the Bitch in the house

Upon receiving this book for review, lilEinstein (who is driving himself around in my old Honda and definitely not so little anymore) wanted to know why on earth I would want to read about Germaine Greer. To which I asked my newly turned sixteen year old boy, what on earth do you know about Germaine Greer?!

It turns out he knows quite a bit.

The internet, and his curious love of all things political, has led the lilEinstein down some interesting ‘research’ Google rabbit holes. Being curious about my work and my feminism, Germaine Greer popped up at some point and he now has opinions about her. He hasn’t read her work -outside of what has been reprinted or available on the internet- but he has read a lot of political and feminist criticism of her theories.

However, I want to be clear, that while Germaine herself has no more improved her standing in my humble esteem, the book itself was a very interesting read. Not only did the author, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, go into painstaking detail about Germaine’s life, she provides a rich context to understand the moment of Germaine’s success. This context is a valuable resource for understanding the thrust and conflicts of the second wave feminist movement; the impact of which continues to influence society at large and feminists specifically right now. The second wave feminist movement has not very much waned, but sort of clumsily crashed onto the shore making way for subsequent iterations and generations of feminism that speak to our current time. There are not many resources in print for understanding the early days of the second wave and few – outside of scholars like myself – have access to understanding the complexities of the fight for women’s equality. No topic of the fight has gone unmarked and the controversies around Germaine’s stance on issues like transgenderism reveals how successfully Kleinhenz has thoroughly investigated her subject.

However, I want to be clear, that while Germaine herself has no more improved her standing in my humble esteem, the book itself was a very interesting read. Not only did the author, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, go into painstaking detail about Germaine’s life, she provides a rich context to understand the moment of Germaine’s success. This context is a valuable resource for understanding the thrust and conflicts of the second wave feminist movement; the impact of which continues to influence society at large and feminists specifically right now. The second wave feminist movement has not very much waned, but sort of clumsily crashed onto the shore making way for subsequent iterations and generations of feminism that speak to our current time. There are not many resources in print for understanding the early days of the second wave and few – outside of scholars like myself – have access to understanding the complexities of the fight for women’s equality. No topic of the fight has gone unmarked and the controversies around Germaine’s stance on issues like transgenderism reveals how successfully Kleinhenz has thoroughly investigated her subject.

Though the value of the book might not be in the lionizing of Germaine herself, the quality research and insightful writing by Kleinhenz makes for an excellent read and an exceptional historical resource. At the end of the day, isn’t that the making of a good book?

improved her standing in my humble esteem, the book itself was a very interesting read. Not only did the author, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, go into painstaking detail about Germaine’s life, she provides a rich context to understand the moment of Germaine’s success. This context is a valuable resource for understanding the thrust and conflicts of the second wave feminist movement; the impact of which continues to influence society at large and feminists specifically right now. The second wave feminist movement has not very much waned, but sort of clumsily crashed onto the shore making way for subsequent iterations and generations of feminism that speak to our current time. There are not many resources in print for understanding the early days of the second wave and few – outside of scholars like myself – have access to understanding the complexities of the fight for women’s equality. No topic of the fight has gone unmarked and the controversies around Germaine’s stance on issues like transgenderism reveals how successfully Kleinhenz has thoroughly investigated her subject.

Though the value of the book might not be in the lionizing of Germaine herself, the quality research and insightful writing by Kleinhenz makes for an excellent read and an exceptional historical resource. At the end of the day, isn’t that the making of a good book?