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Non-Scientific Conjecture

Revisado: 08-31-23

Preface: I'm a millennial woman with leftist political views. I don't think this was for me. It might be more appropriate for Boomers and maybe their older children, because many of the social assertions the author makes are what I would call 'non controversial,' because I would guess that most people under 40 would probably respond to much of the non-conjectural parts of this book with "effin DUH."

Multiple media sources that I follow strongly recommended this book, so I gave it a read. I see the reviews of this book are really high. But I honestly cannot understand why.

The author makes a lot of generalizations that start like "feminists think...", "Many men think...", "Others are saying..." and then follows it up with conclusions that make me want to yell 'CITATION EFFING NEEDED.' She regularly identifies a man in her life and uses them as a representation for all men, which doesn't work. It would be one thing if the book was solely a personal memoir or something, but she's trying to make prescriptive guidance on the whole feminist movement and how it should interact with a whole demographic.

I understand that the author has a PHD in English, and because that's her professional background, it makes many of the assertions fall flat, because it is obvious that assertions isn't coming from someone like sociologist, psychologist or even an anthropologist. She's making comments on those topics, but there's no scientific support behind the comments.

She also frames a lot of assertions in way that comes off as blaming feminists for men not finding feminism appealing and criticizes them for not centering their feminism on men. At the same time, I found that the author infantilizes men, seeming to regard them as wholly incapable of embracing the idea of equality unless a woman in their life spends their time and energy on holding their hand through the process. Outside of holding their hands, the author complains a lot about the lack of a form of masculinity that fits with feminism, but doesn't exactly present any solutions herself outside of women needing to do the emotional labor for them.

All in all, I thought that the author came off as traditionalist, to the point of being regressive. If someone reads this and changes for the better, I'm obviously not going to argue with that. But I honestly wouldn't recommend this book, especially if someone is interested in rejecting traditional gender roles and expectations.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

A beacon if light in a dark work culture.

Revisado: 04-28-21

I started working at 13, with a paper route, and then at 15 in fast food and basically worked for the next few decades. On in 2018 had I ever taken a real vacation. I have 5 degrees, as well as a few 1 year certificates in various related fields, and worked the whole time, usually more than fulltime, and during a few stretches, two jobs. In my most recent job, I worked a decades worth of hours in 8 years. I've also injured myself during that time, and now live with a herniated disc and a pinched nerve. I also have anxiety, and I've had depressive spells. I have been recognized repeatedly as a high performer at my most recent job, where I'd been for almost a decade.

I say all this because I feel the need to show my receipts about not being lazy. COVID has made me reevaluate a lot of how I see the world, and this book is 100% spot on. also, that job? My position was eliminated.

Our value doesn't come from our ability to produce. and the more compassionate you are to yourself and others, the more you realize that. I wish everyone would read this.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

A bit lackluster.

Revisado: 12-06-19

Overall, there is definitely production quality behind this, but it just didn't resonate with me. It's a bit too saccharine for my tastes.

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Excellent information and perspective

Revisado: 12-06-19

More white people need to read or listen to this. White supremacy is a white people problem, but people who are directly harmed by it are unfairly leaned on to fix it, and this is ridiculous.

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Nerdily funny!!

Revisado: 06-10-19

I don't do fiction much, and I'm glad I did this time. Year Zero was a very amusing story with interesting and fleshed out characters and a solid story that wasn't dependent on a love story for its plot (which is a thing I look for in my stories).

i don't do summary-style reviews, i just want to emphasize that if you want some nerdy escapism, give this a read.

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Better than the first one.

Revisado: 05-21-19

I'd say this is an improvement from the first one. Luckily, if anyone's interested, you don't have to read the first one to get the second. Upon reflection, this is a good method to get short stories exposure. Again, amusing, some stories are better than others but overall pretty enjoyable.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Amusing, but not outright hilarious

Revisado: 05-21-19

Pretty funny, but not laugh-out-loud funny. some stories and narrations are better than others. Not exactly an original idea by any means, but still moderately entertaining.

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esto le resultó útil a 15 personas

Very interesting look at Language Dialects in USA

Revisado: 05-16-19

I find the subject of linguistics super interesting and was very happy to find McWhorter several books ago, as he has a flair for explaining linguistic concepts in a way that is easy to grasp while still containing nuance. With that standard set, I'm happy to say that his insight in this book does not disappoint. Black English (or African-American Vernacular English, AAVE) is a complicated subject, socially speaking, and McWhorter helps frame it as the normal language phenomenon that it is by comparing its emergence to the existence of non-formal languages/dialects in other parts of the world. One particular point I found interesting was how McWhorter touches on the racist undertones of the idea that AAVE is 'broken' or 'wrong' English. While validating the racist undertones, he says (essentially) that accusations of racism are not conducive to the conversation on AAVE, and the linguistic arguments are the stronger arguments that it is a legitimate dialect of English. If you feel in your gut that AAVE/Black English is wrong, I really think giving this book a read is a good idea. It's short, to the point, and McWhorter's overall tone is knowledgeable while being accessible.

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esto le resultó útil a 13 personas

Basic Confidence Self-Help Tips

Revisado: 05-15-19

It's fine. Pretty basic confidence self-help tips with a twist of being presented by a former spy.

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Interesting and Horrifying.

Revisado: 04-02-19

I don't want to say I 'enjoyed' this book, because a lot of this history is grotesque, but I do want to say I found it illuminating. I have never been surprised at the racism that exists in America, but I was surprised at just how intense and how recent that racism really is.

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