We Should All Be Feminists

This book makes feminism sound like a good thing, which it is. Here are some of my favorite quotes and descriptions from Ms. Ngozi Adichie. "Feminist: a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes." "My own definition is a feminist is a man or a woman who says, yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better. All of us, women and men, must do better." "Some men feel threatened by the idea of feminism. This comes, I think, from the insecurity triggered by how boys are brought up, how their sense of self-worth is diminished if they are not “naturally” in charge as men." Some females are also to be blamed for this. They believe they want a man to be dominate or lead the way. But it can be chalked up to their upbringing I guess, now that I think about it. "Gender is not an easy conversation to have. It makes people uncomfortable, sometimes even irritable. Both men and women are resistant to talk about gender, or are quick to dismiss the problems of gender. Because thinking of changing the status quo is always uncomfortable." I learned a lot about systems of oppression and how they can be blind to one another by talking to black men. I was once talking about gender and a man said to me, “Why does it have to be you as a woman? Why not you as a human being?” I use to ask myself why feminist only focused solely on equality of females/genders but this passage by Ngozi made perfect sense. If you don't focus on one issue, you'll lose your identity, or the sole reason you've fought. Yes, female rights are human rights but it's a right that has been getting oppressed for ages. And it's now time to highlight aspects of it that bring light to issues many face all over the world. "This type of question is a way of silencing a person’s specific experiences. Of course I am a human being, but there are particular things that happen to me in the world because I am a woman." I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femininity. And I want to be respected in all my femaleness. Because I deserve to be. I like politics and history and am happiest when having a good argument about ideas. I am girly. I am happily girly. I like high heels and trying on lipsticks. It’s nice to be complimented by both men and women (although I have to be honest and say that I prefer the compliments of stylish women), but I often wear clothes that men don’t like or don’t “understand.” I wear them because I like them and because I feel good in them. The “male gaze,” as a shaper of my life’s choices, is largely incidental. Thank you madam for your time and well thought out speech which has been translated into a short story. Very nice!

I’m writing this review for school but I think everyone should read this. This book is about a essay/ Ted talk about Chimamanda Ngozi Adichue’s life as being a women. She talks about how parts in her life were unfair to her and women. Like how her teacher let the person with the highest grade to be hall monitor, and she got the highest but the teacher changed it to it has to be a boy. And when she gave a worker a tip but the worker said thanks to the boy standing next to her because he is a man and apparently in the workers mind, only men can have money. My favorite part of the book was basically the whole thing. This is the only non-fiction book I willing read and it is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It is such a convincing essay on feminism and I love how the author doesn’t blame this issue on men and has sympathy for men too. She said that if we, both genders, can change our perspective on this then our future kids can be happier that they can be freer and don’t have to listen to gender expectations. I don’t have a least favorite part. This whole book was written beautifully written. My question for the author is when did u start feeling like women are treated unfairly and are you going to keep writing and speaking out about it? You should definitely read this book. I feel like feminism isn’t a huge topic that we all talk about, so I think everyone should be required to read this book. It is a short book so it’s not going to take forever to read and it has so much information. Feminism should be a more important topic that we should all learn about and reading this book and getting informed on it is how we can all start.

Look, I think of myself as a feminist. But I have read books about feminism that were the most BORING books ever written! This is not one of those! BUT the title kept me from reading it. Not because it is a bad title, but because it looked like it would be boring like those others. It was far from long and boring. If you are lucky enough to get to have the audio version read by the author there is an extra treat. Since I didn't read the book along with listening I can only give my impression of what I think the tree-book is like. I think it is short essays on different aspects of the feminine daily life, especially the world Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie lives in. Her voice and accent make this a delight to hear. The stories/essays are enlighting to intellect and soul. This is a short read. I read it in an hour before going to bed. So don't look at it with fear like I did. It's good and fast!

his book is a very short adaptation of the TED talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie of the same name. She talks of her experience of sexism growing up in Nigeria and how it has effected her life. It discusses why we still need feminism and why each and every person should be a feminist. Personally, I love the eloquent way this essay is worded; it’s persuasive but doesn’t pressure you or force you into agreeing with her. It doesn’t have to because her story speaks for itself. What I think is really important is how she emphasises the way that feminism is about equality between both sexes, something which is at the core of feminism but is overlooked so often in today’s society. This book is tiny, insightful and would make a perfect present as it also looks gorgeous. I highly recommend this to teenagers and young adults who are just being introduced to the concept on feminism, but equally anyone with an interest in the subject would also love it. It’s a great short read and one I wish every person was made to read. By defining feminism and what it is to be a woman in the world, Adichie sends forth both comfort and a challenge. Once when I was young, my great-grandmother told me about our city before pavement, and how they were sure cars would never last because they were impractical. Had the world listened, instead of putting down pavement, we'd all still be walking or riding horses. Women today too often accept the dated definition of what it is to be female, and content themselves with walking the dirt roads when there is a better way. It requires changes. It isn't easy. It will never be easy. The day we think it is, we will have forgotten how much was given to have it. Share

