The Feminism Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained by D.K. Publishing

The Feminism Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained Reviews

• 
  Riccardo Mazzocchio

  Enciclopedico, ricco di citazioni e riferimenti bibliografici. Un testo completo da assaporare a poco a poco e da consultare via via proprio per la grande quantità di fatti e opinioni riportate. La storia del movimento e la rilettura del "consorzio umano" in chiave femminile inclusi il femminismo di colore o comunque non-bianco, che si caratterizza anche per la sua connotazione razziale, etnica e i gruppi LGBTQ+ tra i più oppressi e marginalizzati. "Fighting sexism in the modern day is not about men against women, but people against prejudice."
• 
  Amanda Knox

  This book is a lot to take in. It is a high quality book with great images and it makes a strong, obvious, and pretty successful attempt at being global and intersectional. What I like is you can read about as much or as little as you'd like with the layout, but that's also what I hated. There is just SO much information crammed onto a small space that you can't really get into all of it. It's a great reference and great for browsing, but you deserve an award if you can read it cover to cover.
• 
  Radwa

  English Review Below.
  
  يمكنني بسهولة ترشيح هذا الكتاب كمقدمة جيدة وشاملة نوعا ما للنسوية. فكرة الجدول الزمني التي يتبعها الكتاب تتيح للقارئ سهولة رؤية تطور حركة النسوية على مر العصور. ينقسم الكتاب إلى عدة أجزاء وكل جزء يتبع فترة زمنية معينة أو "موجة" للنسوية، وكل منها ينقسم إلى فصول وكل فصل لا يزيد عن 4 صفحات ويشمل صور ملونة ورسوم إنفوجرافيك وأسلوب كتابة غير معقد، وكل هذا يجعله مدخلا مناسبا للنسوية.
  طبعا لاحظت قلة الفصول التي تتعلق بالتعامل مع القضايا النسوية في الدول العربية، ولكن هذا مفهوم طبعا، بما أن النسوية لا زالت تُحارب في دولنا هنا وما زلنا بعيدين عن حقوق كثيرة حققتها دول أخرى. يبدأ الكتاب تركيزه على النسوية بشكل أساسي ومع اقترابه من الفصول التي تتحدث عن الحاضر يبدأ بتضمين فصول تتعلق بالقضايا الجندرية أيضا.
  الكتاب ليس عميقا جدا، فهو في أقل من 400 صفحة يتحدث عن تاريخ النسوية عام 1700 تقريبا حتى الآن، لذا بالتأكيد ستودون البحث على الإنترنت لمعرفة المزيد عن جماعة بعينها أو نتيجة قرار معين، لكنه مدخل جيد يتيح لكم نقطة ليبدأ منها البحث ويتضمن كذلك الكثير من التعريفات للمصطلحات والمفاهيم المستخدمة في النسوية.
  الكتاب غير مترجم للعربية، لكن سأقول إن إنجليزيته تناسب القارئ المتوسط، وكذلك هذه السلسلة من الكتب، التي يتعمق كل كتاب منها في موضوع بعينه، أرشحها جد، يعني صرت متحمسة للبدء في كتب الميثولوجيا والتاريخ والأدب منها بعد الانتهاء من هذا.
  
  I can safely say and recommend this book as a good overlook introduction to feminism. It includes many facets and sub-aspects of feminism, and the timeline aspect of the book makes you able to see the chronological progress of feminism, mostly all over the world.
  
  It's divided into parts, each part tackles a certain period or "wave" of feminism, and each chapter is 4 pages maximum, with nice photographs and info-graphics and approachable writing style, that really works well as a gateway to feminism. It tries its best to include all opinions, but I noticed the scarcity of Muslim and Middle East feminism, but the few chapters they included showed why feminism movements flourished everywhere, and crawled in the Middle East. It starts with focus on feminism and as the years progress it starts talking about queer rights and their part of the feminism movements.
  
