Book #60: Dear Ijeaweale by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions
Number of pages: 61
This book is written in the form of a letter from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to a friend about how to raise her daughter as a feminist.
I really enjoy her writing, and this made some good points. Although the fact that gender stereotypes are enforced to children at an early age, which is mentioned here, has been known for a while, she came up with a lot of things I'd never thought of, like her idea that married couples should both choose a completely new family name rather than taking the husbands. She also mentions that feminism and femininity are not mutually exclusive, when defending the rights of daughters to wear make up if they choose to.
I like the way that she kept her dialogue completely balanced, but acknowledging that not all women are feminists. The best example she gave was a video where a woman was applauding her husband for doing the cooking; the idea was that he did not need this just for doing a stereotypically female job.
I really need to read more of Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche's books; maybe Purple Hibiscus.
Next book: Afoot in England (W.H. Hudson)