Comments on things mean a lot: Virginity or Death! by Katha Pollitt

Chris, I think you would, yep :P These aren't dens...

2009-11-02T00:30:32.911Z

Chris, I think you would, yep :P These aren't dense at all either, promise! They're as readable as it gets.

Stephanie, these are right up your alley!

Zibilee: She's very outspoken, but I kept thinking that someone's got to be, you know?

Andi: I hope you enjoy it if you decide to pick it up! I go through phases where I don't really read much that broadens my horizons either.

Naida: I always wish I could be like them :P

ds, I hope you find it!

Amy: It really is :(

Alice, to each their own!

Avi: lol, isn't it? :D

Sarah: That was definitely the case with these essays. And thank you for the recommendation!

Debi: *hugs*

Stephanie: It's just so good to find a book that makes me feel this way! I wish I had more friends like that :P

This sounds interesting and as usual, you've writt...

2009-10-23T01:11:41.725+01:00

This sounds interesting and as usual, you've written an incredible review. I love this: "For me, reading Katha Pollitt is like talking to that one friend you always go to when you want to figure out how you feel about certain issues – even when you don’t completely agree, you know that the conversation will leave you feeling more enlightened."

Thanks Ana, for sharing that. Now I've got the who...

2009-10-22T15:00:04.207+01:00

Thanks Ana, for sharing that. Now I've got the whole mixture of smiles and tears thing going on here. I hope Dewey got to read it, too. I really, really do. *hugs*

This sounds interesting, I find essays enjoyable a...

2009-10-22T12:39:29.754+01:00

This sounds interesting, I find essays enjoyable as long as they provoke thought (if not agreement!).

The abuse of so called comfort women is shocking- if you're interested in reading more about it I'd recommend Fifty Years of Silence by Jan Ruff-O'Hearne, a memoir by an originally Dutch (now Australian) survivor of this.

Great review, as usual! I love the quotes you incl...

2009-10-22T05:28:52.121+01:00

Great review, as usual! I love the quotes you included, especially the first one. ("Insufficiently shaven of leg" is a great expression!)

I'm not so much of an essay person...

2009-10-22T04:09:32.715+01:00

I'm not so much of an essay person...

Sounds interesting..I don't typically read essays ...

2009-10-22T02:30:00.784+01:00

Sounds interesting..I don't typically read essays because they take a bit longer for me to read but i often want to. And it's terrible about the comfort women, huh?

Great review--three cheers for Katha Pollitt, thre...

2009-10-22T02:06:05.514+01:00

Great review--three cheers for Katha Pollitt, three cheers for you! Will have to see if the library has this; it is definitely a "borrower". Thanks, Nymeth!

This sounds interesting, I admire people who are n...

2009-10-22T02:05:05.851+01:00

This sounds interesting, I admire people who are not afraid to speak thier minds too.
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

This book sounds really interesting, and it sort o...

2009-10-21T23:19:09.028+01:00

This book sounds really interesting, and it sort of makes me realize what a lazy reader I've been this year. I keep looking back over my list of reads for the year thinking, "Wow, very little of the memorable." This is the type of book I used to read all the time, and now that I'm overtaken by brain drain most of the time, I've let some of that more challenging or enlightening reading go. Maybe I'll try to amp up the quality for the rest of the year. Go me! And go you! Love your reviews, always!

I don't typically read books like this, but I like...

2009-10-21T21:51:19.057+01:00

I don't typically read books like this, but I like the fact that the author has strong opinions about these issues and since I am not really how close I fall into the liberal category, I think it would be interesting to see if I would agree with her views. Thanks for the insightful review on this one, it does sound really interesting.

I'm not really an essay person either, but I do li...

2009-10-21T20:17:06.015+01:00

I'm not really an essay person either, but I do like the sound of this one. If anything, political essays would be the ones I get the most out of. I've had Pollitt's last book on my TBR list since I read your other review!! One of these days I'll get to it!!

I normally don't do well with essays, but I think ...

