Lori Perkins

#MeToo:Essays About How and Why This Happened, What It Means and How To Make Sure It Never Happens Again.
by Lori Perkins
2017
Riverdale Avenue Books
4.5 / 5

It's 2019. It's hard to believe #MeToo, a hashtag/movement named 10 years ago by Tamara Burke, is today even necessary. In fact, now more than ever, it is more than necessary.
It is essential.
We came so close to being a nation of people, working towards inclusion.
We came so close to being a nation, one of the only nations, whose pride was show more in our diversity-our ability to see beyond ourselves.
We came so close to being people with enough respect for each other, to give others, different from you, the same rights the entitled have always had and claimed.
We came so close to being enlightened enough as human beings, to instill an environment of people helping people,simply because we all have to live here together.
We came so close to being a nation known for our diversity, pride, respect and inclusion. Not just of ourselves, but of all people and nationalities.......
.....just to be pulled back into an environment we worked so hard to almost get beyond. The environment of fear. An environment where women, people not white, children of immigrants are treated as less, not equal. An environment that covers each other, because "boys will be boys". An environment where the phrase "Do you drink beer?" are actual responses to accusations of sexual misconduct. We are back to the "good old days", when "boys were boys" and its all just "locker room talk" anyway.
Its 2019, people. How can we explain the importance of personal dignity and respect, responsibility and not being a silent witness without #MeToo? We can not any more.
This book of essays was incredible, looking at the issue from all sides. It opened my eyes to the scope of the problem. How prevalent and ok we have become living in a subservient and subversive world. Ignoring, not supporting.
#MeToo is one of the most positive thing to come from all this. It needed to happen. Because as long as people need to be reminded that they are not entitled and its not ok to take something that is not freely given, we need movements like this. We need a reminder. Essays by Kata Mara (Silence=Violence); Jesse Berdinka's 'The Bully Culture
of Weinstein'; Paul M. Sammons male perspective on the Weinstein atmosphere and A.M. Carey's amazing history of the movement ....Poems by Liz DeBetta and Sherri Donovan... These are just a few of the many essays and stories included in this book. Each and every essay and story is a reminder of how much further we need to go to again start to win the fight of injustice and discrimination.
Please read this book, it will bring the issues so clear. Educate not hate.
We came so close.....with #MeToo it's possible again. show less

Thanks to the publisher and goodreads for a free copy!

So, let's get this out of the way first: I think 50 Shades of Grey has exactly zero redeeming qualities.

But there are also a lot of issues surrounding 50 Shades that are so important to talk about (such as abusive relationship dynamics) or fascinating (like the legal implications of publishing fanfic).

And I bring this up because much as I'd like to be totally neutral and write my review of 50 Writers... in a bubble, that's not going to show more happen.

50 Writers... is pretty much what it says on the tin: a bunch of essays by a variety of people about 50 Shades of Grey. Some of them I was fascinated with, some of them I skimmed, some of them I thought were insulting. Total mixed bag.

And here's where my bias creeps in: I didn't like the essays about why people love the series, or why it's so awesome and liberating for women. For all I know, these could be phenomenal essays, but my reaction is a firm no. I don't want to hear about it.

The stuff about the publishing? About fanfic? About misrepresentations of bdsm? Those were so interesting to read.

So, basically, this was a good collection of essays. I didn't like all of them, but that's what I've come to expect from an anthology. And I'm biased here: I would have liked this book a lot more were I a 50 Shades fan. show less

This is my unbiased and honest review of #MeToo, which I received at no cost from #NetGalley.

The essays run the gamut of the emotions and responses that this subject provokes. As a woman who entered the workforce in my 20s at the beginning of the 80s, I understand why so many people coming forward now never said anything. Who, exactly, were we to tell? The people in charge were all members of the club, and that includes the women. If you weren't in the club, you were powerless. Women did not show more mentor other women, because other women were competition for scarce slots. Unless you've been in that environment, or you've been the only woman in the room at a time when Debbie was doing Dallas, then you might have trouble imagining the challenges.

So read these, and feel free to disagree with them. You are allowed, after all. But do not discount the stories you hear, do not blame the victims, and do not allow this to occur to someone's daughter or son. Speak up and be supportive of those who do, because the reality is that while there are false accusations, they are a small portion of the accusations being made, and that "fake news" hurts people who have been assaulted or battered by an aggressor.

Read these and make intolerance your benchmark for assault or battery by an aggressor.

Read these and make our society intolerant of assault or battery by an aggressor.

Read these and hold the aggressor responsible for their actions.

Until WE do, they will continue being "boys" or "girls" who act without regard for OUR right to say yes AND no. show less

I enjoyed this writers take on the Fifty Shades phenomena. No matter what your take on the "original" book is, this commentary was quite interesting. The opinions found in here are as varied as the ones on the net and other public venues. Some are are derogatory, and others sing high praises, others still, engage in true literary criticism. I'd not thought of Mr. Grey as a Byronic hero--but that idea certainly has merit.

I was not able to finish the complete Fifty series, my incrediblity show more factor finally came into play, but I would reccommend this book to those who want to know about the cultural interplays that created the monster. show less