Nonfiction

Women and Other Monsters: Building a New Mythology

Women and Other Monsters: Building a New Mythology

  • Downloads：4502
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-11 12:31:50
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jess Zimmerman
  • ISBN：1662081944
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Rosika Frank ，

Read this book off a recommendation from Ruby Granger's book list and was so pleased I did！ One of my favorite books I've read this year！ Greek mythology mixed with memoir and modern feminism。 It is a beautiful chimera and I loved it ❤ Read this book off a recommendation from Ruby Granger's book list and was so pleased I did！ One of my favorite books I've read this year！ Greek mythology mixed with memoir and modern feminism。 It is a beautiful chimera and I loved it ❤ 。。。more

Mariah ，

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this one。 I enjoyed the mythology and memoir components independent of one another， but they didn't gel together。 Most chapters/sections begin with an introduction to a monster from mythology， and was then related to a feminist issue。 However， in integrating this with pieces of the author's own life story， the mythology gets lost （so much that I would sometimes forget the central monster of each section by the time the monster was mentioned again）。 I liked wha I'm not quite sure how I feel about this one。 I enjoyed the mythology and memoir components independent of one another， but they didn't gel together。 Most chapters/sections begin with an introduction to a monster from mythology， and was then related to a feminist issue。 However， in integrating this with pieces of the author's own life story， the mythology gets lost （so much that I would sometimes forget the central monster of each section by the time the monster was mentioned again）。 I liked what Zimmerman had to say in general， but it just didn't work for me completely。 。。。more

Emily Waller ，

2。5 ⭐️

Carolyn ，

Thought provoking and beautiful。A curiously intimate social commentary， well seasoned with lyricism。 The kind of book that had me staring into space at the end of each chapter just to appreciate how resonant it was。 A truly great read。

Kaitlyn （ktxx22） Walker ，

I understand what the author was trying to do here with this book and I enjoy the mythos that was discussed I just think overall it was poorly executed。 It either needed to be more memoir driven in regards to the author， or she needed to leave herself mostly out of the story and use other instances to discuss the topics she covered。 It was all really vague for me。 Which made it unenjoyable。

Mary ，

Thought provoking series of essays examining societal opinions and reactions to women using the lens of ancient Greek mythology。 The essays are extremely personal， frankly I don't care that the author picks at her nailbeds， but the arguments in the essays are quite compelling。 Thought provoking series of essays examining societal opinions and reactions to women using the lens of ancient Greek mythology。 The essays are extremely personal， frankly I don't care that the author picks at her nailbeds， but the arguments in the essays are quite compelling。 。。。more

Snow Rivers ，

Loved it。 I really sped through this one and I am not at all a fast reader OR someone who finishes a book easily， but I enjoyed it so much I couldn't stop。 I don't regret taking my time enjoying the read， but next time I think I would have liked to take brief notes on each chapter。 It's also gender inclusive so I really enjoyed that。 Zimmerman takes Greek myth creatures into todays context and how our "monstrous" qualities can actually be what sets us free from the social pressures we have as wo Loved it。 I really sped through this one and I am not at all a fast reader OR someone who finishes a book easily， but I enjoyed it so much I couldn't stop。 I don't regret taking my time enjoying the read， but next time I think I would have liked to take brief notes on each chapter。 It's also gender inclusive so I really enjoyed that。 Zimmerman takes Greek myth creatures into todays context and how our "monstrous" qualities can actually be what sets us free from the social pressures we have as women。 And what terrible thing might happen if we embrace those "monstrous" traits？ Perhaps being a little bit more monstrous is just what we need to feel human again。 。。。more

