Join a book club that is reading Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot!
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "The fights against hunger, homelessness, poverty, health disparities, poor schools, homophobia, transphobia, and domestic violence are feminist fights. Kendall offers a feminism rooted in the livelihood of everyday women." --Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist, in The Atlantic "One of the most important books of the current moment."--Time "A rousing call to action... It should be required reading for everyone."--Gabrielle Union, author of We're Going to Need More Wine
A potent and electrifying critique of today's feminist movement announcing a fresh new voice in black feminism Today's feminist movement has a glaring blind spot, and paradoxically, it is women. Mainstream feminists rarely talk about meeting basic needs as a feminist issue, argues Mikki Kendall, but food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues. All too often, however, the focus is not on basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. That feminists refuse to prioritize these issues has only exacerbated the age-old problem of both internecine discord and women who rebuff at carrying the title. Moreover, prominent white feminists broadly suffer from their own myopia with regard to how things like race, class, sexual orientation, and ability intersect with gender. How can we stand in solidarity as a movement, Kendall asks, when there is the distinct likelihood that some women are oppressing others? In her searing collection of essays, Mikki Kendall takes aim at the legitimacy of the modern feminist movement, arguing that it has chronically failed to address the needs of all but a few women. Drawing on her own experiences with hunger, violence, and hypersexualization, along with incisive commentary on reproductive rights, politics, pop culture, the stigma of mental health, and more, Hood Feminism delivers an irrefutable indictment of a movement in flux. An unforgettable debut, Kendall has written a ferocious clarion call to all would-be feminists to live out the true mandate of the movement in thought and in deed.
A potent and electrifying critique of today's feminist movement announcing a fresh new voice in black feminism Today's feminist movement has a glaring blind spot, and paradoxically, it is women. Mainstream feminists rarely talk about meeting basic needs as a feminist issue, argues Mikki Kendall, but food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues. All too often, however, the focus is not on basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. That feminists refuse to prioritize these issues has only exacerbated the age-old problem of both internecine discord and women who rebuff at carrying the title. Moreover, prominent white feminists broadly suffer from their own myopia with regard to how things like race, class, sexual orientation, and ability intersect with gender. How can we stand in solidarity as a movement, Kendall asks, when there is the distinct likelihood that some women are oppressing others? In her searing collection of essays, Mikki Kendall takes aim at the legitimacy of the modern feminist movement, arguing that it has chronically failed to address the needs of all but a few women. Drawing on her own experiences with hunger, violence, and hypersexualization, along with incisive commentary on reproductive rights, politics, pop culture, the stigma of mental health, and more, Hood Feminism delivers an irrefutable indictment of a movement in flux. An unforgettable debut, Kendall has written a ferocious clarion call to all would-be feminists to live out the true mandate of the movement in thought and in deed.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Required reading. An eye-opening call to action. Objectively a 5 star book.
Some of my favorite quotes below, all coincidentally coming from the introduction.
“She [the author’s grandmother] taught me that being able to survive, to take care of those I loved, was arguably more important than being concerned with respectability.”
“Going into a white woman’s kitchen did nothing to help other women. Those jobs had always been available, always paid poorly, always been dangerous…. A better deal for white women could not be, would not be, the road to freedom for Black women.”
“I am not ashamed of where I came from; the hood taught me that feminism isn’t just academic theory. It isn’t a matter of saying the right words at the right time. Feminism is the work that you do, and the people you do it for who matter more than anything.”
“We rarely talk about basic needs as a feminist issue. Food insecurity and access to a quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues.”
Appreciation to Goodreads for the advanced copy via giveaway.
3.5 stars.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Mikki Kendall’s assessment of the problems that exist in the white feminist movement right now and she very clearly lays out the intersecting issues that impact marginalized community’s abilities to overcome sexism, racism, and the many other isms.
As a black woman working in Reproductive Justice, I just didn’t feel like this book was written for me, but instead to inform those less familiar with intersectional feminism. This is very important work for those who think they are allies to read to better understand the systems and structures in place that impact women of color’s ability to survive and thrive, but if you’re more familiar with intersectionality and Black feminist thought, I’m not sure there is much new here to learn and grow from.
3.5 stars.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Mikki Kendall’s assessment of the problems that exist in the white feminist movement right now and she very clearly lays out the intersecting issues that impact marginalized community’s abilities to overcome sexism, racism, and the many other isms.
As a black woman working in Reproductive Justice, I just didn’t feel like this book was written for me, but instead to inform those less familiar with intersectional feminism. This is very important work for those who think they are allies to read to better understand the systems and structures in place that impact women of color’s ability to survive and thrive, but if you’re more familiar with intersectionality and Black feminist thought, I’m not sure there is much new here to learn and grow from.
Lots of great thoughts to take away but not as comprehensive as Caste. Definitely worth reading/listening to it if you are white and a feminist.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.