Unspeakable Things - Laurie Penny Book Review

Laurie Penny has sent me a shiny new copy of her book to review.

It took me a week to read and I have taken a week to think about it to try to give it the review it deserves.

A brave beginning

This book begins with all the charged anger that I would expect from Penny.

She throws a gauntlet down to tamer forms of feminism and gets stuck in, even to the point of shocking me once and believe me that isn't that easy.

In all, this is a brutally honest book that comes out fighting: covering eating disorders, the feminist tradition, sex, the internet and female stereotypes.

Easily digestible, but with difficult ideas, bravo.

She refuses to offer a template for living, which is wise given that it is the message offered up so often to women.

And she is brave enough to encompass men into her thinking, wise to fight the men hating image.

Sexy lady

However, she observes that the only value a woman is allowed to have is her sexuality.

While I agree there is some weight to this argument I feel the way she has tackled it refuses to confront the problem sufficiently.

Women do manage to transcend to greater power Ms Penny, which is probably why the press try to drag them back down to talking about their clothes and eye bags.

She views unequal objectification and not objectification itself to be the problem.

Is not objectification destructive, and in danger of de-humanising everyone: after all you wouldn't be very happy if I was writing this review only of the cover of your book.

That is what objectification does, you of all people should know this.

Does looking at men like an object empower us or them?

Is this the area in which you really want more equality?

Parting shot

You say you want to re-write the old stories about work and power and sex and love, great.

How?

Do not misunderstand me, this is one of the best and bravest books that I have read in a while and equally one that merits re-reading.

You unpack some uncomfortable truths about what it still means to be a woman in today's society and for that I can only applaud you.

I just sometimes feel I may have to fight against you in the same moment as I stand with you and believe me, I'd rather stand with you.

Do you want to burn the past or evolve it?