  You'd certainly need to dig deeper after this book to understand a certain event or to know the consequences of a certain group, but to me, I feel I'll able to recommend it as one of the introductory books about feminism. Also, this series from DK (Big Ideas Simply Explained) are really recommended, after this one I'm excited to dig into the other ones I've got.
• 
  Sepehr Karimi

  این ریویو در مورد این کتاب خاص نیست. بلکه درباره موضوع اونه.
  ما الان در حال تجربه ی موج چهارم فمینیسم هستیم. موجی که قدرت اصلیش از اینترنت میاد و همه هم بهش دسترسی دارن. با توجه به اتفاقات چند سال اخیر، فضای سیاسی اکثر دنیا طوری شده که فمینیسم و فمینیست ها بخش بزرگی از اخبار و پست های آنلاین و... رو تشکیل میدن. در همین راستا، مخالفت باهاش هم خیلی زیاد شده. طبیعیه. باید اینطور باشه اصلا. اما برای منی که روزی نشده پستی مرتبط با این موضوع نبینم، مهم ترین مساله ی این جنبش های مخالف، حرف بدون دانش زدنه.
  همینطور که گفتم، مخالفت با فمینیسم باید وجود داشته باشه. من خودم مدتی هست به دنبال مطالب مخالف هستم که ببینم چی میگن یا اشکالات عقاید خودم رو پیدا کنم تا رشد بدم به دانشم. اما وقتی میگردم توی فضای مجازی، میبینم که چقدر مخالف ها حرف هایی میزنن که نشون از ندونستن میده. برای مثال، خیلی میبینم که فمینیسم رو معادل قرار میدن با «نزدن موهای بدن زنان»، یا «تنفر از مرد ها»، یا «حقوق برتر از مرد ها داشتن». این نظرات از کجا میاد؟ نظر شخصی من اون افرادی هستن که تریبونی توی این فضا دارن و عقیده خودشون رو میگن و مردم این عقاید رو برابر ب�� کل فمینیسم در نظر میگیرن.
  راه حل چی میتونه باشه؟ فقط مطالعه. همون اشخاصی که سعی در تبلیغ فمینیسم دارن، کسایی که میخوان مخالفت بکنن، مردها، زنها، همه... باید مطالعه بکنن در مورد این موضوع اگر میخوان در موردش نظری بدن.
  اینکه هر کسی هر چیزی گفت رو تعمیم بدیم به کل یک جنبش، اینکه یک جنبش رو تقلیل بدیم به یک ایده، و اینکه با خوندن پست های چند کلمه ای اینترنتی و تیتر های جهت دار یک دید کلی و جامع از یک واقعیت شکل بدیم، همه اینا اشتباهاتی هستن که خیلی فراوان شدن. نه فقط در مورد فمینیسم. درباره ی همه مسائل.
  بالاتر گفتم که دنبال مطالب مخالفت با عقاید خودم میگردم و تا حالا چیز قابل توجهی پیدا نکردم. امیدوارم پیدا کنم و بتونم خودم رو به چالش بکشم. اینکه آدم فقط چیزی که آن خودش هم عقیده ست رو بخونه، هیچ فایده ای نداره. مثل این میمونه که دنبال تایید حرف خودت باشی فقط.
• 
  Ghada

  Its amazing but require lots of patience as it contains so much information. It took me a lot of time actually to finish it.
  It speaks about feminism in historical aspect along with different feminist ideas.
  My only issue with it is that they didn't mention the struggle women in other cultures still face. It was mostly about western feminism. Of course it has brief mentions of feminist movements in other cultures but that was not enough. The struggles of women are global and its not a win for one culture among all others.
• 
  Jo

  If you were looking for a basic introduction to the key views, events and people of the movement(s), then this is the book for you. It covers the history of feminism from around the end of the 18th century and brings it up to the present day. There are chapters on different movements and reminders that feminism is not just for white middle class women. You don't have to agree with every viewpoint but it is worth reading to understand things better.
• 
  Nicole Martin

  DK managed to pack A LOT of content into roughly 327 pages. Whether you’re new or old to feminism, or just want a factual account of the movements, this is a great read.
  
  I would recommend this for ages 12/13+ if reading independently. Broad concepts could be easily explained to a younger reader if they’re interested.
• 
  Jacqueline Lafloufa

  Demorei alguns anos lendo esse livro, porque é difícil e enervante ganhar esse tipo de conhecimento. Mas ao final da leitura fiquei feliz em conseguir compreender e encadear meu conhecimento sobre algo que descobri quase que naturalmente, pela irritação com o mundo, e entender que a irritação 1) não era só minha e 2) é histórica.
  O livro é como uma enciclopédia (por isso tamanha demora na leitura) mas também é suficientemente leve (com imagens, gráficos e aspas), didático (assume que não sabemos nada e explica cada momento) e bem organizado.
• 
  Whitney Archer

  I really like these series. They’re not US-only focused and they summarize big ideas and theories well.
• 
  Marina

