Laura’s Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
This story was recommended to me by Andrea, one of my first ten followers. This is not a book I would necessarily pick for myself, so I was glad to branch out into something new.
The Analysis:
The Female Persuasion is about a young Greer Kadetsky, who attends a talk given by seasoned feminist activist Faith Frank during freshman year in college. Faith dazzles Greer with her warmth and elegance. Greer’s mind is opened up to the cause of women’s empowerment and her admiration of Faith Frank becomes central to her life path going forward. During this talk, Faith discusses sisterhood and advances for women over the years. She says, “Along with that freedom can sometimes come a sense that you don’t need other women, and that isn’t true.” I think this idea is a central theme for the rest of the book.
One thing I didn’t love about this book is that it read like a memoir, despite being fiction. The book gave background and an overview of Greer’s life and experiences, without having a typical plot line. There were also backstories for a bunch of different characters that don’t really come together to form any specific plot point. This book spans many years, from Greer’s senior year of high school to life in her early 30s, allowing the reader to see many of Greer’s flaws. Greer idealizes her relationships, is whiny at times, and is often selfish: she doesn’t want to share her experience with anyone. She is all about building up other women, yet either fails to help them or does not recognize their effort. I do, however, think this is a lesson to be learned from the book. Even women dedicated to feminism can struggle to find joy in the accomplishments of other women rather than viewing them as competition.
There were other elements of the book that I did enjoy. The book highlights how it can be easy for actions to feel good, not do good. Foundations and advocacy organizations may have difficulty focusing on actually helping people while acquiring funding and staying afloat. I also enjoyed a quote from Greer’s mom saying, “There are never going to be grades for the rest of your life. So you just have to do what you want to do.” This is an important reminder to give ourselves a break sometimes and remember that while we should try our best, life is not a competition and no one is grading our achievements. This book is about meeting your heroes, finding your place in the world, and allowing yourself room to learn from your mistakes. There were some great lessons and quotable passages in The Female Persuasion, but due to the writing style and lack of a typical plotline, I didn’t love the book as a whole.
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