Women and Other Monsters: Building a New Mythology
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- Create Date：2021-06-09 09:55:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jess Zimmerman
- ISBN：0807054933
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Summary
A fresh cultural analysis of female monsters from Greek mythology， and an invitation for all women to reclaim these stories as inspiration for a more wild， more "monstrous" version of feminism
The folklore that has shaped our dominant culture teems with frightening female creatures。 In our language， in our stories （many written by men）， we underline the idea that women who step out of bounds--who are angry or greedy or ambitious， who are overtly sexual or not sexy enough--aren't just outside the norm。 They're unnatural。 Monstrous。 But maybe， the traits we've been told make us dangerous and undesirable are actually our greatest strengths。
Through fresh analysis of 11 female monsters， including Medusa， the Harpies， the Furies， and the Sphinx， Jess Zimmerman takes us on an illuminating feminist journey through mythology。 She guides women （and others） to reexamine their relationships with traits like hunger， anger， ugliness， and ambition， teaching readers to embrace a new image of the female hero: one that looks a lot like a monster， with the agency and power to match。
Often， women try to avoid the feeling of monstrousness， of being grotesquely alien， by tamping down those qualities that we're told fall outside the bounds of natural femininity。 But monsters also get to do what other female characters--damsels， love interests， and even most heroines--do not。 Monsters get to be complete， unrestrained， and larger than life。 Today， women are becoming increasingly aware of the ways rules and socially constructed expectations have diminished us。 After seeing where compliance gets us--harassed， shut out， and ruled by predators--women have never been more ready to become repellent， fearsome， and ravenous。
The folklore that has shaped our dominant culture teems with frightening female creatures。 In our language， in our stories （many written by men）， we underline the idea that women who step out of bounds--who are angry or greedy or ambitious， who are overtly sexual or not sexy enough--aren't just outside the norm。 They're unnatural。 Monstrous。 But maybe， the traits we've been told make us dangerous and undesirable are actually our greatest strengths。
Through fresh analysis of 11 female monsters， including Medusa， the Harpies， the Furies， and the Sphinx， Jess Zimmerman takes us on an illuminating feminist journey through mythology。 She guides women （and others） to reexamine their relationships with traits like hunger， anger， ugliness， and ambition， teaching readers to embrace a new image of the female hero: one that looks a lot like a monster， with the agency and power to match。
Often， women try to avoid the feeling of monstrousness， of being grotesquely alien， by tamping down those qualities that we're told fall outside the bounds of natural femininity。 But monsters also get to do what other female characters--damsels， love interests， and even most heroines--do not。 Monsters get to be complete， unrestrained， and larger than life。 Today， women are becoming increasingly aware of the ways rules and socially constructed expectations have diminished us。 After seeing where compliance gets us--harassed， shut out， and ruled by predators--women have never been more ready to become repellent， fearsome， and ravenous。
Reviews
Travis Farnsworth
，
I liked this book， but it could have been a lot better。 The precepts of the book are solid: examining mythological monsters and exploring how they were （and are） tropes meant to reinforce patriarchal ideals。 She would also use her own life to illustrate the principals that she was setting out。 But I felt that those were some of the weaker parts of the book。 Not that it shouldn't have been done that way， just that it could have used some work （maybe？ I don't know）。If you enjoy mythology or examin I liked this book， but it could have been a lot better。 The precepts of the book are solid: examining mythological monsters and exploring how they were （and are） tropes meant to reinforce patriarchal ideals。 She would also use her own life to illustrate the principals that she was setting out。 But I felt that those were some of the weaker parts of the book。 Not that it shouldn't have been done that way， just that it could have used some work （maybe？ I don't know）。If you enjoy mythology or examining the patriarchy， it is probably worth a read。 I don't regret it。 。。。more
Kate Landis
，
An engaging mix of academic research and memoir。 I loved it and am only sorry I've finished it。 An engaging mix of academic research and memoir。 I loved it and am only sorry I've finished it。 。。。more
Stacey
，
