Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie gave a TEDxEuston, which is a conference focused on Africa. After speaking at different TED events, Ms Adichie was asked to come back and gave a serious talk on feminism. The talk was then turned into an e-book that worked so well that it was printed and sold around the world under the title “We Should All Be Feminists.” And after reading the little 52-page book, I’m not surprised at its popularity and acclimatization by advocates and scholars alike.
For both those versed in feminism and those who want to learn more about the subject, this book is a staple on anyone’s bookshelf. From start to finish, I kept reading instances and words that I didn’t expect. And he also opened up the subject so that it was not only interesting but revealing.
The book begins by recounting the death of her dear friend in a plane crash. This person was also the first to call her a “feminist,” and she admitted that she had to go home and look up exactly what the definition of those words was in a dictionary. She then began to accept this aspect of her different way of thinking compared to the culture in which she lived and she accepted herself.
Every turn of the page would give a look at how anti-feminism is systemic in African culture, but surprisingly it showed that some of the same problems persist in American society today. Of instances in a school where she was taken away a privilege that she earned because it was believed that a woman could not do it. To try to walk into a hotel and automatically be questioned as if she were a prostitute, the officer only realized that she was a paying guest.
She delves into the topic of how women are expected to be “nice” or “shy” in the corporate world, while men are supposed to be powerful and demanding. And when those same actions are emulated by a woman, people complain about the difficulty of working with her. It wasn’t that she was in some kind of power play, but that she was just imitating her male counterpart’s example.
Even instances where she started teaching a writing class and decided on the outfit she should wear in order to be taken seriously. As well as how she was responded to as a woman in a powerful teaching position and what respect or disrespect she experienced.
From front to back, the book I’ve read more than 5 times in the week I’ve had it. There are many instances where you will reread a section simply by seeing that even though you are talking about African culture, it is a topic that cuts across many cultures, including American. Anyone who has always wondered about Feminism or found so many options that go deep and feel overwhelmed, this is a book that is not only a great introduction, it is exciting and beautiful for those versed in Feminism.