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We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

2/4/2016

 

Reviewed by Olivia Kramer

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    We Should All Be Feminists is actually a version of the author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s, speech on feminism and gender equality on Ted translated into a book. But the quality of her words and the influence and message they promote make up for the book’s lack of quantity. Throughout the less than 60 page speech, Chimamanda speaks of the taboo of feminism in Nigeria and what feminism has evolved to in modern day society. She also addresses numerous misconceptions on feminism and feminists and exploits the ignorance and misogyny behind these misbeliefs. Overall, I thought the book/speech was incredible and highlighted some of the key points in feminism.

    At the beginning of the book Chimamanda says,” You know you’re a feminist. It was not a compliment. I could tell from his tone- the same tone in which a person would say “ You’re a supporter of terrorism.” She continues the chapter by comparing gender roles in society and how women are forced to fill a mold society has crafted for them while men don’t need to live up to such a strenuously infeasible expectation. She also acknowledges the double standard of how women seem to have to behave, dress, and talk a certain way to be taken seriously in politics or society while men seem to have no stress to fulfill a similar conjecture. I really enjoyed this beginning section of the story because, though I’ve always known of the existence of sexism and misogyny, I’ve never realised just how much it impacts women in society today.

   Another part of the book that I liked was when Chimamanda spoke in depth of the taboos of being a feminist living in Nigeria and much of the world. “... a Nigerian woman told me that feminism was not our culture, that feminism was un-African…” I loved this part of the story as she described her encounters with the openly misogynistic beliefs of others not because of the message their words promote, but because her eternally optimistic view on feminism was unwavering as she took ridicule. I also enjoyed the part towards the middle of the book where she had been discussing sexism’s double standards in society with her friend, Louis, who said he didn’t see why she thought that things were harder and different for women when they had the real power, “ bottom power. ” “Bottom power” is a reference, originating in Nigeria, which is most basically when a woman becomes rich or successful through a man by seducing him. “ A woman who uses her sexuality to get favors from men.” Not prostitution, but when a woman’s success is attributed to a man ( example: if a woman is well known and lives in a mansion but only because her husband is even more well known and essentially the main source of income.) After this comment, Chimamanda, talks about how this is not true power that the woman has because she is so financially heavily dependent on her husband that if something were to happen to him she most likely wouldn’t be able to live the way she previously did when her husband earned a stable salary. I enjoyed this because it opened my eyes to some of the “parasitic” roles women are forced to play in society.

    My favorite part though was towards the end of the book where Chimamanda compared women’s struggles in politics, economy, and society to men’s struggles in similar situations. “ I spent half an hour debating over what I should wear to be taken seriously and then I realized that there has probably never been a man in this same dilemma because when a man speaks his voice is heard.” I thought this statement spoke pretty strongly to me because it showed how women are always judged on their looks and what their appearance says about them not what they actually say and promote. While on the other hand, though I’m not saying a man wouldn’t be ridiculed if his wardrobe was ludicrously inappropriate, it is much easier for him to get his point across. Because men are not forced to rely so heavily on their sexuality and appearance to prevail in society and our culture ( hence: bottom power.) I enjoyed this part because I thought it really showed the double standards we build ourselves to believe our acceptable.

    Overall, I thought this was an incredible book and would recommend it to anyone in need of a quick read. Though I think all the books that I read are exceptional this one truly stood out to me and I think really influenced me and opened my eyes to many of the issues around me that I had become oblivious to. I know this entire book review might just seem like a pointless rant of appraisal to the book, We Should All Be Feminists, but I truly have been trying to find a flaw in the speech but I haven’t been able to find any. I do think it left out one or two issues that women face ( the wage gap) but I guess if she listed all of the issues it would make her speech to long and tedious. Either way, I would highly recommend this book. 

Best Friend Next Door by Carolyn Mackler

2/2/2016

 

Reviewed by Isioma Grant

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    The book, Best Friend Next Door by the bestselling author, Carolyn Mackler, is recommended for anyone in third to seventh grade who enjoys reading books with real life situations. Hannah is one of the two main characters. She is having trouble adjusting to her best friend moving to Canada and her step mother announcing that she is three months pregnant. Hannah’s family is surprised that she is upset about having a new baby brother. She is also trying to adjust to no longer being an only child after ten years. “No”, I snap,  “I’ve been an only child for almost eleven years. Please don’t call me a sister. I’ll be a former only child.” (5) As if things could not get any worse, Hannah soon finds out that a new girl named Emme is moving into the house next door where her best friend lived. Interestingly both girls hate pizza, share a birthday, like swimming, love cats and adore palindromes (such as their names). Hannah is not only unhappy about having a little brother, but “definitely does not want an identical twin.” (12)

    Emme is having difficulty moving away from her home in Florida to her new life in Greeley, NY.   Her two mothers constantly tell her that everything will be alright but she still has a lot on her mind. After she arrives in the small town she meets her new next door neighbor, Hannah. Emme learns that both girls share many common interests and brings it to Hannah’s attention. She is surprised with Hannah’s reaction when “Without saying anything, I turn and storm into my house.” (12)  However, when Emme´s cat runs away and turns out to be at Hannah's house, a simple call to Hannah starts their friendship. In the blink of an eye, the two girls are doing everything together and love every minute of it.

    Though the Best Friend Next Door has strong meaning with a fantastic connection between the two main characters it does have some weak points. Although some reviews said it was humorous, I felt it was more serious than humorous. The story has a serious and emotional aspect, as well. On pages 185 and 186 the two girls have a quarrel at camp because Emme becomes friends with Hannah’s old friend Sophie.  Hannah leaves camp early and puts a note on Emme and Sophie’s bunk bed saying “Enjoy each other.” (188) She believes that their friendship is over.  Another serious event is when Emme is being bullied by three girls in her class. When Emme finds the courage to tell Hannah they go together to tell Emme’s mothers to help them plan how to stop the bullying.

    Despite the weaknesses of Best Friend Next Door, there are many strong points in the novel. One of my favorite parts is when Hannah invites Emme to a lemonade stand to raise money for Hannah’s class.  During the fund-raiser the boys and girls, find themselves in a big quarrel. They pour lemonade over each other’s heads. This was one of the very few humorous parts in the book. I also enjoy reading the part when the two girls had a big fight. After the fight, the girls became friends again when Emme’s cat became sick. Though this was an emotional aspect of the book it was also heart-warming and a clearly showed the  theme of friendship throughout the story. Another example of this theme is when Emme and Hannah are not able to go to New York City.  Hannah is extremely upset. When Emme sees Hannah’s frustration she decides to ask both Hannah and her parents to make their backyards look like Rockefeller Center. The final reason why I enjoyed reading Best Friend Next Door is how I relate to the story and how my sister and I connect at very emotional times.

    In closure, Best Friend Next Door has high and low points throughout the book. This amazing book has high rankings for Barnes & Noble and Goodreads. An example of why this is such a great novel is because  Wendy Mass, another famous children’s author, says, “I adored this book with humor and heart, Carolyn Mackler beautifully captures the big and small moments in new friendships.” Since Ms. Mass is a well respected author, her endorsement supports the book’s strength on humor and heart in the story. In addition, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble and Amazon claim that the “Printz Honor and New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Mackler brings honesty and charm to this story of a friendship between two girls.” As a reader, the story gave me time to consider the very real charm and honesty of true friendship. Finally, even though Best Friend Next Door has some weaker features, they are outweighed by the positive message in the novel.

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