"When I say that I was a feminist in kindergarten, I am not exaggerating," begins Isabel Allende. As a child, she watched her mother, abandoned by her husband, provide for her three small children without "resources or voice." Isabel became a fierce and defiant little girl, determined to fight for the life her mother couldn't have.
As a young woman coming of age in the late 1960s, she rode the first wave of feminism. Among a tribe of like-minded female journalists, she for the first time felt comfortable in her own skin, as they wrote "with a knife between their teeth" about women's issues. She has seen what has been accomplished by the movement in the course of her lifetime. And over the course of three passionate marriages, she has learned how to grow as a woman while having a partner, when to step away, and the rewards of embracing one's sexuality.
So what do women want? To be safe, to be valued, to live in peace, to have their own resources, to be connected, to have control over their bodies and lives, and above all, to be loved. On all these fronts, there is much work to be done, and this book, Allende hopes, will "light the torch of our daughters and granddaughters with mine. They will have to live for us, as we lived for our mothers, and carry on with the work still left to be finished."
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54075385-the-soul-of-a-woman
I really enjoyed reading this book, especially because it is not one that I would typically reach for in my spare time. As I was reading, I found some similarities between the text, and one that I am using for my literary analysis unit, "Sold." I noticed that the story of the author's friend in the beginning of the text reminded me very much of the main character in "Sold." I would most likely not utilize this text in my classes, however I can see that it could work, especially in the Women's Literature course here at SOTA. I would potentially use some of the ideas and quotes as writing prompts during my "Sold" unit for students to look at and analyze relating to feminism.
ReplyDeleteI loved the way Allende described feminism, particularly relating to the ocean, because I think it is true. The ocean is fluid and never-ending, just as the way feminism should be across the globe.
I got half way through this book and put it down. I think I am just tired of victim-centric literature and we read a lot of it in our circle. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I do want to be aware of the plight of marginalized groups, but I think I want a break from some of it. I think this is why I enjoyed the fantasy novel we did last year.
ReplyDeleteALso, the bok was more of a memoir than a story.
Allende presents her story. I can't relate to it, other than to feel sorry that most of the men in her life had negative impacts on her.