DNF。 Wow was this book bad。 I am a dyed-in-the-wool feminist and thought this would be an exploration of how mythology has maligned the woman in a sort of Grendel’s mother in Beowulf has all the hallmarks of a medieval soldier， so as she is not showing typical “feminine” qualities is monstrous sort of thing。 Perhaps more blame should go to the blurb writer than the author for writing a description of the book that feels more like a bill of goods。 The book itself， though， is the author using her DNF。 Wow was this book bad。 I am a dyed-in-the-wool feminist and thought this would be an exploration of how mythology has maligned the woman in a sort of Grendel’s mother in Beowulf has all the hallmarks of a medieval soldier， so as she is not showing typical “feminine” qualities is monstrous sort of thing。 Perhaps more blame should go to the blurb writer than the author for writing a description of the book that feels more like a bill of goods。 The book itself， though， is the author using her own specific experiences to share why she’s had it so tough。 In the quarter of the book I was able to slog through， she seemed to make quite a few broad statements about the female experience without really anything to support such statements。 I do want to acknowledge that she was inclusive of the trans person experience and that living as a trans woman or trans man adds several additional layers of complexity onto this situation and I salute her for that。 Not enough people include our trans brothers and sisters in such discourse and the author is to be commended not only for including them， but for doing so in a truly respectful way。 All in all， though， this felt less like a well-written， well-thought-out feminist interpretation of mythology and more like a navel-gazing blog。 。。。more
Quinn Arruda
，
I'm not sure that all of the connections Zimmerman made were entirely valid。 An okay read， but it could have been stronger。 I'm not sure that all of the connections Zimmerman made were entirely valid。 An okay read， but it could have been stronger。 。。。more
Beth VC
，
Firstly， to be clear， this book is not in any way an in-depth reimagining of mythology。 The mythological monsters serve as a scaffolding tool for a series of contemporary analyses / semi-autobiographical essays about feminism and the nature of patriarchal society。 While at points a bit too bleak IMO， this was a thought-provoking and entertaining read which I really enjoyed （and learned a few things along the way）。
Maizie Sandifer
，
I wanted to like this book so badly。 A chance to nerd-out on Greek Mythology？ Check！ A scathing critique of the Western Patriarchy？ Double Check！ I was so excited; and so disappointed。 In fairness， I was expecting a more academic work and in the first chapter， she states she’s not a classicist。 This was more an essay on her experience of oppression as a female with some mythology references。 While the chapters on the furies and the hydra were enjoyable， most of the arguments read like angry femi I wanted to like this book so badly。 A chance to nerd-out on Greek Mythology？ Check！ A scathing critique of the Western Patriarchy？ Double Check！ I was so excited; and so disappointed。 In fairness， I was expecting a more academic work and in the first chapter， she states she’s not a classicist。 This was more an essay on her experience of oppression as a female with some mythology references。 While the chapters on the furies and the hydra were enjoyable， most of the arguments read like angry feminism 101。 I think there were so many opportunities to go more in-depth。 Greek mythological is wrought with examples of toxic masculinity; she could have looked at how feminism serves every human （including cis men）。 I also wish she would have expounded more on intersectionalism。 It felt very thrown in at the end。I’m not for sure who the intended audience for this work was。 For anyone who identifies as a woman or has been miss identified as a woman， none of this information will be new or revolutionary。 The call to action got buried at the end and I felt annoyed rather than empowered after completing this work。 That being said， the author has a strong voice and I would definitely read something by her again。 Please make this a series and go deeper。 。。。more
Stana
，
What a wonderful and weird and poignant and makes-me-want-to-start-a-revolution book！ Highly recommend to anyone who wonders what it is to be a woman。When she talked about her thoughts and feelings about motherhood - it was as if I’m reading all of my innermost thoughts on the topic。I share the authors love of mythology and this book really showed me how we’re all HERoes in our own monstrous right！
Ashley Holstrom
，
I went in expecting a badass feminist take on mythology， and was pleasantly surprised with a collection of personal essays framed by the female monsters of mythology。 Excellent。
Bailey
，
It is a mix of memoir/classic literature/critique of misogyny and patriarchy。 It’s looking at female-related monsters （think scylla and charybdis or medusa） and how they were created to inform society about what aspects of women should be ashamed of （hunger or ugliness or whatever）。 The author talks about her relationship to these ideals and how it impacted her life。
Chris Boutté
，
