What Happened

Book 44 of 2017 is What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

It is rare that I read a book right after it is released but having stood in the middle of the storm that was the 2016 US elections as an outsider watching it unfold, I wanted to look behind the curtain.

There are two sides if not twenty to what happened in November 2016 but this was the one I wanted to understand. How did someone so qualified for the job lose to someone who wasn't? It made no sense to me.

On reading this, I have had some major realisations.

I respect Hillary Rodham Clinton for the strong woman she is and the inroads she has made for women all around the world.

Her politics are still too conservative for me but I put that down to her generation and age. She was born in a different time and a more conservative world than most people in America today. I have no doubt that was one reason people could not connect with her.

And lastly, women are losing well before they even start. To be the first at anything or the only woman in the race is harder than anyone can imagine. You are not judged equally because there are no women to compare you to. So instead, you are judged as not being a man. She articulates this much better than me.

The reason I recommend people read this book is because she gives hope where others use fear. She tries to stand back and work out what she owns in this journey but does not take all the blame. She gets angry and punches out and although it's not ladylike, it's awesome to see. Why must women bow out quietly when they weren't treated fairly in the situation.

You should read it.

4 insights out of 5.

Should I read this? If you lived through the election that Trump won and see it as the election that Hillary lost then yes, yes you should read this.
What did I learn? So much American political history from both sides of the fight.

Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype

Book 38 of 2017 is Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estés.

This book was chosen because I friend mentioned it and we agreed to read it together. It was on my To Read list but not high in priority.

I wanted to like this book so much but I couldn't. It just felt like too hippy and motherly for me. The style was interesting with myths and the link to the authors ideas but it didn't use any data and I need data. It did make me feel ok for being a wild woman but that was about it.

This is not a book I would recommend.

2 wolf analogies out of 5.

Should I read this? Maybe if you are spiritual.
What did I learn? I am not spiritual.

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Book 31 of 2017 is Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik.

My American friends have spoken about her so many times that I had to read something about this kick-ass female Supreme Court justice.

This was not what I expected. It wasn't a biased biography saying everything about her is perfect but instead a lot of facts, quotes and citations about a very smart woman.

It is great to have another strong, brilliant role model.

4 dissents out of 5.

Should I read this? Yes. Yes. Yes. She's a strong woman who lived a challenging life as she paved the way for women.
What did I learn? Times, they are a changin'.

Men Explain Things to Me

Book 8 of 2017 is Men Explains Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit.

I have to stop reading similar books one after the other. This is good writing. This is relevant to what is happening in the world at the moment and certainly to my work.

The only complaint I have about this book is that it seems to lack purpose. It is a bunch of very well written essays that are not pulled together to draw a conclusion or make a point. That is thoroughly disappointing.

Four mansplainers out of five.

Should I read this? I wish I could have every man I know read this but in reality, it will be the women. Read it and know you are not alone. Find your confidence and don't let anyone shake it.
What did I learn? You should carry yourself with the confidence of a mediocre white male :P

All the Single Ladies - Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation

Book 7 of 2017 is All the Single Ladies - Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation by Rebecca Traister.

I am a feminist. That's not new news to anyone who knows me. This book isn't about being single and justifying that. It is about research backed data that explores the idea that western women are now in control of their own lives and choose how men will participate in.

My concern when starting this was that it would be bitter but it was kind, respectful to all and hopeful.

Five strong women out of five.

Should I read this? For sure. It is not just for single women.
What did I learn? So much that I would need a post all about this. The data she presents is solid and then accompanied by anecdotes too which made it more human. I now like that kind of non-fiction.

The Handmaid's Tale

Book 26 of 2016 is The Handmaid's Tale by Margret. Atwood

There is not a more apt book that I woman could read while living in the centre of the maelstrom that is the United States of America with Trump as President Elect. There is a level of uncertainty described by Offred in the start of the book as society breaks down that feels a like what people are talking about here and now. Finishing this book in the week Trump was elected surrounded by gasps of shock and a realisation that we missed seeing this coming is perfectly terrifying.

This great piece on the relevance of this book in this time is worth the read and consequent analysis.

Atwood is one of the best writers I have read ever. She managed to tell the entire story without explaining the intricacies. You can work out what is going on and how everyone feels without it being listed out for you. Simply brilliant.

Five red dresses out of five.

Should I read this? Yes. Especially now that Trump is in power.
What did I learn? Great writing on society is always relevant.

Winter

Book 25 of 2016 is the fifth in the Lunar Chronicles, Winter by Marissa Meyer.

This is the end of the series and it was a thoroughly enjoyable. If you want the princesses to save the day then this is your series.

Four rebels out of five.

Should I read this? Yes. It is quite enjoyable and exciting!
What did I learn? The world is changing and women are now running it.

Winter

Book 25 of 2016 is the fifth in the Lunar Chronicles, Winter by Marissa Meyer.

This is the end of the series and it was a thoroughly enjoyable. If you want the princesses to save the day then this is your series.

Four rebels out of five.

Should I read this? Yes. It is quite enjoyable and exciting!
What did I learn? The world is changing and women are now running it.

Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol

Book 36 of 2015 is Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol by Ann Dowsett Johnston.

My good friend Bruce and his wife read this book last year and he shared this with all the women who he knew who drink.

This book is the current book of the moment around female drinking. It talks of the difference between alcoholism, regular drinking and binge drinking and how that impacts on the life of different women.

One thing it has achieved is to make me realise that drinking is the new smoking.

I don't want to be a smoker and I don't want to be a drinker.

5 sparkling mineral waters with lime out of 5.


Should I read this? Read this book if you drink or know someone that does. That makes pretty much everyone an audience for this view altering book.

What did I learn? That for all my failings, I am not an alcoholic but I do want to remove vices from my life that will shorten it and may have negative effects. 

A Room of One's Own

Book 19 of 2014 is Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own.

I've only read a couple of Virginia Woolf books and I love the way she writes. She is a born story teller who paints pictures with words. Now I know that she writes like a "woman-manly." Or was it a "man-womanly"? Either way, it makes her voice unique in a crowd where she is a minority.

This book/essay/speech is one of the most relevant (yes, even now) books that I woman can read.

Of late, life has had me wondering where I belong and what the whole damn point of it is. Belonging is important but it is more than that. The feeling was more about how I belong in a world where I can not see anyone like me. That was my mistake.

There may not be people who look like me everywhere but there are people who think like me, both men and women. This book was like taking a giant sigh after a very long week ends. She said it perfectly.

It is only 112 pages and if you can't do that then at least read the last chapter. She is brilliant. Just that.

I give it 5 revelations without bitterness out of 5.

Should I read this? Women should. Secure men should. Others will not be impressed that someone let her out of the kitchen.
What did I learn? “I need not hate any man; he cannot hurt me. I need not flatter any man; he has nothing to give me.”