Read Yes
Length 320
Quick Review Anger has been subdued, ignored, and vilified in women for-literally-ever. It’s not even something that can be discussed as if it’s in the past. Good & Mad is a look into women’s pent-up anger.
Earlier this year, I read Rebecca Traister’s All the Single Ladies (read the review here) and enjoyed it very much. When I found out about her newest book Good & Mad, I was ecstatic to read it.
Anger is a natural emotion. Everyone is angry at some point, in some way, on some level. For men, anger can be an asset. For women, it never is. Anger is something I have struggled with my entire life. I was never encouraged to be angry; instead, calm down became a mantra. Anytime I was angry, it was always played off as irrational and, when I got older, or just PMS. Just so you know, it was never PMS. The even more infuriating thing: it was women telling me these things. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized other women experienced the same thing.
Good & Mad isn’t necessarily ground breaking, but it is important. Now is a time of upheaval. Women are fighting for their rights. Equal rights. A lesser known right: the right to be angry. We deserve to feel angry and express it. Rebecca Traister explores the history of women’s anger with a great of emphasis on American women.
I enjoy reading Traister’s work because she has a sense of humor even when writing about dark topics like feminism, violence, and anger. Good & Mad is no exception. She finds flaws in the American system, but through the criticism, it is obvious she loves this country and wants the best for it. Focusing on competent yet vilified women in politics is one way of showing examples of women’s anger being unacceptable. Women can’t win on either end. If they’re angry, they’re vilified; if they’re too kind, they’re adorable and a push over. Neither way is a woman taken seriously.
One of my favorite points, which I had not thought of much, is the idea that when a woman criticizes a man it is reminiscent of maternal criticism and marks an emotional return to childhood for men. This is a really interesting concept that could be expanded upon.
I highly suggest this read. It’s very interesting!
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Memorable Quotes
“Over the threat of a potential female leader, brutal masculinity won.”
“The aspersions that a woman who is angry is also unstable is cast every day in popular political discourse.”
“Maybe we cry when we’re furious in part because we feel a kind of grief at all the things we want to say or tell that we know we can’t.”
“The close cousin of sadness is laughter”
Title: Good and Mad
Author: Rebecca Traister
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9781501181795