Before getting started with this review， I think it’s really important to say that I， a 35-year-old half-black （white passing） male， am in no way the target audience for this book， so take my opinions with a grain of salt。 Personally， I think it’s important to read books from a variety of perspectives to better enlighten ourselves on social and systemic issues。 I grabbed this book because my girlfriend loved the author’s previous book Basic Witches， and I’m a fan of Greek mythology。 The high-lev Before getting started with this review， I think it’s really important to say that I， a 35-year-old half-black （white passing） male， am in no way the target audience for this book， so take my opinions with a grain of salt。 Personally， I think it’s important to read books from a variety of perspectives to better enlighten ourselves on social and systemic issues。 I grabbed this book because my girlfriend loved the author’s previous book Basic Witches， and I’m a fan of Greek mythology。 The high-level description of the book states， “A fresh cultural analysis of female monsters from Greek mythology， and an invitation for all women to reclaim these stories as inspiration for a more wild， more “monstrous” version of feminism”， but that’s not what I got。 Don’t get me wrong， Jess Zimmerman is an incredible writer， and this book would be great if it was marketed as a memoir/life lessons book with a splash of Greek mythology。Yes， Zimmerman did discuss some societal issues such as beauty standards， power dynamics， expectations of having children， and more。 But， if I had to give it a percentage， I’d say it’s maybe 20% issues women face as a whole and 80% personal experience。 And it’s very possible that I’m just dumb and don’t get it。 Maybe， a lot of women can relate to the stories in this book， and if so， that’s awesome， and I’m sure it’s helpful。 Based on the book description， I was expecting more of a broad discussion on feminism intertwined with mythology。 But in my opinion， it really felt like the mythology was added to help the book stand out， but I don’t think there was nearly enough mythology talk or analogies to warrant it being part of the title， subtitle， and description。 In some chapters， I don’t even remember mythology being part of the conversation。Would I recommend the book？ Absolutely。 Like I said， Zimmerman is an incredible writer。 So， if you’re a fan of memoirs filled with introspection and life lessons with a little mythology， I think you’ll love it。 。。。more
Gauri Parab
，
Part mythological， part anecdotal， feminist non-fiction。 Looking at some well known female monsters from cultures across the world with a feminist lens was very interesting。 There were a lot of “Aaha” moments and plenty of “Hell ya！” moments。 Even though I did not agree with her on all points， it was a highly entertaining， fast paced read。 I recommend women and MEN to read this book。
Cora
，
There's nothing really wrong with this book， I just didn't feel terribly connected to any of the essays。 I think I expected something different from this， and I also just didn't really relate to the author's life experiences。 I didn't expect so much of the book to be her personal stories， and I didn't feel super captivated by a lot of it。 But that doesn't mean this was badly written or anything， just not really targeted at me personally。 There's nothing really wrong with this book， I just didn't feel terribly connected to any of the essays。 I think I expected something different from this， and I also just didn't really relate to the author's life experiences。 I didn't expect so much of the book to be her personal stories， and I didn't feel super captivated by a lot of it。 But that doesn't mean this was badly written or anything， just not really targeted at me personally。 。。。more
~Geektastic~
，
I think this may end up being one of my favorite books of 2021。 Looking back to the female monsters of Classical antiquity， Jess Zimmerman skillfully weaves mythology， personal essay， and a larger sociological perspective together to create a sort of hybrid study of womanhood in its many forms， a fusion that is not unlike the monsters she analyzes in its pages。Medusa’s ugliness， so intense it turns viewers to stone。 Charybdis’ unquenchable hunger for destruction。 The many incongruous heads of Ch I think this may end up being one of my favorite books of 2021。 Looking back to the female monsters of Classical antiquity， Jess Zimmerman skillfully weaves mythology， personal essay， and a larger sociological perspective together to create a sort of hybrid study of womanhood in its many forms， a fusion that is not unlike the monsters she analyzes in its pages。Medusa’s ugliness， so intense it turns viewers to stone。 Charybdis’ unquenchable hunger for destruction。 The many incongruous heads of Chimera。 The hideous Furies and their implacable quest for justice。 Each of these monsters （and others） embody the fraught expectations of womanhood—a refusal to adhere to conventional beauty standards; ambitions that make men uncomfortable; complex personalities that don’t fit in a tiny， pre-made box; a desire for justice that threatens the comfortable status quo—and each of them is a negative allegory that can be reclaimed， if we embrace the monstrous parts of ourselves and retell the story in a new way。Zimmerman is also inclusive in her definition of womanhood， expanding it to encompass anyone who has been held to the demands and diminishment of patriarchy and been found wanting。 。。。more