This is Adichie's TED talk given in 2013. After reading Roxane Gay's "Bad Feminist," and loving Adichie's previous novels, I wanted to hear her take on feminism. What I liked was how direct she is. She simply lays out the facts, and asks the pertinent questions. I've often come across women who believe it is hard for men as well, but Adichie explains this is not what the conversation is about. It is about gender and the particular things that happen to every woman simply because she is a woman. Adichie addresses male/female differences clearly. Biologically different? Yes, but socialization exaggerates these differences. Her example of cooking fit perfectly. Women are not born with a cooking gene, yet are usually expected to do so. (Yet men are the top chefs, making the most money) Evolution? Male apes are stronger, and more aggressive, with the males in charge families had a better chance of survival. BUT, we are not apes. Culture? Culture is the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular group. It is constantly changing. Culture does not make people, people make culture. Adichie states, " Often men say, I don't think like that. I don't even think about gender. And this is the problem. If men don't even think about it, they will do nothing to change it." Her definition of feminism, "A man or a woman who says, yes, there's a problem with gender today and we must fix it, we must do better. All of us, women and men, must do better." I found this to be a great little read, and admired that there is no blame game here. I would have loved to have been in the audience....as Adichie left the stage, she was hailed with a standing ovation.

I ordered this book used through Amazon's third party vendor and it was in PERFECT condition. Pages were crisp and text was on the larger side, but easy to read for someone like me whose Dyspraxic. Although!! I had to say, I was certainly surprised when I opened the package to see an even smaller book! Overall, I'd say it was about the size of an A6 journal (pocketbook) and only 50pgs. BUT! Then I had learned this was actually a styled transcript of one of Chimamanda's TEDTalks from a few years back, and it is a WONDERFUL read! Cannot emphasize this enough. When it comes to this read, she brings you into a new pair of shoes, located in Nigeria and challenges you to think of the definition of 'feminist' and what that word inspires- or the opposite distain thereof- to those around it. What intrigued me the most was how, even from across the world, I had seen so many similarities between our cultures and the constricting sexual expectations that they create. Chimamanda takes you through the pivotal moments of her life, directly relating to her sex and the surprising lack of understanding from her peers- Men and women alike. We are then left to theorize how to make our futures better, and the steps we can do to possibly improve. Chimamnda is a feminist, and this book will explain what and why that means. I hope you enjoyed this light read as much as I did!!

This was a nice and short read and is an adapted essay from Adiche's Ted Talk, which was given in 2012. The short book gives personal anecdotes and examples from Adiche's own life on why we should all be feminists; while also exploring the idea of gender equality in both the past and what is to come. It is very short but interesting as well to see gender in two different countries mentioned in this book, the United States and Nigeria. I just wish it was longer so Adiche's points were explored more!

I first came across the name of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in 2012 during a global leadership conference of a charity I was working for. We watched at her Ted Talk "The danger of a single story" (21.6M views at the time of thus review) to inspire participants. Then in 2017, while working for a different charity, we used her Ted Talk "We should all be feminists" to again inspire ourselves as we start a discussion on what we referred to as TLWR (Transformative Leadership for Women Rights). I decided to buy the book as a reference book on feminist. Chimamanda explains very well the concept of feminist with simple and jargon free words backed up with stories she and other women lived. If you're struggling to grasp the concept of feminist, invest an hour or less to read this book or just half an hour to watch her Ted Talk on the same topic. Read the book until the end to know Chimamanda's own def6of a feminist: "A feminist is a man or a woman who says, yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better. All of us, women and men, must do better." And don't stop there, go out and fight for equal rights and opportunities for women and men, for girls and boys. Because gender equality is good for men and women, is good for companies, is good for nations and is good for the world.

The thing about her writers voice, especially to a black African Female Read, is her ability to draw you in as though she was sitting right across conversing with you. Her work is so related, and easy to understand. It is not filled with pompous empty big unnecessary words that most feminists use to put across a point. I might be biased because I am a black African woman with similar childhood experiences that she writes about, but that's the fact that helps me relate with her. She tells my story is ways no other feminist can. Because she understands the female point view of what it means to be a female African feminist. Love her truly.

