I have to admit, ordering books from Amazon is just like Christmas for me. I love to come home and see the box with the arrow on my porch. I carry it in through the kitchen as the dogs jump up to check it out too. I know they are trying to detect any treats, but I like to think they are just as excited for me and I am about the package.
This box contained the "Feminist Thought: A more comprehensive introduction" by Rosemarie Tong and bell hooks' "Feminist Theory." Both appear interesting. I've read some hooks before: "Teaching to Transgress" and "Teaching Critical Thinking and Wisdom" as well as her article "Feminism is for Everyone." I really like the way she writes. She is straight forward, articulate, and through her writing I really became more aware of the "space" of teaching and language. She taught me that as a teacher I need to be conscious of the language and space dynamics in my classroom to ensure that not only am I creating an inclusive space, but that I also work to make sure that all students respect the space as well. Everyone's voice deserves a space to be heard.
Tong's book looks to be equally as interesting. I am excited to get started, especially to read the libertarian feminism ideas. There's a lot of political talk concerning libertarians right now, what with the republican caucuses going on. I'd like to take a peek at the concept from a feminist perspective for a while. I'm also really interested in the psychoanalytical feminist lens as well. A lot of the young adult critical analysis I'm reading right now uses a psychoanalytic lens and I'm interested to hone the perspective to a feminist angle, which I hope will give me more information on the female protagonists of YA lit.
Finally, while preparing my class for Monday night I ran across this article on Facebook (originally from the huffington post):
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristen-wolfe/dear-customer-who-stuck-u_b_1190690.html?ref=mostpopular
It is a letter to the editor about two brothers and their father. It showcases intolerance and gender stereotypes by one participant, and a completely opposite reaction from another. The moral of this story is tolerance, understanding, and care are the characteristics that create harmony, equity, and promote others to take notice. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Thanks for sharing that article! It's great to see both an example that society ought to follow, and ought not to follow. I was just thinking that the father sounds physically abusive (the oldest boy asks him not to hit the youngest), but he is also obviously emotionally abusive. Discovering our identity is so important, and I'm sure its development starts so early in life.
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