Philippa Evans
，
This was far more autobiography and less classical history than I had been expecting， but I still really enjoyed it。 I've always loved the monsters of Greek and Roman mythology， and Zimmerman reimagines and reclaims them creatively。A lot of what Zimmerman wrote about her own experiences as a woman resonated with me， and I found her writing to be funny and poignant。 Because a lot of what she has to say has to do with her own life and personal struggles， the book's discussion of feminism and monst This was far more autobiography and less classical history than I had been expecting， but I still really enjoyed it。 I've always loved the monsters of Greek and Roman mythology， and Zimmerman reimagines and reclaims them creatively。A lot of what Zimmerman wrote about her own experiences as a woman resonated with me， and I found her writing to be funny and poignant。 Because a lot of what she has to say has to do with her own life and personal struggles， the book's discussion of feminism and monstrousness is narrowed to， for example， mostly white feminism， cis feminism etc。 Zimmerman does attempt to be as inclusive as possible， but the autobiographical style of the book limits that。 I'm not bringing this up as criticism， because I don't really think it's fair to expect perfect representation at all times。 However， I would love to see the topic of monstrousness explored further - perhaps in the works of other authors。 。。。more
Venessa ✨
，
i appreciate the unique approach， but this was all over the place
Sanna
，
“When you embrace imperfection， your own imperfection stops consuming you。 When your own imperfection stops consuming you， the imperfection itself can be art。” 3⭐️I would say this book is more of a memoir than a deep exploration of the portrayal of women in mythology。 That is its biggest downfall， in my opinion。I found the connections made between the monstrous mythological creatures and feminism to be very intriguing， but there wasn't enough of it。 The author would go on tangents about her own l “When you embrace imperfection， your own imperfection stops consuming you。 When your own imperfection stops consuming you， the imperfection itself can be art。” 3⭐️I would say this book is more of a memoir than a deep exploration of the portrayal of women in mythology。 That is its biggest downfall， in my opinion。I found the connections made between the monstrous mythological creatures and feminism to be very intriguing， but there wasn't enough of it。 The author would go on tangents about her own life， which is fine， but just not what I was expecting。 Additionally， the points got quite repetitive towards the ending and I found myself just wanting the book to be over。 Nevertheless， I liked it overall and did learn some interesting new things。Thanks to Libro。fm for providing a complimentary audiobook。 。。。more
cobwebbing
，
At its worst， this book induced a couple of eye rolls from me thanks to it being par for the course for the language surrounding fourth wave feminism （internet-related in particular， which dates this book instantly）， but at its best—and there was a good chunk of best—it had some really interesting reinterpretations of Greek myths and handling of integrating it with modern issues。 I was thoroughly engrossed in reading it and finished it in a matter of days。It’s a collection of essays， so there wi At its worst， this book induced a couple of eye rolls from me thanks to it being par for the course for the language surrounding fourth wave feminism （internet-related in particular， which dates this book instantly）， but at its best—and there was a good chunk of best—it had some really interesting reinterpretations of Greek myths and handling of integrating it with modern issues。 I was thoroughly engrossed in reading it and finished it in a matter of days。It’s a collection of essays， so there will be some that hit better than others， but ultimately I’m glad that I read it。 I’m also glad I took a look at reviews so that I knew in advance what everyone ought to know—this book is not exclusively about monsters or even mostly about monsters。 They are a framing device—a cool framing device that is given earned attention but a framing device nonetheless。The illustrations with the chapter breaks are beautiful， almost too beautiful for the more monstrous ladies and the conceit of the book （embrace “monstrosity” in all its ugliness and power） but I really adore them and the book jacket。 。。。more
Sam Hendricks
，
