Welcome to Litsy!

The author uses the 7 deadly sins as a framework to flip them and talk about the ways women limit, deny, or shame themselves. For example, use envy as a way to go for what you want, use greed as a way to make sure you meet your own needs, use anger as a way to make social change, etc. I thought this was an interesting concept and she had good points. My one fault with the book is that sometimes she oversimplified things or conflated things.

“The system of patriarchy can function only with the cooperation of women. This cooperation is secured by a variety of means: gender indoctrination; the denial to women of knowledge of their history; the dividing of women, one from the other, by defining ‘respectability‘ and ‘deviance‘ according to women‘s sexual activities; by restraints and outright coercion; by discrimination in access to economic resources and political power; and by awarding-

“I‘ve always liked asking questions. I was a precocious and curious child,probably a little annoying in my insistence to understand:Why?Why?Why? Fortunately for me my mother used the library as a babysitter. (my note: and worked in them) I always had my face in a book. I looked for answers in novels, history, science-anywhere they might be hiding. And on the long drive to and from town everyday, my parents played NPR‘s All Things Considered.”TRUE

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I don‘t know that any of this text is surprising, but I do appreciate the framework. I tell people I could be religious but not spiritual, because I enjoy ritual but not so much the navel gazing. Accordingly, I appreciate the social commentary, but the last chapter on sadness goes too far out for me. I did chat my friends up about the book & would rec to newbie career peeps.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ The author frames the book in terms of the 7 deadly sins and how they create limiting behavioral expectations for women. Some interesting and useful information, but also a lot you‘ll recognize if you‘ve read much popular feminist work in the past few years. And it went back and forth between scholarly/general and anecdotal/personal (and often sort of woo woo) content in a way that I found distracting. So-so to soft pick.