From Powells.com
Our favorite books of the year.
Staff Pick
Valenti dives deeply into how sexism affects women throughout life, from childhood to adulthood. Some of the stories she tells can be shocking, but after reading this book, you'll walk away with a better understanding of what it is like for women in our society today. Recommended By Carina G., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Author and Guardian US columnist Jessica Valenti has been leading the national conversation on gender and politics for over a decade. Now, in a darkly funny and bracing memoir, Valenti explores the toll that sexism takes from the every day to the existential.
Sex Object explores the painful, funny, embarrassing, and sometimes illegal moments that shaped Valenti's adolescence and young adulthood in New York City, revealing a much shakier inner life than the confident persona she has cultivated as one of the most recognizable feminists of her generation.
In the tradition of writers like Joan Didion and Mary Karr, this literary memoir is sure to shock those already familiar with Valenti's work and enthrall those who are just finding it.
"Jessica Valenti is a breath of fresh air. She offers the kind of raw honesty that can feel like a punch in the gut, but leaves you with the warmth of a deep embrace." Ms. Magazine
"One of the most visible and successful feminists of her generation." Washington Post
"A gutsy young third wave feminist." The New York Times
Review
"Jessica Valenti’s powerful personal story offers unique perspective on how sexism and patriarchy manifest themselves in the daily lives of American women. Sex Object is a necessary read for women and men alike." Jamil Smith, Senior National Correspondent, MTV News
Review
"Deeply moving, honest, and unflinching, Sex Object secures Jessica Valenti’s place as one of the foremost writers and thinkers of her generation. Her personal story highlights universal truths about being a woman, and makes the case for why feminism today is an unstoppable force." Cecile Richards, President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Review
"Powerful.. more than the sum of its parts… a bold and unflinching road map of Valenti’s journey to become the woman she is." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Adrienne Rich wrote, 'When a woman tells the truth she is creating the possibility for more truth around her.' In Sex Object, Jessica Valenti tells her truth with stunning vulnerability and courage, defying easy answers and daring us to look away. You won’t forget it." Irin Carmon, New York Times bestselling author of Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Review
"Jessica Valenti is widely known as a feminist leader- with this stunningly brave and often funny memoir, we get a chance to know her as a human being. This is an incredibly powerful book. I can’t recommend it loudly enough." Jill Soloway, writer, producer, creator of the Emmy-winning show Transparent
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"One of the most visible and successful feminists of her generation." Washington Post
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"An entertaining and shocking memoir from a leading feminist writer." Booklist
About the Author
Jessica Valenti is a columnist for The Guardian US where she writes about gender and politics. In 2004 she founded the award-winning Feministing.com, which Columbia Journalism Review called "head and shoulders above almost any writing on women’s issues in mainstream media." Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Nation, and Ms. She is the author of several books, including the national bestseller Full Frontal Feminism. Jessica lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.
Jessica Valenti on PowellsBooks.Blog
Sex Object is definitely my most personal work to date. All of my writing about feminism and politics has been personal, of course, but this book feels like the piece of work it’s all been leading up to. It’s a look at the way that sexism impacts women — not just on an everyday basis, but...
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