I read so many books about feminism and theory that I am often discouraged by overly academic and theoretical styles. This book is a real exception to the rule. It is accessible, readable, interesting and informative. It gives an in-depth dive into the origins of patriarchy and why it still maintains power and dominance now. You might be surprised by the contents! I can't recommend this highly enough. You will not look at patriarchy in the same way again.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2023
'I learned something new on every page of this totally essential book' Sathnam Sanghera
'By thinking about gendered inequality as rooted in something unalterable within us, we fail to see it for what it is: something more fragile that has had to be constantly remade and reasserted.'
In this bold and radical book, award-winning science journalist Angela Saini goes in search of the true roots of gendered oppression, uncovering a complex history of how male domination became embedded in societies and spread across the globe from prehistory into the present.
For anyone who loved 'Brooklyn', this is the long-awaited sequel. We join Eilis Lacey who left Ireland to live in New York, on her return journey to her Irish village to visit her mother on her 80th birthday. As if it were that easy! As someone who has lived in America for the past 5 years (although not in New York sadly) this book struck so many chords. There is so much emotion here. Familial loyalties, nostalgia, longing for a past lover and all the various machinations attached. Read Booklyn first and then this one. I loved it.
OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK * INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * “Stunning.” —People * “Dazzling yet devastating...Tóibín is simply one of the world’s best living literary writers.” —The Boston Globe * “Momentous and hugely affecting.” —The Wall Street Journal *
From the beloved, critically acclaimed, bestselling author comes a spectacularly moving novel featuring Eilis Lacey, the complex and enigmatic heroine of Brooklyn, Tóibín’s most popular work in twenty years.
Eilis Lacey is Irish, married to Tony Fiorello, a plumber and one of four Italian American brothers, all of whom live in neighboring houses on a cul-de-sac in Lindenhurst, Long Island,…
It isn't often that I find a book that is so gripping that I am forced to read and read and read until I finish. This is a literal page-turner and I literally could not put it down. Night out on the town? No thanks, I want to get back to the world of 'The Bee Sting'. It is tense, humorous and everything else they say in the blurb.
No wonder I prefer fiction to theory. I wish I could spin a tale like this and build a world so convincingly real. Even the horrible characters have redeeming features (just like real life) and I simply loved reading about them.
Strangely I seem to be enamored of Ireland and Irish writers. Is it a longing for the old country (even though I am not Irish) that this book inspired in me or is it a return to simpler times without American politics? Whatever, it all looks amazing from 3,500 miles away.
WINNER OF THE NERO BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2023 WINNER OF AN POST IRISH BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2023 SHORTLISTED FOR THE WRITERS' PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024 SHORTLISTED FOR THE KERRY GROUP NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2024 ONE OF SARAH JESSICA PARKER'S BEST BOOKS OF 2023
Book of the Year 2023 according to New York Times, New Yorker, The Sunday Times, The Economist, Observer, Guardian, Washington Post, Lit Hub, TIME magazine, Irish Times, The Oldie, Daily Mail, i Paper, Independent, The Standard, The Times, Kirkus, Daily Express, City A.M.
This book is an essential read for those who wonder why motherhood is so underappreciated and unsupported in today’s America. It offers an historical take on motherhood and culture as well as looking at some of the most globally popular quality American television series produced this century. The book argues that the attitudes contained in many of these series is emblematic of the way mothers have historically been positioned.
Using series like Sex The City and The Sopranos (to name but two) the book suggests that the cultural antipathy towards women finds its way onto our TV screens and argues that not only does this impact our attitudes towards women and maternity but that audiences are generally unaware of this.