Don’t ever let it be said that all Men’s Rights Activists hate women so much that they can’t recognize any contributions that women have ever made to civilization.
In the Men’s Rights subreddit, one brave soul named omegaphallic recently stood up to give two cheers to the ladies:
Yeah, saying women hardly ever produce scientific or cultural stuff is bullsh*t, and it makes the MRM look bad.
So let’s hear it. What have the little ladies done?
Some of the best actors, musicians, volleyballs players, writers, pornstars, plus there are some really good female scientists now adays.
Well, that’s an interesting list, omegaphallic. But it seems a little … incomplete.
Hell even in the MRM, the honeybadgers are a major cultural influence, amoung other women.
Ah, I knew there was something missing! The Honey Badgers truly are some of the most accomplished women the world has ever seen, especially when it comes to getting people to send them money for completely ridiculous lawsuits.
Look just because we had a genuine conflict with feminists, and women have sexist advanatges like the pussy pass, doesn’t mean there aren’t awesome a talented women out their.
Yeah, I mean, they have things way easier than us, but you know, some of them aren’t totally incompetent, especially when it comes to the volleyballing, the porning, the Honey Badgering.
I support the MRM to fight discrimination against men and to fight feminist lies and corruption, not to just dump on women for sh*ts and giggles.
I actually tend to like alot of women and enjoy their company for its own sake, so I hate it when some guys act like MRM cliches.
Alot of women, huh?
You’re welcome!
H/T — r/againstmensrights
@moocow
Word. (So to speak.)
Considering I don’t get around to reading as much fiction as I should, have a recommendation that is neither contemporary nor literature.
Cicely Veronica Wedgwood wrote in the 1930s what is still the best starting point for the 30 Years’ War and continued her career with some excellent biographies that are excellent reading and recommended by serious historians.
Sorry. That’s Dame Cicely Veronica Wedgwood, I think it’s not an unpopular opinion.
I’m gonna shamelessly repeat the favorites of some other commenters:
Alice Walker, Francine Prose, Barbara Kingsolver
And I’m gonna add two others:
Ntozake Shange, Marge Piercy
Is nonfiction OK? Cause I find this woman’s arguments always on point, always cogent, always compassionate:
Gloria Steinem
Paul–if you’re still reading–these women are all very much among the living.
Tamora Pierce has written some outstandingly good YA fantasy. I haven’t kept up with the 6 or 7 years of her output so I can’t vouch, but the best of her back catalog is very good. She’s delightful to have lunch with if your like your wit dry and sharp. Also, her name is a typo.
When I discovered her I was a little older and she had written a little more than was true for most fans I have known. While a lot of people fell in love with the Alanna series, I didn’t get it until after she had taken another run at the “female knight” idea with Protector of the Small. Alanna was a girl disguised as a boy who became a knight, had high-fantasy adventures, and wielded supernatural powers. Keladry, the Protector of the Small, was the first openly-female knight, and tackled both sword & sorcery adventure and overt sexism with almost no magic at all. I preferred Keladry.
My favorite Pierce books, however, were the Circle of Magic stories and their spin-off. 4 kids, each magical prodigies with unique and very cool abilities. Only 1 in 4 books was about violence, creating problem solving was everywhere, and platonic friendship was celebrated. Also introduced the first — and for many years only — male protagonist in a Tamora Pierce story, a historic moment for dudes everywhere.
EDIT: PI,
If you decide to invest in hardcopy, make sure you check in with the good folks at Comparative Cover Art before you buy. http://comparativecoverart.tumblr.com/post/107169718433/alanna-the-first-adventure-tamora-pierce
@Viscaria
Your praise was far too muted.
Like all women, I really appreciate when some rando guy on the Interwebz–or IRL!–stoops to explain women’s contributions to literature to me!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry! Was I rage-typing?
Paradoxical Intention:
I couldn’t get into the Alana books for some reason. I LOOOVED the Protector of the Small books, though. One of my favorite series ever.
Since others are suggesting authors, (Like PI, I’m into YA fiction) I’m just going to add Shannon Hale. Her Bayern books are my absolute favorite teen series. They also had the best covers (until book 4).
http://i.imgur.com/SANpFmW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/yfIznw9.png
Also Jaclyn Moriarty. Especially the Ashbury High books. They are a very funny and touching epistolary fiction series.
To be clear: I love everything of Margaret Atwood’s, just wanted to specially praise the Maddaddam trilogy. I read The Handmaid’s Tale at 15 and liked it but didn’t *get* it. I re-read it at 25 and proceeded to devour the rest of her collection.
On the theme of female Canadian authors everyone should read:
Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan took my breath away
Fall on your Knees by Anne-Marie McDonald rivals George RR Martin for character breadth and depth in a compelling drama
Ivan Coyote’s Gender Failure is pretty amazing as well, they identify as non-binary, however.
I am taking notes on all these other suggestions for excellent authors.
@Paul
You didn’t respond to my first email, in which I asked you to contrast and compare female authors from the past and the present.
Maybe you’ll like these questions better:
To what do you attribute the decline in women’s literature? When did it start? In what ways has it manifested itself? Be specific, naming authors and titles.
Also, has men’s literature declined during this period? If so, when did it start? In what ways has it manifested itself? Be specific, naming authors and titles. If not, how do you know that men’s literature has not declined during this period? Again, be specific.
Bonne chance!
