started reading this book before the election, and the essays I read were fresh and inspiring. Because of life and work, I had to take a break, and then the election happened. Reading the rest of this book after the election was a much different experience for me. In this moment, it's harder for me to share Solnit's hope about the progress that we've made (especially in her essay “Worlds Collide in a Luxury Suite: Some Thoughts on the IMF, Global Injustice, and a Stranger on a Train,” about the head of IMF being accused of sexual assault) as a society. The essays that specifically explore how far feminism has come and how unsuccessful Republicans will be at chipping away at womens' rights were really difficult for me to read with any investment or hope right now. I kept thinking, “Would she still say all this, now that a misogynistic, racist, xenophobic, ableist sexual predator is our next president? What does she say/think now?” That's all my own shit though – all of her essays are well-written, engaging and approachable. The essays I found myself invested in were “Grandmother Spider” and “Woolf's Darkness: Embracing the Inexplicable.” “Grandmother Spider” encourages us (women) to take control of the narrative, to not be erased in the (hi)stories that are told about us. “Woolf's Darkness” was a salve for my post-election heart. Her words about despair and optimism as attitudes that are equally certain about the future and equally unproductive were particularly salient for me, especially now.

a very informative and interesting collection of essays on feminist issues. the handful of handhold-y “not all men”-isms for the handful of men who would read a book like this and actually need that reassurance are kinda cringe, and a couple essays feel like they don't exactly fit in with the others, but none of this really detracts the importance of what solnit is saying.