Holly Whitaker ，

Masterpiece。

Allison Sylviadotter ，

I was immediately put off by the author's "note to the reader" wherein she includes males in her definition of women。 To quote her: "I use the term [woman] in its broadest sense， encompassing people who identify as women （regardless of assigned gender at birth）。。。" Yet the whole point of these "monsters" is that it is being FEMALE that is demonized。 Being a woman is not an identity， or a feeling。 Sex is not "assigned" at birth， it is simply， objectively observed。 She could have easily said this I was immediately put off by the author's "note to the reader" wherein she includes males in her definition of women。 To quote her: "I use the term [woman] in its broadest sense， encompassing people who identify as women （regardless of assigned gender at birth）。。。" Yet the whole point of these "monsters" is that it is being FEMALE that is demonized。 Being a woman is not an identity， or a feeling。 Sex is not "assigned" at birth， it is simply， objectively observed。 She could have easily said this book is for females， people born female， or female-bodied people， because that is what this book is about， the female body and how it has been weaponized against us。 Males， people born male， and male-bodied people will not relate to this book， it's not about them。 But I guess the demographic of 50% of the world's population and our unique struggles as women wasn't enough for the author， she had to include males too。 Pure pandering。Otherwise the book was fairly interesting， but somewhat shallow at times。 Not a book of real substance， but good entertainment。 2。5/5 ⭐ 。。。more

Mackenzie ，

Required reading

Janna ，

I wanted this book to be lots of information about the different monsters。 Getting into their creation， their ears， their deaths。 Drawing parallels between them and other villains/monsters/heroes。 There was some of this in each chapter， but far more about the author or the theme behind the monster。 Not what I wanted。

Rachael ，

DNF @ 67%I went into this book thinking it was going to be an analysis of female monsters and witches that show up in Greek mythology from a contemporary （hopefully intersectional） feminist perspective。 Unfortunately， that's not exactly what this is。I'd describe Women and Other Monsters more as a memoir where the author is relating the experiences of female monsters in Greek myth （and her interpretation of their experiences） to her personal experiences throughout her life。 While the interpretati DNF @ 67%I went into this book thinking it was going to be an analysis of female monsters and witches that show up in Greek mythology from a contemporary （hopefully intersectional） feminist perspective。 Unfortunately， that's not exactly what this is。I'd describe Women and Other Monsters more as a memoir where the author is relating the experiences of female monsters in Greek myth （and her interpretation of their experiences） to her personal experiences throughout her life。 While the interpretations of these female monsters were interesting， I didn't relate to a lot of her personal experiences she was relating their myths to。 And she made it seem like some of her personal experiences were universal experiences， which they definitely aren't。 Also， none of her interpretations were novel。 If you're familiar with Greek myth and analyses of Greek myth you've probably already come across similar takes。I think it's important to read about other women's experiences in the world， especially to keep moving forward towards a better version of feminism， however I think the book could have been marketed better。 I was listening to it as an audiobook and I just kept losing interest， which is why I decided to DNF it。 I think I could have finished it if I were reading it though。 It just wouldn't have been my favorite reading experience。This isn't a bad book， and it's well written， I just didn't connect with it。 。。。more

Emily St。 Amant ，

DNF。 Not what I was expecting， barely any actual mythology and more of the author complaining about not being beautiful all the while criticizing beauty。

Anne ，

I would rather not have read about some of her experiences but I guess they helped with her updating of various myths。Something I liked was at the end， "This， in the end， is what matters: not that we stand proudly in all our monstrousness every day but that we find small ways to gestate dissent and deviation， to nurse & nurture the things that are supposed to be wrong with us until they grow into something great。 This is our strength: that each of us has the capacity to be not only a monster but I would rather not have read about some of her experiences but I guess they helped with her updating of various myths。Something I liked was at the end， "This， in the end， is what matters: not that we stand proudly in all our monstrousness every day but that we find small ways to gestate dissent and deviation， to nurse & nurture the things that are supposed to be wrong with us until they grow into something great。 This is our strength: that each of us has the capacity to be not only a monster but a mother of monsters。 We can birth from our own bodies every one of men's worst fears。" 。。。more

Emily Goenner ，

Intriguing essays about women's power。 Intriguing essays about women's power。 。。。more