  It should be IDR 365.000 but i only paid IDR 192.000! So happy! Thankyou Books and Beyond!
• 
  Tonia

  Great series. All the glossy photos and engaging text you'd expect from a DK children's book combined with the content depth of a 'for dummies' guide.
• 
  Chadd VanZanten

  A no-frills, dude-friendly guide to the movement's founders, pioneers, leaders, and unsung champions.
• 
  Marina Leite

  4.5
• 
  Daniel Salgado-Alvarez

  Great reference book for anyone interested in learning about the different “waves”, perspectives, and approaches to feminism. I especially enjoyed the fact that the book actively sought to capture international contributions and contributions from people of color. Because of the length and density of information in this book, I recommend that you read it over the course of a few weeks rather than a few days in order to truly capture the information.
• 
  Sylvia Green

  Un bel librone sulla storia del femminismo, dal protofemminismo che risale all'Illuminismo fino al movimento #MeToo, con una bella carrellata di persone, libri, nomi, luoghi, termini, correnti e organizzazioni che hanno formato e formano tutt'oggi il variegato mondo femminista. Non dovete pensarlo come un libro di 'propaganda', perché non ha paura di mettere in luce alcune contraddizioni e conflitti, come il dibattito sulla prostituzione, e alcune parti del femminismo non proprio bellissime a mio parere, come le TERF e il lesbismo politico. Mancano sicuramente diverse cose, e per forza: in un libro di 500 pagine non si può pensare di riassumere trecento anni di storia, e ognuno di noi ci troverà quella chicca che potevano mettere e che hanno scelto di non fare; nel mio caso, sono due pagine dedicate alla mascolinità tossica, ma sicuramente ci sono altri difetti che voi potrete vedere. Tuttavia, è sicuramente una bella panoramica per avere un'idea un po' più completa e meno a 'storiella' di che cosa sia il femminismo, perché è nato e che cosa vuole. Quattro stelle meritate, e sicuramente lo rileggerò meglio.
• 
  Colin McKell-Redwood

  Really great introduction to the subject like the other books in this series I have read. DK have got together some of the leading experts for each book. Huge scope, so it was by necessity quite superficial, but gives you a good introduction to the key issues and events. The only quibble I had was that it defined feminism as starting in about 1780 or so, whereas it would have been good to see the wider history. But I now know where to look for that context thanks to this book.
  Highly recommended.
• 
  Phoebe Chin

  An excellent reference book, packed full of ideas. It was inspiring.
• 
  Grant Keegan

  Feminism is one of the most contemporary and misunderstood topics that I have come across. Each day I learn new ideas and experiences from women I know that impulse me to inform myself about these ideologies. After reading Chanel Miller’s incredible memoir “Know My Name”, I became interested in learning and understanding feminism. The way history has shaped it into what it is today, and the huge amount of work that is still left to be done.
  
  This is my first book in DK’s amazing “Big Ideas Simply Explained Series”, and I have to say, it is incredible how brilliantly these concepts are presented. Each chapter covers a single theme, in chronological order and with information neatly divided and supported by pictures, data bits and mental maps. In this case, the complex topic of feminism is thoroughly explored from the first ideas and writings in the 18th century, to contemporary feminism, which has a lot of ideas worth exploring and that are still being worked on.
  
  The first chapters explore how first wave feminism, helped with previous ideas by authors in England, Sweden, and the United States, led to important causes such as securing voting rights, and developing ideas against the patriarchal system present throughout most of history. There were sections that introduced concepts that I have noticed, but could never explain with words.
  
  After that, I read about new feminist movements from the 1950s to today, each decade introducing and building upon previous ideas and challenges. To me, were the most interesting topics in the entire book. Reading these stories and ideas inspired me, and I realized how many of the women I know have come across them in their day-to-day life.
  
  The book is brilliantly written, I really enjoy the format of these books, and I can’t wait to check out more books from the “Big Ideas Simply Explained” series, as it really lives up to its name. Even though the book is packed with information, it does a great job making the concepts stick.
  
  On the topic of feminism, I found my mind changed on a lot of things. I also realized how important it is to be socially and politically aware of the history and effects behind many realities in society. I highly enjoyed reading this book, and I would recommend it to anyone who has an open mind and wants to challenge their own ideas and preconceived notions.
  
