There’s no doubt that feminism is a controversial topic. This article is not about lecturing the reader on which side of the movement they should be on. Like any good reader, we are here to understand the fundamental arguments people (in this case feminists) are advocating. Reading is about coming to an understanding, no matter how sensitive the topic we should not be afraid to engage the material in question. Here are three books to help us on this quest:
I Call Myself A Feminist: The View from Twenty-Five Women Under Thirty by Victoria Pepe
This is a beginner’s guide to understanding how women feel about basic questions regarding feminism. The author poses questions like, “is feminism anti-men rather than pro-human?” A variety of women answer different professional fields and background weigh in with their experiences. Not all of their answers to these types of questions are the same, which helps flesh out all the different perspectives women have on topics of feminism.
Scum Manifesto by Valerie Solanas
Anybody who is slightly aware of this books is probably seething with rage at the mere mention of this title. Solanas’s work is one of the most polarizing books ever written in the feminist movement. This quote sums up her work, “every man, deep down, knows he’s a worthless piece of shit.” If this book is so obviously vitriolic, why should you read it?
First of all, consider that this book was written in 1968, a time where women’s rights where in a much darker place. Second, reading the book is an important exercise for men to desensitize from hearing this kind of rhetoric. One thing all men know deep down is that there is at least one guy we know who talks the same way about women as Solanas is talking about men. To just experience what that is like, to be subjugated to the point of meaninglessness, can help sharpen our perspective on how women feel about feminism.
My Own Story by Emmeline Pankhurst
This book is more about action than it is about theory. Emmeline Pankhurst details her struggle with the government, which is arguably the most significant suppresser of woman’s rights. She was part of a militant group of feminists who made multiple attempts to earn rights for women that were being suppressed by the British government. If any man out there is willing to tackle all three of these books, I guarantee you will have a much more sober, and accurate, account of what feminism is trying to accomplish.
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