End of Semester Book Reviews
Jul. 16th, 2011 05:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
next_to_normalAlso known as "What I learned in feminism class," lol. Which technically I should be writing my final paper for, but it's not due until Thursday, so I'm not feeling the urgency yet...
So, book reviews, interspersed with class notes! I will probably have quite a bit to say, so I'm dividing them up into several posts. (I already reviewed the first book for class here.)
The Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar
Though not strictly a feminist book, or even a book necessarily aimed at women, a lot of it does relate to feminist discussions in talking about how we make decisions, the different ways that men and women approach decisions, and how our decision-making patterns impact our personal and political choices. Iyengar covers a lot of ground in this book: collectivist vs. individualistic cultures, whether or not having more options is always better, the relationship between choice and happiness, consumer behaviors, how others impact our choices, even the role of responsibility and guilt in life or death decisions.
It probably comes as no surprise that people are often irrational about their choices. Does Coca-Cola really taste better than Pepsi, or are you just loyal to the brand out of habit or its association with Santa Claus? We think we want more choices, but then we're paralyzed with indecision in the supermarket when confronted with a hundred different kinds of jam. And maybe these superficial choices don't matter, but then there are nursing home residents who are demonstrably happier and live longer simply because they get to choose what movie to watch on Thursday nights.
Iyengar uses various examples - from the choice of jam in the supermarket to the decision to stop medical treatment for a premature, brain-dead newborn - to illustrate the ways we approach choice and the ways that choice affects us. One major theme is that we shouldn't confuse choice for freedom - sometimes choices are merely there to give the illusion of freedom, and other times more choices means more responsibility. She also examines the tension between our instinctive and reflective tendencies.
The book is really well-written. It's written in an engaging, casual style that makes it easy to digest, and the theoretical discussion is peppered with illustrative anecdotes. The author's arguments are incredibly well-substantiated, with numerous psychological studies (often conducted by the author herself) to support her analysis of how we approach choices. I think it's important to recognize that this is NOT a self-help book. I saw a lot of reviews where readers were disappointed that it didn't teach them how to make better choices. It doesn't. It lays out the academic research, and it gives you a better understanding of WHY we do the things we do, but ultimately, the book seeks to pose questions rather than answer them - the question of how we should live our lives, what role should choice play. And of course, the answer isn't the same for everyone. It certainly gives you a lot to think about, though.
How does it relate to feminism? Well, in our class, we talked about why there are so few women in politics. And many women would say they've chosen not to run, for various reasons - they don't want to have careers that interfere with child-raising, or to be in more powerful positions than their husbands, or to go into male-dominated fields, or they just don't think they're suited for politics. But how much of that is what they truly want, and how much of it is what they are conditioned to want? How much is what they are conditioned to believe they are or are not capable of? It's impossible to separate the ingrained sexism out of our choices.
Pearls, Politics, and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead by Madeleine Kunin
This one is much more on point for our class discussion, explicitly addressing the issue of women in politics and positions of power, and issuing a call to action for more women to run for office. She discusses the many challenges women face, not only sexism and external barriers, but also the thought processes that lead women to believe they can't or shouldn't do it. Women are often less confident in themselves and less willing to take risks - a factor that Kunin attributes to socialization. Boys are conditioned to be competitive and encouraged to participate in sports, where they learn the valuable lesson "you win some, you lose some," which helps them to be better risk-takers. They're also taught from an early age to go after what they want, to be aggressive and confident in themselves. Girls, on the other hand, feel pressured to be likable - particularly during adolescence, they learn to tone down their opinions and try their best not to stand out from their friends, because being outspoken and opinionated only makes you more of a target.
In order to be successful, women need to learn to overcome this conditioning, to stop questioning their qualifications and abilities and - in the words of Nike - "just do it." Kunin notes that most women tend to get into politics because of something they're passionate about, and discusses the crucial role of mentors. Women need role models - in all careers, so that little girls have someone they can look to and say, "That's what I want to be when I grow up," but especially in politics, where connections and networking are so important to success. Women who have already made it need to cultivate the next generation and help other women get into positions of leadership as well.
Kunin's argument for more women in office goes beyond gender equality. She posits that, in fact, women are necessary if we want to solve some of the most pressing issues facing our country. Because women's leadership styles tend to be more collaborative in nature, they are better at getting things accomplished - a point that does not go unnoticed as Democrats and Republicans play chicken over the debt ceiling and have basically turned running the country into a dick-swinging contest. Kunin also points out that the issues generally thought of as "soft" or women's issues, such as education, poverty, health care, or the environment, won't get due attention as long as men are in charge.
Drawing on her own experience as well as dozens of women currently or formerly in political office, the author offers practical advice on how to get into politics, how to run for office, and how we (as a society) can better prepare young women for public life. But above all, it is a motivational message. Women often don't run for office unless they are asked, and so this book serves as a blanket request: consider yourself asked.