Jessica Calaway ，

I absolutely love this criticism of how society perceives women。 The book is a mix of memoir and mythology， the author relates her life experience that fit into the motif of Monsters。 The author explains that based off the way society looks at women and women's expectations in society reflects that in society's eyes any woman with a voice is a monster。 I absolutely love this criticism of how society perceives women。 The book is a mix of memoir and mythology， the author relates her life experience that fit into the motif of Monsters。 The author explains that based off the way society looks at women and women's expectations in society reflects that in society's eyes any woman with a voice is a monster。 。。。more

Kathryn ，

4。5

Skincare For Introverts ，

3。5 - A complete reflection of my own personal enjoyment。 The book itself is done quite skillfully and the writing is easy to follow。 For me， personally， I didn't feel like I learned anything particularly new， though I did appreciate Zimmerman's ability to condense a variety of intersectional feminist theories into accessible， short insights。 I'd recommend this book to others， but only if they're somewhat new to feminist non-fiction and are looking for a collection of personal essays （because th 3。5 - A complete reflection of my own personal enjoyment。 The book itself is done quite skillfully and the writing is easy to follow。 For me， personally， I didn't feel like I learned anything particularly new， though I did appreciate Zimmerman's ability to condense a variety of intersectional feminist theories into accessible， short insights。 I'd recommend this book to others， but only if they're somewhat new to feminist non-fiction and are looking for a collection of personal essays （because that's really what this is， essays loosely connected through Greek mythology）。This is the book Cassandra Speaks wishes it was。 。。。more

Jodi ，

Even though this one is way more memoir than "Building a New Mythology，" I liked how Zimmerman tied ancient Greek myths to modern sexism and her own experiences of being a woman in the world。 Even though this one is way more memoir than "Building a New Mythology，" I liked how Zimmerman tied ancient Greek myths to modern sexism and her own experiences of being a woman in the world。 。。。more

Danielle Thornton ，

👋👋 YES THIS SLAYS

Kristin ，

This was a snappy， easy to read set of essays that blends Greek mythology with the author’s own experiences with feminism。 I enjoyed it most when I wasn’t already familiar with the mythology， which admittedly was only a few times， but if you are interested in mythology and feminism but weren’t a nerdy kid who read all the Greek mythology you could get your hands on， you’ll probably like this。

Daniela ，

The prose is artful， the weaving of personal stories powerful and vulnerable and helps make the comparisons between the Greek monsters and the author's life experiences clear。 I am still grappling with is that so many these tropes about women， ideas， ways of behaving and of treating others in Western culture can be mapped back to ideas from stories from a civilization that has been extinct for thousands of years。 Even if we personally aren't deeply familiar with the stories of the monsters of Gr The prose is artful， the weaving of personal stories powerful and vulnerable and helps make the comparisons between the Greek monsters and the author's life experiences clear。 I am still grappling with is that so many these tropes about women， ideas， ways of behaving and of treating others in Western culture can be mapped back to ideas from stories from a civilization that has been extinct for thousands of years。 Even if we personally aren't deeply familiar with the stories of the monsters of Greek mythology （like I wasn't before reading this）， they weave into the prevalent culture and affect us。 I agree with the author - if we are going to change the way Western culture treats women， we need new stories， new mythology。 。。。more

Shawnda ，

Read。This。Book。

Suzanne Gibbs ，

Yes！ Let's keep analyzing how we read and understand the stories that have been passed down for centuries！ We DO NOT need to keep seeing the world through the male lense。 What is society like from a womxn's point of view？ I hope this author keeps doing the work and writing about women's stories and her truths。 Yes！ Let's keep analyzing how we read and understand the stories that have been passed down for centuries！ We DO NOT need to keep seeing the world through the male lense。 What is society like from a womxn's point of view？ I hope this author keeps doing the work and writing about women's stories and her truths。 。。。more

