Author: Nina Power
Length: 69 pages
Year Written: 2009
Why I chose this book: It was short, on my shelf, and seemed subversive and intriguing.
In college, my minor was Women's Studies. During that time, I passively absorbed many perspectives regarding gender equality and the trajectory of women's social status. This small book was essentially a regurgitation of the ideas we'd swap in class. Some of the topics addressed include "the working woman," pornography as liberation, and the intersection of feminism with consumerism. All in all, it was slightly boring and triggered very little emotional or political reaction from me.
Since the book is only 69 pages, ideas are introduced and just barely expounded upon before the next thought is spit out. This book primarily presents critical flaws in the popular ideals and patterns of feminism today, but does little to facilitate plausible alternatives. For example, author Nina Power offers a small tirade against the prototypical nuclear family, but hardly offers the other side of the argument, or a sensible suggestion of how we might eventually shift that paradigm.
Of course, this might be like an eighth grader reading a Clifford book—One Dimensional Woman may be a helpful primer for those with very little familiarity with the basic concepts of contemporary feminism. At 69 pages, it's certainly worth a read, regardless of its low-impact "wow" factor.
Note: Yes, this is only the third book I've finished in 2015. Yes, it was only 69 pages, and yes, it is the first book I've finished since March 10. Yes, it is now July. Do as I say, and not as I do: make time to read, read, read. Keep your brain active lest it melt into mediocrity. Thank you.
Rating: 5/10
