Author: Jessica Valenti
Started: April 28, 2018
Finished: April 28, 2018
Pages: 205
Genre: Memoir
First Sentence: When I was a child, I had reoccuring nightmares about wolves - tall beasts the size of skyscrapers that walked on their hind legs around New York City blocks, chasing and eventually devouring me.
Summary: [From BN] Hailed by the Washington Post as “one of the most visible and successful feminists of her generation,” Jessica Valenti has been leading the national conversation on gender and politics for over a decade. Now, in a memoir that Publishers Weekly calls “bold and unflinching,” Valenti explores the toll that sexism takes on women’s lives, from the everyday to the existential. From subway gropings and imposter syndrome to sexual awakenings and motherhood, Sex Object reveals the painful, embarrassing, and sometimes illegal moments that shaped Valenti’s adolescence and young adulthood in New York City. In the tradition of writers like Joan Didion and Mary Karr, Sex Object is a profoundly moving tour de force that is bound to shock those already familiar with Valenti’s work, and enthrall those who are just finding it.
Thoughts: I have followed Jessica Valenti's work for many years, but this book might be one of the hardest pieces to read. This story hits too close to home. I've been there. (#metoo) It's hard to read a story where you can see yourself so clearly in the author and it brings up horrible memories. But that's why this book needs to exist.
I think what makes this book important is that Valenti doesn't sugar coat anything. She is upfront about her shortcomings and drug use, but that just builds her story and shows her strength. Moreover, she doesn't sugar coat how awful it can be to live as a woman in our society. Our bodies are not our own. Our thoughts and actions are policed. We are judged every single day for simply trying to live our lives.
Valenti's writing takes on an elevated-conversational style. It's a conversation you would have with a friend but an intelligent and thought-provoking one. Her text is clear and straightforward which makes this book a much quicker read than you think it might be. Her style, however, also takes on a raw and visceral quality that causes certain scenes to stick with you. This book hurts, but in a way that you recognize all the wrongs that need writing.
I recommend this book for everyone. Yes, it's important for woman and girls to read so they know they're not alone, but men and boys need to see what it's like from a first-hand perspective. I wouldn't say this book is a call to action, but it feels like that. It will make you angry and sick to you stomach. It might make you cry. (I did.) It will, however, leave you wanting to fight back and stand your ground.
Rating: 8/10 [Terrific]
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