Lorelei ，

I don't read a lot of book-length nonfiction， and I especially don't read books of nonfiction essays。 But I've been a fan of Jess Zimmerman's writing since the days of Shapely Prose and the heyday of the feminist blogosphere generally。 And it turns out， maybe I should read books nonfiction essays？ I do read plenty of article length nonfiction， just online or in magazines， and reading this was a lovely return to the ways those feminist blogs expanded my thinking。 These are primarily personal essa I don't read a lot of book-length nonfiction， and I especially don't read books of nonfiction essays。 But I've been a fan of Jess Zimmerman's writing since the days of Shapely Prose and the heyday of the feminist blogosphere generally。 And it turns out， maybe I should read books nonfiction essays？ I do read plenty of article length nonfiction， just online or in magazines， and reading this was a lovely return to the ways those feminist blogs expanded my thinking。 These are primarily personal essays， rooted in Zimmerman's own experiences and relationship to the monsters she discusses， using them more as a lens for thinking about how she has perceived her own body and desires as monstrous than as scholarly cultural analysis。 The writing is accessible and sharp， and I breezed right through it。 。。。more

Joe Archer ，

It's largely my own fault that I didn't enjoy this book。 A） I should have read the goodreads reviews beforehand and B） I was told explicitly in the introduction that this book wasn't written for me （which is completely fair）。 I do think that the publisher's description begs for disappointment。 This book is 80% memoirs and 20% literary criticism of ancient mythology through a feminist lens。 Based on the book jacket， I was expecting （and hoping for） 100% of the latter。I have no problem with a book It's largely my own fault that I didn't enjoy this book。 A） I should have read the goodreads reviews beforehand and B） I was told explicitly in the introduction that this book wasn't written for me （which is completely fair）。 I do think that the publisher's description begs for disappointment。 This book is 80% memoirs and 20% literary criticism of ancient mythology through a feminist lens。 Based on the book jacket， I was expecting （and hoping for） 100% of the latter。I have no problem with a book that balances memoirs with historical nonfiction。 "Why Fish Don't Exist" by Lulu Miller， for example， uses both genres quite effectively。 I do think there needs to be an equal distribution to make it work。 Too much of one or the other and you are left wondering why the minimized genre was even there in the first place。 That's what happened here。 I think if these were feminist memoirs on their own， and I knew that going into the book， I would have enjoyed this more。All that being said - I am a cis male so， again， this book was not written for me and is very likely much more engaging for someone that has identified， or been perceived， as female。 I didn't write this review to convince you not to read the book， just to explain my lukewarm rating。 。。。more

Erika ，

Really thought-provoking， well-written， and affecting。 I loved thinking about these familiar mythological monsters in the context of what they say about women， and I love the thinking that women might as well embrace what makes us "monstrous，" since our basic needs and human feelings make us into monsters in the patriarchy's eyes anyway。 Really thought-provoking， well-written， and affecting。 I loved thinking about these familiar mythological monsters in the context of what they say about women， and I love the thinking that women might as well embrace what makes us "monstrous，" since our basic needs and human feelings make us into monsters in the patriarchy's eyes anyway。 。。。more

Zoe Elizabeth （Booksatlunch） ，

Rounding up from 3。5。 This book of really more of a metaphor than a non-fiction analysis。 If you can go into the book knowing that I think one will like it more。 I， personally， really relate to a lot of the situations that the author has experienced and took a lot of value out of this book。 However， I will say that while Zimmerman did try to be intersectional， there were a few moments that it fell a little flat。 Overall， I did enjoy the book， and the illustrations are STUNNNNING， but I understan Rounding up from 3。5。 This book of really more of a metaphor than a non-fiction analysis。 If you can go into the book knowing that I think one will like it more。 I， personally， really relate to a lot of the situations that the author has experienced and took a lot of value out of this book。 However， I will say that while Zimmerman did try to be intersectional， there were a few moments that it fell a little flat。 Overall， I did enjoy the book， and the illustrations are STUNNNNING， but I understand a lot of the other criticisms。 Thanks to Macmillan for a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Dea Spears ，

I'm finally reading this！！ You can broaden your audience by publishing your story on NovelStar Mobile App。 I'm finally reading this！！ You can broaden your audience by publishing your story on NovelStar Mobile App。 。。。more

Mandy ，

Audiobook。 Didn’t get very far， wasn’t what I was looking for。