  Final Score: 85/100
  
  For more reviews and cool content follow me on:
  📚 My Official Blog -
  https://grantkeegan.com
  ▶️ YouTube -
  https://youtube.com/channel/UCpWCw5dV...
  👨‍💻 Twitch -
  https://twitch.tv/grantkeeganofficial
  📷 Instagram -
  https://instagram.com/grantkeeganoffi...
  🐦 Twitter -
  https://twitter.com/gkeeganofficial
  
• 
  Courtney

  2.5 stars.
  When I picked up this book from the library on a whim, I had no idea how dense it was. I knew it covered a lot of time and ideas, but it read almost like an encyclopedia (albeit an easy to understand one). It was hard to encourage myself to read this, but it had some great information in it. I am especially glad that there were specific sections throughout the book that covered feminism in countries other than the US and UK. Learning more about all these feminist names that I've heard was interesting, as I was able to put them in the larger context of the feminist movement, but this book was not particularly fun to read as it almost dragged on. Just keep that in mind, future readers!
• 
  Miranda

  This book is phenomenal!! I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn the basics of feminism and why it is so important. The layout is kind of like a text book, and it's not something a lot of people could read cover to cover (I did). But the amount of information in there is just amazing, and unlike a text book, this book keeps things interesting the whole way through! It explores feminism from the very beginning all the way up to the #metoo movement. Each page is set up so that you can read as much or as little of it as you want and still come away with some cool information. I also really like that it highlights so many other feminist works. I have added a bunch of books to my "to read" list from the suggestions in this book.
• 
  AmericanFuturist

  The book goes over the major theories, figures, and movements that make up Feminism like but not limited too: Enlightenment Feminism, Marxist Feminism, Suffrage Movement, Birth Control, Simone de Beauvoir's 'The Second Sex', Shulamith Firestone's 'The Dialectic of Sex', Trans Feminism etc. While the book may not be a 'be-all end-all', it does provide enough information so it just gives you a general gist of what Feminism is and the general gist of the ideas that they go over. If you wanted to explore more into a given topic, it provides you with various feminist figures and key works that can help you further understand said ideas and movements within Feminism.
• 
  Xiomara Canizales

  This is a very complete book about Feminism, from the beginning to where we are today.
  I wouldn’t recommend to read it “in one sitting” because is packed with a lot of information and references.
  Is a perfect book for beginners and the thing that I liked the most is that it doesn’t lean to one side or the other but merely presents the facts so you can make your own opinions in the subject, it also offers as many views as possible to point out that feminism is not a lineal idea.
  
  I learned a lot from this book and I want to dive in all the suggestions made throughout this book.
• 
  Spriya

  A phenomenal, comprehensive, detailed book on feminism from its origins.
  This book was a lot to take in, which is completely understandable as it is a nonfiction guide, almost.
  However, DK publishing provided us with a conveniently organized book full of intriguing ideas and theories, shedding light on some of our most unknown feminists and beliefs.
  More importantly, the way in which the information was presented was unbiased and reputable.
  Took me a while to read, but I look forward to using this book as a reference source, as well as all the other books in this amazing series.
• 
  Ellie Midwood

  If you ever wondered how feminism originated, who the most prominent figures were, and how the movement evolved with time, this book is definitely a must-read! It sums up all the waves and presents short biographies of all the brave suffragettes, writers, journalists, and political figures who fought for women’s equality. Certain examples gave me thorough chills and some - goosebumps of inspiration and pride at the expectation of more changes to come. All in all, it’s an excellent study which I would highly recommend to everyone!
  
• 
  Jackie

  A global, intersectional collection of key players, problems, movements, discourse, and dialogue for feminism at large. Something that stretches the main events on a timeline of 1800-2018 can’t possibly be all-encompassing without being a tome. But this is a great place to start—especially for young people with a passion for civil rights, history, gender & sex equality, politics, activism, grassroots organizations, and sociology.
• 
  Miguel

  First time reading a book from this series and I really enjoyed it. Not knowing much about feminism this gave me a really good overview that will influence my next few books.
  Each chapter has a title that tries to encompass what is being relayed along with foundational works, the author of the work, along with a deeper dive into the concept.
  
  I really feel well armed to talk about the movement, it's roots, and it's future
• 
  Cecilia Fazzio

  De todas as 352 páginas, apenas uma é dedicada ao feminismo no Brasil, e pasmém, é a Maria da Penha. Uma outra página tratou do feminismo em países pós-coloniais, mas também de forma supérflua. Em resumo: o feminismo pertence ao europeu ou norte-americano. Aqui, temos que lidar com a realidade!!!