I’ll start this review with a personal anecdote. A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I were discussing what he would like to do for his birthday. He said that he would like to stay in a really fancy hotel that we had been looking into staying in for a while. I thought that this was a great idea and since it is six months until his birthday it gives me time to save up. When I told him this, he became sweetly defensive and told me that he didn’t expect me to pay for it. This was lovely of him to say because I earn substantially less than him. What I earn in a month he can in 3 times that amount in a week. However, it will be his birthday and I told him no, that I will pay for it. We then argued for a bit and I posed the question to him asking if it was my birthday and I wanted to stay somewhere would he let me pay and he became quiet before agreeing that he wouldn’t let me. When I asked him what the difference was his response was….wait for it…. “because I am a man.” Apparently you need to have a penis to pay for hotels these days. Who knew? Now my boyfriend is a good guy, he is respectful and he does believe that everyone (not just women) should have equal rights and I would even say that he is a bit of a male feminist. However, these ideals of men have money, they pay for things, this is how the world works mentality is so ingrained in our minds and societal functionality that even he slipped up and made this faux pas. This whole theme of male power is the concentration of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s essay, We Should All Be Feminists. This essay was only written a few years ago but the same issues are happening everyday in modern society: men get paid more for the same jobs that women do; men still hold the majority of high paid positions; women still take on the bulk of housework whilst holding down a full time job. Now, of course, you could argue that these are massive generalisations and I am homogenising groups for my own pleasure but, come on, even you (dear review reader) have to admit that there is some truth in what I am saying. Please give this short essay a read; it is fascinating in the fact that many things that we take for granted – both women and men (linguistic flip intended) – and gives us a deeper insight into modern society and how much things have changed yet how much there is still yet to achieve. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is available now.

The author speeds directly about an issue, the solution of which is very simple - we should all be feminists 😌

O livro é curto pois afinal de contas ele é a adaptação de uma palestra Ted ministrado pela autora e as palestras Ted são conhecidas por serem curtas, mas ao mesmo tempo esclarecedoras. E neste objetivo esse livro não falha. Ele é importante pois podemos entender as bases do feminismo e o porquê ele é importante na construção de a sociedade mais justa. Recomendo a leitura. Quanto ao nível de inglês, acredito que quem está no nível A2/B1 não vá ter muitos problemas.

"We should all be feminist" est en réalité la transcription d’une conférence TED Talk donnée par Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie en 2012 et dans lequel elle aborde la nécessité du féminisme dans notre société. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie est une autrice nigériane, son roman "Americanah" a connu un succès mondial et elle est une des figures majeures de l’afro-féminisme. Ce court essai de 50 pages est également disponible en français sous le titre Nous sommes tous des féministes, traduction complètement ratée qui perd le sens d’origine : nous devrions tous être féministes. La nuance est quand même non négligeable et c’est d’ailleurs tout le propos de ce livre ! A travers son expérience personnelle, Chimamanda revient sur les bases du féminisme et les principales problématiques auxquelles les femmes font face aujourd’hui : le harcèlement, l’intimidation, l’éducation genrée qui imprègne les enfants de clichés sexistes, la difficulté de se revendiquer féministe dans un monde qui a diabolisé ce mot, jusqu’au sexisme intériorisé par certaines femmes qui nuit non seulement à elles-mêmes mais à toute la cause féministe. Le format TED Talk a l’avantage de rendre le texte particulièrement facile d’accès (la VO se lit très bien sans avoir un excellent niveau d’anglais) et pédagogique. Pour ma part, étant déjà bien sensibilisée à ce sujet, je n’y ai d’ailleurs pas appris grand-chose mais le récit de Chimamanda résonne avec mon expérience et ça fait du bien parfois de pouvoir lire un texte qui nous fait dire "MAIS OUI, c’est exactement ça !" toutes les deux pages. Cependant l’essai étant très court, il reste en surface et n’aborde pas du tout les questions de genre qui vont bien au-delà de la dichotomie homme/femme. C’est en tout cas un livre que je mettrai entre toutes les mains, il est à la fois une bonne introduction pour les personnes peu sensibilisées au sujet qu’un moment de répit pour les féministes aguerri•es. Il permet aussi d’avoir le point de vue et le vécu d’une femme noire, une sorte de double peine qu’il n’est pas toujours évident de percevoir en tant que féministe blanche.