Also this:
Maxine Hong Kingston
I’d like to second Hurston, but my tastes run to American Folklore and the folklore of the African Diaspora, aaaaand cookbooks. Love me some books on canning, cheesemaking, bread, wine, and well whatever food crafts.
I’m gonna suggest some Finnish names when it comes to women in literature.
Let’s start with Kaari Utrio. She writes both fact and historical fiction. Multiple awards.
Then there’s Johanna Sinisalo. A feminist perspective to Lovecraftian mythos? YES PLEASE. Also, Moon Nazis.
Leena Krohn is also multiple award person, lots of smarts, lots of different sorts of books.
Tove Jansson is, unfortunately, deceased. Best known for Moomin series of books, which aren’t just for kids.
~** Short commercial break **~
I’m going to note that there’s a strong tradition of Finnish women writing in stereotypically male genres, such as sci-fi, fantasy and horror. Also running ‘cons, of which Finncon is the most famous. So people showing up to Worldcon 75 (in 2017, held in Finland), should be in for a treat.
Also, if you show up there, we can have a Mammotheer meeting and I can bring cake I’ve made. I’ll probably end up baking lots of cakes for the ‘con.
~** Break over **~
Right now my fave from non-Finnish women who write stuff is Ursula Vernon. I will gladly recommend her The Raven & The Reindeer, written under pen name T. Kingfisher (since she keeps her real name for kid books, and this is more adult/YA book with LGBT themes).
That list of new releases I mentioned earlier was all YA, by the way. There’s a big con this weekend in LA. I haven’t decided if I’m going or not.
cleverforagirl: Oh I’m SO GOING TO RECOMMEND Ursula Vernon/T. Kingfisher to you. It even comes with some bonus gardening now and then. Toad Words is awesome.
Check out her Jackalope Wives. Let me know if you like it.
OT bu aaah – Tove Jansson!! ♡
She certainly is one of the most badass people to ever have lived. I really recommend checking out her art (especially the Hitler charicatures) as well, if they’re out there on the net…
Oooh, bless your face!
I’m definitely considering getting hardcover. I need them to stay sturdy for years to come, so I can read them to the next generation.
Oh, and if we’re also including historical fiction: I also remembered a wonderful book from my childhood that covers the Japanese internment camps that we had in California (that the public school system oh-so-conveniently glosses over in history class during the WWII section): Journey Home by Yoshiko Uchida.
The story revolves around Emi, the main character and the person whose POV the story is being told from, and her family, all of whom are sent to a California Japanese internment camp, and their journey to, their lives inside of, and their eventual release and life after the war ended.
One scene I remember rather vividly was how Emi breaks her mother’s favorite glass vase while she was washing it. She fears it’s an omen about her brother, Ken, who enlisted in the US army.
However, her mother eases her worries by telling her that objects have a life of their own, and when something breaks, it was to save the life of someone, maybe someone you love.
For some reason, that’s always stuck with me.
Isobelle Carmody! The Obernewtyn Chronicles have been my favourite series since high school. Post-apocalyptic fantasy with a female protagonist that deals with bigotry and discrimination and features a talking cat – what’s not to fangirl the fuck out about?
@Skiriki
Checking out now, hopefully I can find some time to sit down and read this week!
Just popping in to recommend Lauren Beukes, Nnedi Okorafor, N.K Jemisin, Wen Spencer, A.M. Dellamonica, Tanya Huff, Gigi Pandian, Elizabeth Moon, and Seanan McGuire.
… *Has been, not have been. Need coffee.
Jane Smiley.
Ellen Gilchrist – though I suppose that’s arguable but I think her short story series are masterful, but she’s had some duddy novels (IMO).
Some not contemporary, but more recent than the Bronte Sisters (not dissing them, they produced some really powerful novels)
Eudora Welty
Willa Cather
Dorothy Parker
Skiriki – thanks for the links to Finnish authors, I will check those out when I get some time.
Let’s not forget that with the advent of the knowledge economy lots of people make their living from writing in the broadest sense, but don’t write fiction or books per se. Many of them are women and do a damn fine job, thank you very much.
I was at last year’s Hugo Awards, and her speech was pure snarky class. Damn that woman.
I’m an excellent writer and all my fiction is very, very good.
Figures. I see that we’re mentioning great women writers, so I read through the comments for the context, and to see who all is mentioned.
I notice that the author I want to mention hasn’t already been named, so I flip back to the last page, only to find that I’m ninja’d by no other than the author herself.
Thanks, Shaenon. *grin*
(I love your work – the sheer heart in it always makes me feel better.)
Hmm. Some contemporary or contemporary-ish women writers I like:
Joan Didion
Margaret Drabble
Barbara Ehrenreich
Nora Ephron
Pauline Kael
Janet Malcolm
Daphne Merkin
Anchee Min
Iris Murdoch
Joyce Carol Oates
Rebecca Solnit
Susan Sontag
Murial Spark
James Tiptree
Sarah Vowell
Cintra Wilson
… and various others I’m forgetting at the moment.
Okay, I finally had to look up James Tiptree, Jr., because nobody seemed to get his gender right–right? Oops!
Also, rugbyyogi–Dorothy Parker! Yay!
Where’s Paul?
He probably went off to read Atlas Shrugged for the 50th time.
Uh, since it’s kinda on topic I did get Felicia Day to sign my copy of her new book when she came to my area last week. I was very nervous and I’m pretty sure she could tell, so she gave me a pat on the arm and we shocked each other. I do wish I had been less nervous but I got my signature and did what I set out to do.