A collection of essays by award-winning author and self-titled feminist by Roxane Gay.
Dates read: 01/10/2021 to 21/01/2022
Star rating: ⭐⭐
Word to describe: Tedious
Genre: Non-Fiction
I am not one to give negative reviews. In fact, I really don't like to as I tend to always consider the time, effort, and dedication an author puts into their craft. Nevertheless, I found Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay extremely boring which is incredibly disappointing since the book was described as a witty and humorous approach to feminism. Although there were some chapters that I was engaged in and had liked reading, I felt like what could've been summed into chapters of half the size was drawn out into long-winded explanations about a very simple context.
For example, the chapter Not Here To Make Friends consists of thirteen pages (ebook pages) to describe a phenomenon that is female characters, who are individual and unique, are often portrayed as unlikeable, because they simply step away from society's image of normal. In itself this concept is brilliant, and the examples that Roxane Gay explores are perfectly suited to the point she makes, but if not for the never-ending explanation this chapter would be an excellent essay. By the end of the chapter the wow moment simply never arrives, I was never in awe at her critical thinking. I struggled to continue reading this chapter without feeling although my eyes were dropping from the monotony of it. If anything, this chapter like many others is a long pretentious essay that somehow sucked away any previous enjoyment into the topic of feminism and society itself.
That being said, there were some chapters that I enjoyed reading. Some that engaged my attention, and actually created a good experience with this book. For example, How We All Lose, The Alienable Rights of Women, and The Careless Language of Sexual Violence. All of which are excellent discussions into the ongoing battle for humanity against sexual misconduct, the control of reproductive rights, and other horrific acts. The latter half of the book offered some insightful and well-rounded pieces of work. They were clear and concise, each new piece of media introduced added to the initial point without reading like an unnecessary burden. However, the small number of chapters I enjoyed do not change the larger view, in which this book was overall lacking. It is somewhat intriguing, new things were learned and some valuable life lessons were embedded into this book. Albeit, no matter how many words are gathered from the thesaurus, and how many books are referenced, no amount of extra information could make this book enjoyable.
Each essay feels like a never-ending critical review of books, movies, and TV shows, without ever actually hitting the point the essay was trying to make. The writing is long and monotonous. Each paragraph felt like a trek through quicksand, searching and searching for the light at the end, but only getting stuck deeper. In all honesty, that is the best metaphor my brain can come up with to describe the bitter mess that is in this book. So overall, if you're looking for a great non-fiction look elsewhere but if you're after a critique of every show and book you've heard of, maybe give it a try!
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