Review: Rubyfruit Jungle

Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

RubyFruit Jungle, Rita Mae Brown, 1973

Not the book I expected, but glad it turned out so. Don't let the words  "feminism" and "lesbianism" others use to describe this novella be the main deciding factor if you want to pick this book up or set it back down. Yes, it's a coming-of-age story of a poverty-stricken lesbian; yes, there is lesbian sex, and yes, there is a lot of talk of vaginas (see title). But it's so much more than that. It's an autobiographical novel written in 1973 and considered remarkable in its day for its explicit portrayal of lesbianism. The filter of time hasn't "dated" the writing or the subject matters. If anything, it was ahead of its time and maintained relevance in today's landscape of equality (job).

The book starts with an outrageous scene with mischief only kids can cook up. From there until halfway through the book, we follow Molly, the main character, through her teen years into adulthood. And it wasn't until then that I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I was delighted and giddy with some chapters and laughed loudly at others.

I rate this book 4.85 out of 5.00 stars.

#feminism #lesbianism #lgbtq

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The Power, by Naomi Alderman, 2016

The Power, by Naomi Alderman, 2016

In The Power, something has caused the female population to develop a new organ—called a skein—which gave them the ability to deliver electric shocks with their hands. The strength of the shock depended solely on the whim of the one who wielded it—varying between a slight tickle to something powerful enough to kill. In the beginning, only girls had it, but they quickly discovered they could awaken the power in the women with a touch of their hand. Before long, the power was awakened in them all… and the men were afraid. The females were potentially dangerous and must be controlled until “the crisis” ended and things went back to “normal”… but it didn’t end. They couldn’t be controlled, and things were never “normal” again.

Women ruled the world now… and they were every bit as ruthless with their power as the men once were.

How many times has someone said things would be different if women ruled the world? It’s usually meant that things would be better—the world would be a kinder, gentler place. But what if it wasn’t? Alderman thoroughly explores how things would—and wouldn’t—change if the balance of power shifted in this chilling and oft-times terrifying dystopian world.

This book does an excellent job of showing how utterly ridiculous sexism is. It flips the switch, directing discriminatory words and actions toward the men in the story, rather than women. It also illustrates how absolute power can corrupt even those who set off with the best of intentions, and how easily innocent people can be hurt as a result of it.

With scenes of violence (including sexual assault/rape), this book isn’t for the faint of heart. Many of these scenes are disturbing, so readers should be aware of and prepared for that. Even so, I am still declaring this a book worth reading, because it definitely makes you think about how pervasive sexism is this world.

I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars

The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood, 1984

The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood, 1984

Synopsis:
It is the world of the near future, and Offred is a Handmaid in the home of the Commander and his wife. She is allowed out once a day to the food market, she is not permitted to read, and she is hoping the Commander makes her pregnant, because she is only valued if her ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she was an independent woman, had a job of her own, a husband and child. But all of that is gone now…everything has changed.

Review:
I found The Handmaid’s Tale to be one of the compelling books I’ve read and definitely one of my top choices of this year so far.

In a world that has reverted back to a day where totalitarianism is commonplace and accepted, women known as “handmaids” are given (literally) to elite couples that are unable to have children, with the sole purpose of reproducing for them. If they do not fulfill this purpose, they are sent to the “colonies” to either work in agriculture or clear up toxic pollution, which eventually kills them. Patriarchy is at the root of all laws and so the freedom of all women, not just handmaids, is severely restricted. There is severe punishment (including death) for those who disobey.

Absolutely nothing in the novel was unbelievable, which is mainly why it is so terrifying. Atwood writes about some circumstances that may seem extreme and distant to us but are currently present in “other” countries and societies. Atwood has then applied these circumstances to a futuristic United States. This enables us to fully grasp the implications of control of freedom, especially sexual freedom, because whether we admit it or not, the events that bring out the most emotion in us are those that happen to us directly. 

Another reason is that the novel is also extremely intelligent. I couldn’t help but notice that every phrase, every word, every object, every character, every dialogue had its purpose. Nothing was there without good reason, from finding out that Offred’s name is not just oddly futuristic (“Of Fred” as in “Property of Fred”) to describing a football stadium and redbrick walls (as way of showing that the story is set near an abandoned Harvard University).

I recommend this book. It’s brilliant.

My Rating: ★★★★★