Ben Waber reviewed Down Girl by Kate Manne
An Unfortunately Still Timely Philosophical Treatise
4 stars
This is another banger from Manne, who here has penned a devastating, methodical dissection of misogyny in the West. While this book was written in 2016, the warnings and analyses here are unfortunately still essential and sting that much more (the frequent referrals to the Presidential election being a particular sore spot). I would've liked more macro, quantitative analysis paired with the case studies to validate some of the claims that are made here, although given the preponderance of evidence this is a minor quibble. Also be advised that this book spends time with extremely disturbing, violent episodes. Overall, this book is enlightening and an important work for understanding the deep, embedded nature of misogyny in our society and paths forward for finally engaging in the work of exorcising it. Highly recommend
This is another banger from Manne, who here has penned a devastating, methodical dissection of misogyny in the West. While this book was written in 2016, the warnings and analyses here are unfortunately still essential and sting that much more (the frequent referrals to the Presidential election being a particular sore spot). I would've liked more macro, quantitative analysis paired with the case studies to validate some of the claims that are made here, although given the preponderance of evidence this is a minor quibble. Also be advised that this book spends time with extremely disturbing, violent episodes. Overall, this book is enlightening and an important work for understanding the deep, embedded nature of misogyny in our society and paths forward for finally engaging in the work of exorcising it. Highly recommend