Women & Power: A Manifesto
- Dec 21, 2024
- 1 min read
Updated: Jul 2
★★★☆☆
Adapted from two lectures Mary Beard delivered in 2014 and 2017, Women & Power: A Manifesto, explores how deeply embedded in our Western culture are the mechanisms that silence women, refuse to take them seriously, and sever them from the centers of power. Citing examples from antiquity to Hillary Clinton, Beard unblinkingly asks us to challenge our assumptions about what—and who—we think about when we think about power. In 90 short pages, including 27 illustrations, more questions are asked than answered, but I think that’s the point: Who amongst us has changed a belief simply because someone told us we were wrong? No, we changed because someone asked good questions that forced us to reconsider the ground on which our belief stood. In the afterword, Beard hints at exploring more deeply the ideas floated in Women & Power. I hope she does.
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