About

What is the Feminist Book Project?

One day, inspired by old Tiger Beatdown posts and several good conversations, I began to wonder what it would be like to read nothing but books written by women. Is this a feminist act? Is it self-denial? Where does perceived author gender fall in the hierarchy of selection and enjoyment?

With these questions and others in mind, I began the Feminist Book Project April 1, 2011.

Since the end of the original Feminist Book Project, I’m hanging around critiquing and questioning any books that strike my fancy.

So it’s not about reading “feminist” books?

Well, that’s a loaded question.  But, no, I didn’t read only books which either explicitly claim to be feminist or are generally given that label by people other than their authors.

Why?

Why not?  I felt that I was in a unique position to try this experiment.  I was not required to read for work or school, so all of the books I read were self-selected.  I approached this as a position of privilege; it seems to me that many of the people who would be interested in the Feminist Book Project wouldn’t be able to carry it out without hardship or excessive inconvenience

Who the hell are you, anyway?

My first name is Mary; ’round these parts I go by Fellmama.  I’m a white, cisgender, heterosexual woman who self-identifies as a feminist and tries not to be an enormous tool.  Most of the time.  If you’re curious about my feminist credentials, you can suck it.  If you’re curious about my intellectual credentials, you can suck it twice.

Will the blog be triggering?

Quite possibly. I try to provide individual trigger warnings as needed; blanket warnings are given under the tags “abuse/violence” and “sexual violence.”

What’s happening now?

I’m still doing what I did before, only now I’m doing it to books written by dudes as well.