Read it, read it, read it!

Of the 58 books I have read this year, this is only the second one I have given 5 stars to. It's just that good.

The author does an amazing job of looking back through the history of the words witch and slut, and tying them together. She shows how those, along with clothing type, color, and style have been used to demean those women who stepped outside the bounds of social norms. She ties all of this into the modern feminist movement, and provides wonderful interviews with women who are taking back these words.

An excellent read for any feminist out there, or for anyone who thinks that words don't have power. Or for anyone really. Read this book and have your eyes opened. ( )

Informative, interesting, empowering.
Something I needed right now.
It’s time for an awakening. ( )

Witches, Sluts, Feminists: Conjuring the Sex Positive by Kristen J. Sollee is an eye-opening overview of the similarities and relatedness of the terms and their histories. Much of the material is not so much new as it is juxtaposed with parallel situations that illustrate the links between events of the distant past, the recent past and, sadly, the present.

Sollee manages to present her views very well while also giving space to different and counter views. Like any area where our multiple identities and communities overlap, which is almost everywhere, there are no simple responses nor is there only one or two perspectives. In this book, difference is empowering and cooperative, with various positions being given along with the rationale for each.

I was personally most interested in the ways that the witch hunts we widely think of as a thing of the past have simply morphed into more subtle, and in some ways more sinister, forms of control and punishment. Looking at the information as laid out for the reader, I have a much better understanding and appreciation for the various ways women can and do re-appropriate not only words but indeed their own sexuality and make them work to their benefit and happiness rather than as means of controlling them.

I would highly recommend this to those interested in feminism, gender issues and, in fact, making the world a better place. While this is a nice quick read, readily accessible for any reader, subsequent readings will, I believe, provide much more insight.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss. ( )