God, somebody tell me why: Bridesmaids
So last night, we rented Bridesmaids. We were already there at the Redbox, it was right there in front of us, and it was supposed to be a hilarious and heartwarming romp, right? It got critical accolades, it got 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes–it should be a laff riot, right? Holy shit, Batman. Bridesmaids is [...]
...read moreGo see The Interrupters
I caught this new documentary by Steve James (Hoop Dreams, Stevie) & Alex Kotlowitz (There Are No Children Here) during its sold-out run at the Siskel Center last week. Trailer: The Interrupters Imagine walking down a street where everyone is armed – with guns, rocks, knives – and a fight is breaking out. Imagine walking [...]
...read moreIt’s Ramadan. How ’bout those Muslim feminists?
In honor of Ramadan (which began this week), and the fact that I have but a little time left with the lovely folks of Feministe, I thought I would aim once again for the overlap in my life’s Venn Diagram. To your right! The circle labelled “reads a lot of books.” To your left! The [...]
...read moreReview: Not Ordinarily Borrowable or, Unwelcome Advice by Thomas Thurman
Friends, we here at Feministe are all lovers of books, particularly books about women going out in the world, and into themselves. That’s why it was such a pleasure to receive a review copy of such a book written by one of our own readers. That book is Not Ordinarily Borrowable or, Unwelcome Advice, a [...]
...read moreWhy Roger Ebert is the best
He is hilarious, and also such a stealth feminist: “No Strings Attached” poses the question: Is it possible to regularly have sex with someone and not run a risk of falling in love? The answer is yes. Now that we have that settled, consider the case of Emma (Natalie Portman) and Adam (Ashton Kutcher), who [...]
...read moreThe Prodigal Book Reviewer
When I first applied to library science programs, I think I was working under this unconscious, internalized stereotype of librarianship being an easy job, and library school being a breeze. This might have been exacerbated by my other experience with grad school, an MFA, which was basically summer camp with professors. Boy, did I get [...]
...read moreBook Review: Share This!
Share This!: How You Will Change the World with Social Networking by Deanna Zandt (Berrett-Koehler Publishers) Back in ’08, when the conventions of social networking were still maybe a little wonky (because of course they’re perfectly logical now), my husband wasn’t invited to a party because the invitations were sent out through Facebook and he [...]
...read moreBook Review: Working For Justice
Working for Justice: The L.a. Model of Organizing and Advocacy edited by Ruth Milkman, Joshua Bloom, and Victor Narro (Cornell University Press) I first found out about this book when I got an email from one of my activist friends, which she had sent out to all her activist friends, about the release party. I [...]
...read moreMuslim Women on Sex and the City 2
In light of yesterday’s discussion of SatC, I thought I’d direct your attention to Muslimah Media Watch’s discussion of the film. If any non-Arab, non-Muslim readers are itching to say (or repeat), “Well, I don’t think it’s racist, and my opinion is valid, too, and also you’re just looking for stuff to complain about!” just [...]
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Defending Sex and the City (sort of, not really).
I haven’t seen the latest Sex and the City movie, and I don’t plan to because I’m sure it will be terrible. It also sounds a little bit racist! And, like the rest of the franchise, shallow and kind of silly. However, Choire makes some good points here: It used to be that we loved [...]
...read moreSpeechless
Overcoming Speechlessness: A Poet Encounters the Horror in Rwanda, Eastern Congo, and Palestine/Israel by Alice Walker (Seven Stories Press) “In Kigali I paid my respects to the hundreds of of thousands of infants, toddlers, teenagers, adolescents, young engaged couples, married people, women and men, grandmothers and grandfathers, brothers and sisters of every facial shape and [...]
...read moreSi son de amores vengan derechas
The House of Secrets: The Hidden World of the Mikveh by Varda Polak-Sahm (Beacon Press) One clear evening in Jerusalem, Varda Polak-Sahm shows up alone at her neighborhood mikveh – a ritual bath for Jewish women – to purify herself before her second wedding. After her first mikveh experience, during which she kept her out-of-wedlock [...]
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