The Female Man / Joanna Russ

The Female Man

by

Joanna Russ

published by Beacon Press in 1975
read by Agamedes in July 2009
science fiction

This book begins as a fem lib statement, with a few characters -- all female -- representing various good and bad stereotypes. The book then evolves into a rant against men. Many of the points are valid; they make you think. The men-suppressing-women attitudes are familiar; I accepted -- or lived with -- many of them at about the time the book was written. In common with many one-sided sermons of suffering, the author sees only the persecution of self. If the characters were male and black, or meat eaters in a vegetarian society, or perhaps Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, it would make as much sense. This aside, the sentiments are worthy. The characters are cardboard and creepy, what I believe is intended to be Utopia sounds -- to me -- like authoritarian Dystopia, it’s difficult to know who is supposed to be “the author”. Then there is no discernible plot. I stopped reading, half way through.

Agamedes' rating: 3 out of 10

Buy it if you must -- buy it from my link and I get a commission. But don't pretend that I recommended it.