Hell yes！ I’ve thought so many of the things Zimmerman talks about thinking in her life and figured I was some kind of MONSTER。 I felt so much solidarity， and comfort in being seen。 Just hearing another woman， an extremely witty， smart， and well spoken one at that， talk about how totally paralyzing it can be to keep oneself in the smallest of boxes felt like a release。 I honestly think this changed my life and I’m still unpacking it。
Alysha
，
You have to go into this expecting an essay collection instead of an actual breakdown of myth and monster。 As an essay collection， it was a well-written and an interesting read。 However， I can see people buying this expecting it to only be an analysis of the female monster and getting disappointed。 So， fair warning before you buy。
Jodi Shelley
，
This was wonderful。 Astute。 There were times I was stopped cold at a shared experience， laughed knowingly， and just in awe at the connections she made between the female monsters of myth， and the monsters we still find in ourselves for good or for ill。 I liked the combination of the author’s lived experience as example of the enduring power of the female monster in mythology。 I was not expecting the memoir-sequel side of this book， but I liked what it brought to the story。
Skye
，
I really liked this book， from the thought-provoking， meme-worthy illustrations to the spilling over and between memoir and myth- building。 Zimmerman got personal and I， as reader， did too。
Katy Nimmons
，
Every essay made me feel like yelling Hell Yes。
Tiffany
，
3。5I did enjoy this book， the writing is beyond impressive & the personal anecdotes meshed well with the points the author paired with the monster interpretations but 。。。From the press around the title I was expecting academic not memoir & was disappointed at the ratio skewed to the latter。
Laura
，
3。5。
Donia
，
AMAZING BOOK
Annie
，
This was one of my favorite books I’ve read I awhile。 I’ve always loved Greek mythology， so the way the author weaves that in as it relates to modern day issues and/or things she’s experienced was enjoyable for me。 At several points throughout the books she makes simple statements and points that I think we all know as women but then to read it or “hear it out loud”， it really makes you think about all the s**t we have to put up with。
Courtney Bowman
，
Trigger warnings for rape， racism， sexism and homophobia So I had to think about how I wanted to rate this。 At first I was like 3。25 but I sat a little bit longer and it just fell flat for me。 I like the idea of using Greek and Roman mythology monsters to relate today’s women， trans and non binary struggles， but it just didn’t hit the Mark for me。 I didn’t find anything profound about it and the synopsis was misleading to me， I thought that there was going to be in depth discussions about mythol Trigger warnings for rape， racism， sexism and homophobia So I had to think about how I wanted to rate this。 At first I was like 3。25 but I sat a little bit longer and it just fell flat for me。 I like the idea of using Greek and Roman mythology monsters to relate today’s women， trans and non binary struggles， but it just didn’t hit the Mark for me。 I didn’t find anything profound about it and the synopsis was misleading to me， I thought that there was going to be in depth discussions about mythological monsters but Zimmerman just scratched the surface and her whining about her looks took away from the point she was trying to make。 Her thoughts on sexual identity was also homophobic saying that those who identity as bi are just jealous of women and how they look？ No that’s not what bi is。 。。。more
Becky
，
Audiobook。 Interesting discussion of mythology and how it reflects on the role of women。
Christine McCune
，
This book wasn't for me， and that's ok！ I'm sure it's for other people。 It was well written and （as far as I could tell） well researched。 It also had a tendency to present the author's experiences and cultural touchpoints as universalities。 It felt as though it made sweeping generalizations about "womanhood" and "manhood" without nuance （although the author definitely did try to be trans-inclusive， it just didn't work very well） and wound up coming across as having a very white， cis， and straigh This book wasn't for me， and that's ok！ I'm sure it's for other people。 It was well written and （as far as I could tell） well researched。 It also had a tendency to present the author's experiences and cultural touchpoints as universalities。 It felt as though it made sweeping generalizations about "womanhood" and "manhood" without nuance （although the author definitely did try to be trans-inclusive， it just didn't work very well） and wound up coming across as having a very white， cis， and straight point of view （acknowledging that the author herself is attracted to women as well as men and chooses not to label herself）。 Which brings me to another reason this book isn't for me: the understanding of queerness presented in the book was very one dimensional and was predicated on the notion that queerness only encompasses non-hetero sexual attraction （unsurprisingly， asexual folks were never mentioned） and nothing else。 I'm glad this book exists for those who will， I'm sure， cherish it and feel empowered by it。 。。。more
Kristin B
，