2009-10-21T18:52:34.886+01:00

I normally don't do well with essays, but I think I might try this one out. It sounds like something that I'd scream "yes" at, you know? :p There's something about essays, particular political essays that always gives me a problem!! I don't know what it is..maybe they're just too dense for me? Who knows...but I really should try this one!

I really should read what I write before I post it...

2009-10-21T18:09:03.966+01:00

I really should read what I write before I post it :S Then I wouldn't write "LOVE it for sure" twice in the same short paragraph.

Melody, you are too kind! Debi: You will LOVE Pol...

2009-10-21T18:07:05.923+01:00

Melody, you are too kind!

Debi: You will LOVE Pollitt for sure! (PS: A little story about this book - I got it via Bookmooch, and when you click to mooch a book they show you a little "history" of who mooched it before..and a few spots before my name was Dew's :( I wonder if she got around to reading it. I hope so, because she'd LOVE it for sure.)

Sandy: I enjoy reading other viewpoints too! And lol, yes. She's got sass for sure.

Jenny, I really think you'd enjoy this, then! Pollitt has a lot to say about what your president was up to then :P

Eva: Would I be right to guess that you had several tabs open and somehow this comment ended up on the wrong window? :P I'm saying this because I've TOTALLY done that before, lol.

Tracie Yule: The essay that quote is from is more about having children than getting married, but the same goes for both, definitely :/ She was responding to a "study" according to which women who decided not to have children would in their 50's realize they'd wasted their lives :rolleyes:

Jeanne: How great that you met her! And it's interesting to know that she sounds just like her writing.

I met Pollit once at a conference in Washington D....

2009-10-21T17:02:09.405+01:00

I met Pollit once at a conference in Washington D.C. and she came across just like her writing--brash and confident. Although she's physically very small, which was an interesting contrast, at least to me (I'm extremely tall).

Every once in awhile I'll read essays and they are...

2009-10-21T16:34:53.745+01:00

Every once in awhile I'll read essays and they are usually focused on some feminist issue.

I love the quotes from the book, especially about how marriage for women is view differently than men. For some reason, if women do not get married they are "missing" something while with men it's a life choice. Wonderful point that I wish more girls realized and would look at.

You're making me want to dive into the Victorians ...

2009-10-21T15:18:22.202+01:00

You're making me want to dive into the Victorians too! :D I did just start Ruth yesterday (on CD), and as soon as I finish Byatt, I'll be grabbing by Wilkie Collins Classic Circuit read! And I need to read North & South before it's due, so I might be having a classicsfest too. :) Is The Pillow Book long? It rather frightens me, lol, but if you end up enjoying it I'll give it a go!

From all the reviews, I knew Julie & Julia the book wasn't for me at all, but the MOVIE is marvelous. :) What a neat opera commentary CD! I've been getting the straight-up operas from my library (the last one I listened to was Boris Gudonov-it was awesome!), but a commentary would be even better. :) Since you enjoyed Better more than Complications, I can't wait to get to it!!!

I'm reading The Children's Book right now & it's awesome! :D And I read Howard's Endin January and adored it! Way more than Room w/ a View. :)

Hm, I am kind of in the mood for some political es...

2009-10-21T14:28:08.078+01:00

Hm, I am kind of in the mood for some political essays. This sounds good - and 2001-2005 was about when I was gaining political consciousness (sadly it was because our president was steady being awful), so I should enjoy these. Yay, fun!

I'm not an essay person either, and I can't say I'...

2009-10-21T13:18:08.589+01:00

I'm not an essay person either, and I can't say I'm overly liberal, but I'm totally open to other viewpoints. I'm always curious to know every side of a story, so I can formulate informed opinions of my own. I also don't mind a little sass, which it sounds like she has!

Right to the library website for me...I want to re...

2009-10-21T13:15:20.046+01:00

Right to the library website for me...I want to read this soooooo much! I love that last quote. Love it. And I just KNOW I'm going to love this book. Thanks, Nymeth!

Great review, Nymeth! I'm not really a fan of essa...

2009-10-21T11:56:04.348+01:00

Great review, Nymeth! I'm not really a fan of essays but I really enjoyed reading your review. You write so well! :)