Feminism 101

My feminist learning began with Gloria Steinem. While my upbringing definitely had me challenging gender norms, and challenging patriarchal ideas, learning about feminism as a concept came to me later. I wish I had a text like Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit when I was just beginning my journey. It would have been impactful and given me a lot more confidence in my own knowledge.

Men Explain Things to Me is a collection of essays by Rebecca Solnit. The seven essays that appear in this book cover topics such as violence against women, pay disparities, and grassroots movements that help forward the feminist movement. Each essay is short and succinct. It’s a wonderful book that would serve well as a primer to feminism.

Solnit is a stunningly articulate writer. She gets to the point quickly, explaining things that need to be explained in great detail. A lot of the essays could have been academic and removed, but Solnit uses plain and simple language to make the subject matter more understandable. She touches upon issues that affect women globally. Yet, the topics aren’t so centric to her own experience that it seems abstract or unrelatable to other people. Solnit’s feminism is intersectional. She also has a great sense of humor, as displayed in the first essay “Men Explain Things to Me.”

It’s easy to understand through these essays that the colonial and patriarchal structures have affected women, something that would help with further feminist reading. Often, people forget to talk about intersectional feminism or global feminism, focusing their ideas of feminism on the Global North. Solnit doesn’t do that, which makes this a great primer for dismantling the structures of society that harm people, and benefit only the few at the very top.

It is a short and quick read that should be used as a primer for feminist teaching. I can see how this collection of essays could inspire someone to become a feminist.