So, book reviews, interspersed with class notes! I will probably have quite a bit to say, so I'm dividing them up into several posts. (I already reviewed the first book for class here.)
The Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar
Though not strictly a feminist book, or even a book necessarily aimed at women, a lot of it does relate to feminist discussions in talking about how we make decisions, the different ways that men and women approach decisions, and how our decision-making patterns impact our personal and political choices. Iyengar covers a lot of ground in this book: collectivist vs. individualistic cultures, whether or not having more options is always better, the relationship between choice and happiness, consumer behaviors, how others impact our choices, even the role of responsibility and guilt in life or death decisions.
It probably comes as no surprise that people are often irrational about their choices. Does Coca-Cola really taste better than Pepsi, or are you just loyal to the brand out of habit or its association with Santa Claus? We think we want more choices, but then we're paralyzed with indecision in the supermarket when confronted with a hundred different kinds of jam. And maybe these superficial choices don't matter, but then there are nursing home residents who are demonstrably happier and live longer simply because they get to choose what movie to watch on Thursday nights.
Iyengar uses various examples - from the choice of jam in the supermarket to the decision to stop medical treatment for a premature, brain-dead newborn - to illustrate the ways we approach choice and the ways that choice affects us. One major theme is that we shouldn't confuse choice for freedom - sometimes choices are merely there to give the illusion of freedom, and other times more choices means more responsibility. She also examines the tension between our instinctive and reflective tendencies.
The book is really well-written. It's written in an engaging, casual style that makes it easy to digest, and the theoretical discussion is peppered with illustrative anecdotes. The author's arguments are incredibly well-substantiated, with numerous psychological studies (often conducted by the author herself) to support her analysis of how we approach choices. I think it's important to recognize that this is NOT a self-help book. I saw a lot of reviews where readers were disappointed that it didn't teach them how to make better choices. It doesn't. It lays out the academic research, and it gives you a better understanding of WHY we do the things we do, but ultimately, the book seeks to pose questions rather than answer them - the question of how we should live our lives, what role should choice play. And of course, the answer isn't the same for everyone. It certainly gives you a lot to think about, though.
How does it relate to feminism? Well, in our class, we talked about why there are so few women in politics. And many women would say they've chosen not to run, for various reasons - they don't want to have careers that interfere with child-raising, or to be in more powerful positions than their husbands, or to go into male-dominated fields, or they just don't think they're suited for politics. But how much of that is what they truly want, and how much of it is what they are conditioned to want? How much is what they are conditioned to believe they are or are not capable of? It's impossible to separate the ingrained sexism out of our choices.
Pearls, Politics, and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead by Madeleine Kunin
This one is much more on point for our class discussion, explicitly addressing the issue of women in politics and positions of power, and issuing a call to action for more women to run for office. She discusses the many challenges women face, not only sexism and external barriers, but also the thought processes that lead women to believe they can't or shouldn't do it. Women are often less confident in themselves and less willing to take risks - a factor that Kunin attributes to socialization. Boys are conditioned to be competitive and encouraged to participate in sports, where they learn the valuable lesson "you win some, you lose some," which helps them to be better risk-takers. They're also taught from an early age to go after what they want, to be aggressive and confident in themselves. Girls, on the other hand, feel pressured to be likable - particularly during adolescence, they learn to tone down their opinions and try their best not to stand out from their friends, because being outspoken and opinionated only makes you more of a target.
In order to be successful, women need to learn to overcome this conditioning, to stop questioning their qualifications and abilities and - in the words of Nike - "just do it." Kunin notes that most women tend to get into politics because of something they're passionate about, and discusses the crucial role of mentors. Women need role models - in all careers, so that little girls have someone they can look to and say, "That's what I want to be when I grow up," but especially in politics, where connections and networking are so important to success. Women who have already made it need to cultivate the next generation and help other women get into positions of leadership as well.
Kunin's argument for more women in office goes beyond gender equality. She posits that, in fact, women are necessary if we want to solve some of the most pressing issues facing our country. Because women's leadership styles tend to be more collaborative in nature, they are better at getting things accomplished - a point that does not go unnoticed as Democrats and Republicans play chicken over the debt ceiling and have basically turned running the country into a dick-swinging contest. Kunin also points out that the issues generally thought of as "soft" or women's issues, such as education, poverty, health care, or the environment, won't get due attention as long as men are in charge.
Drawing on her own experience as well as dozens of women currently or formerly in political office, the author offers practical advice on how to get into politics, how to run for office, and how we (as a society) can better prepare young women for public life. But above all, it is a motivational message. Women often don't run for office unless they are asked, and so this book serves as a blanket request: consider yourself asked.
