The plot thickens.

A fascinating fictional exploration of power and misogyny. I would definitely NOT recommend the audiobook version of this book as some of the accents are truly atrociously done and distracting. It also began to feel a bit like a one-trick pony in how much it relied on cleverly flipping the gender script. But overall, it’s like nothing else out there and provides lots of food for thought.

A deeply personal, well-researched, excellent book. Chemaly does a great job of bringing to light the daily, often overlooked, ways that women are mistreated, belittled, and devalued. I loved the personal application for how women could harness and apply this type of anger, and the inclusion of how certain topics played out differently for distinct races, classes, sexualities, and gender identities. I never felt like she was tokenizing these experiences, but that she was personally invested, especially as a woman of color, in highlighting the variance of the female experience.

Meditative, thought-provoking, out-of-the-ordinary.

I struggled to get through most of this book. It took me several weeks to finish. But luckily I was able to be a part of a book club discussion (s/o to #tonimorrisonbookclub on Instagram) that really helped me reflect on and appreciate what Morrison did here. This was (finally!) my first Morrison but it won’t be my last.