I'm not a feminist but I

cooper — Wed, 09 May 2007 23:14:18 -0500

I'm not a feminist but I read it and tend to agree with the post at "Marginal Notes". This was more of an entertainment than a "book on feminism. A book men will like for sure, and that doesn't give it much credibility in my mind.

But on the other hand I am torn as if a few twelve year old girls read it, and it gives them something to think about, so much the better, maybe.

Bloggers Review Jessica Valenti's "Full Frontal Feminism"

Melinda Casino — Mon, 07 May 2007 17:14:20 -0500

Jessica Valenti's book, Full Frontal Feminism, has just been published. I'm not so interested in what professional reviewers are saying about it; I'm interested in what bloggers are saying about it.

DakotaWomen is flattered to be mentioned in Full Frontal Feminism and writes, "Even though I'm no longer anywhere near my 20s, I have found it a very interesting and entertaining read."

Transatlanticism has a mixed review:

"…the book is full of useful information that you can give to people who didn't already know it (I'm preaching to the choir here, I know) but it doesn't really provide a new way to approach feminism for young women. The author would accurately be described as second wave, I suppose, but she eschews those labels in the book, simplying the message to 'equality now!' which is alright by me because even I find the labels confusing and counterproductive."

Another blogger "couldn't even make it through the first couple of chapters." Find out why at Ornithology for Beginners.

Hugo Schwyzer calls it "a quick, easy read" and is so enthusiastic he's adding it to his course syllabus.

Shrapnel420 says "this lady should be worshipped" and has an excerpt from Full Frontal Feminism.

Ama Lee of Feminist Review wasn't so impressed, and sees it as marketing-over-substance:

"If you're truly looking to find out why feminism matters, you'd be better served to flip to the booklist in the back of Full Frontal Feminism and read some of the titles listed there â€“ including Colonize This!, Listen Up: Voices from the Next Generation, To Be Real, and The Fire This Time â€“ because cool packaging is really great, but if there's nothing of substance inside then what you are selling is just the packaging."

Easy, breezy feminism

Full Frontal Feminism has prompted discussion about the quality and tenor of the Feministing.com site itself. There's an interesting debate in the comment thread to "More on Faux Feminism…" at Marginal Notes.

The discussion swings back and forth; one commenter can't fault Valenti for taking a populist approach, while the blog author calls it "easy, breezy feminism".

Full Frontal Feminism is an example of crossover between bloggers and the publishing industry. Feminism has always been a hard sell to the publishing world, but Valenti's writings at Feministing.com means she already has a built-in audience of buyers.

We already know blog-style writing, and even previous blog posts, can be bundled into saleable books -- but can they be bundled into profitable books?

Time will tell.

More for your feminist bookshelf

In addition to Full Frontal Feminism, here are a few more books you might be interested in.

Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future, and her latest book, Look Both Ways: Bisexual Politics, by Jennifer Baumgardner - See Feministing.com interview with the author.
Catching a Wave: Reclaiming Feminism for the 21st Century, Rory Dicker, Alison Piepmeier
Listen Up: Voices from the Next Feminist Generation, Barbara Findlen
Colonize This!: Young Women of Color on Today's Feminism, Daisy Hernandez, Bushra Rehman, Cherrie Moraga (Forward)
The Female Thing, by Laura Kipnis - See Bookslut's post from 2006 for more.
The Fire This Time: Young Activists and the New Feminism, Vivien Labaton, Dawn Lundy Martin
Starving Girls, Perfect Daughters, Courntey E. Martin

Melinda Casino also writes at Sour Duck.

BlogHer - Bloggers Review Jessica Valenti's "Full Frontal Feminism" - Comments

I'm not a feminist but I

Bloggers Review Jessica Valenti's "Full Frontal Feminism"