The Mother of All Questions (2017)

by Rebecca Solnit

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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604	24	38,990	(4.19)	23
In this collection of essays, Solnit offers a timely commentary on gender and feminism. Her subjects include women who refuse to be silenced, misogynistic violence, the fragile masculinity of the literary canon, the recent history of rape jokes, and much more.

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Showing 1-5 of 23 (next | show all)

Optimistic and inspiring! Recommended for all libraries. (

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librarianarpita | Jul 31, 2023 |

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

fernandie | Sep 15, 2022 |

One of the best feminist texts I’ve read. Really engages with the issues facing women today. Wish I could get it into the hands of more men. (

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thewestwing | Aug 12, 2022 |

This has been on my to-read list for a while and I'm so glad I was able to get it. Rebecca is a highly intelligent writer and her insights and perspectives affected me deeply. Her perspective on silence really struck me and I was impressed with the categories and ranges in which silence still exists. I envision re-reading this book (or selected essays) again. (

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mandarella | Jul 11, 2022 |

I really respected this collection of essays. They are smart, challenging, and on point. Sadly, they are also very applicable to current events, though the essays were written from 2014-16. She writes about silence, gun control, abortion, and women's rights. Solnit is one of the best essay writers out there, in my opinion.

Original publication date: 2017
Author’s nationality: American
Original language: English
Length: 176 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Format/where I acquired the book: purchased
Why I read this: off the shelf (

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japaul22 | Jun 27, 2022 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Solnit, Rebecca	—	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Calzada, Paz de la	Illustrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Riesselmann, Kirsten	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

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▾Awards and Honors

Distinctions

The A.V. Club best books (2017)

NPR: Books We Love (2017)

Notable Lists

NPR Best Book (2017)

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Canonical title

Original title

The Mother of All Questions

Alternative titles

Original publication date

People/Characters

Important places

San Francisco, California, USA

Isla Vista, California, USA

Texas, USA

Important events

Related movies

Giant (1956 | IMDb)

Epigraph

Dedication

In hope we keep going with love for the newcomers and their beautiful noise: Atlas; Ella and Maya; Isaac and Martin; Berkeley; Brooke, Dylan, and Solomon; Daisy and Jake; and thanks to the readers and to the hellraisers

First words

The longest and newest essay in this book is about silence, and I began it thinking I was writing about the many ways women are silenced.

Quotations

So much of feminism has been women speaking up about hitherto unacknowledged experiences, and so much of antifeminism has been men telling them these things didn't happen. "You were not just raped," your rapist may say, and then if you persist there may be death threats, because killing people is the easy way to be the only voice in the room.

Saying this upset some men. Many among that curious gender are easy to upset, and when they are upset they don't know it. They just think you're wrong and sometimes also evil.

Last words

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▾Book descriptions

In this collection of essays, Solnit offers a timely commentary on gender and feminism. Her subjects include women who refuse to be silenced, misogynistic violence, the fragile masculinity of the literary canon, the recent history of rape jokes, and much more.

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