In Defence of “Ammonite” (2020) by Francis Lee |IcthusBookCorner

Ammonite, set in the 1840s, follows Mary Anning. Mary was a British palaeontologist whose work was undervalued due to her being a woman. She sold her findings to different men, who then presented the findings as being theirs. Mary Anning was a real person, from a working-class background and even nowadays her work is not as valued as it should be.

Francis Lee, the director and writer of the film, is obsessed with class, gender and landscape (he has said so in interviews in the past), which is visible in his earlier film Gods Own Country. So, it is clear why this woman, who was born into poverty and with no formal education but was able to be one of the best professionals in her field, is someone the director found fascinating. Not to mention, 19th-century England was a patriarchal and utterly classist society, which makes everything about Mary Anning even more intriguing.

The director has also stated that he wanted to “look into same-sex relationships in this patriarchal class-ridden society”. Since Mary Anning had been both looked over and used by men for her scientific discoveries, Francis Lee felt it was better to depict her having a relationship with a woman rather than a man. And given that there were no records of her ever having been in a relationship with a man, while there were several romantic letters between her and other women, this made even more sense.

Now, I truly enjoyed this film. It had several things that I am interested in, such as female leads, women in science, beautiful landscapes, accurate depictions of working-class people, and the list goes on. 

I get that it is a slow film with very few lines, which is not for everyone. But it is my cup of tea. What I did not like to see was a lot of people saying how it doesn’t compare to other films with queer female leads (namely Portrait of a Lady on Fire). People were comparing films that, besides the already stated, had nothing else in common. They are not the same, and the intents were not the same. Just because both of these films have queer female leads walking along the seaside, it doesn’t make them the same.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which I loved, has nothing to do with working-class women being recognized for their work. It’s about two people who meet under a circumstance where they know there is no future for them and about the power of the gaze (of how you perceive others and others perceive you).

Anyway, I think people comparing these “types” of films is a symptom of something else. I truly believe it is the result of there being very few films with a queer female love interest, not just that get made, but that actually get mainstream recognition.

So, I hope my little rant made sense. If it is something you are interested in, I highly recommend all of the films mentioned in this pseudo-review. Please, let me know what to think about it.

Bye!

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You can find me at:

• https://twitter.com/icthus_book
• https://www.instagram.com/icthus_book/
• https://www.goodreads.com/margaridadesousa

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As Primeiras Mulheres Repórteres | I loved this book

I have no idea why I am writing this in English because there is no market for this topic in Shakespeare’s language, but here we go.

I recently read As Primeiras Mulheres Repórteres, written by Isabel Ventura, and found it to be one of the most interesting nonfiction books I’ve come across in a while. I genuinely believe that if you are interested in feminist theory and Portuguese history of the 20th century, this is a book you will enjoy.

just books I got at Lisbon’s book fair

Even though the book is divided into four parts, I see it more as two main sections. The first portion of the book has a general approach to the subject matter, explaining the situation journalism was in during Estado Novo, the absence of women’s rights at the time and how the two overlapped and influenced each other. The second portion of the book focuses on shedding light on the women who impacted this field during the second half of the 20th century.

We know that before 1933 (the year of the dictatorship regime’s implementation), there were more women registered with the Lisbon Press Professionals Union than in the years that followed. The book explains that the lack of women in journalism was a complex issue, even with the slight increase starting in the 60s. The regime’s instated morals did not justify this problem; it was instead a pileup of the consequences of these morals and the existing constitutional inequality (inequality which was only rectified in the 1976’s constitution).

Gender injustice started in education, at the very first levels of education. Kids were not only physically divided by gender, having to occupy separate spaces in the schools, but the curricula itself was different. Women received an education that was limited, targeted at domestic activities, and did not promote critical thinking. This gendered education, together with women constitutionally not having the same rights as men, steered away from journalism women who would have wanted to work in that field (as well as many other different careers).

The most crucial idea to cling to, which the text acknowledges several times, is that the feminist struggle is linked to the antifascist one, and that is something I am glad the author explored in detail.

There are many more things to mention, but I suggest you people read the book.

If you know of any other books about women in journalism, let me know. In the meanwhile, keep on reading!

Wings, by Larisa Shepitko – Film Review

Wings was Larisa Shepitko’s debut feature after she graduated from the famous All-Russian State Institute for Cinematography.

The film follows forty-one-year-old Nadezhda Petrukhina, a once WWII Soviet pilot, now living a quiet but unsatisfactory and ordinary life as a principal at a trade school. While treasured and respected by the generation that experienced the same War, Nadezhda struggles to connect with the generation that followed hers. She disapproves of her daughter’s (Tanya’s) choices in men and worries that her daughter might discover she is adopted.

The film is filled with a sense of neverending alienation deepened by a rich array of subject matters. These topics create a cracking portrait characterized by remembrance, grief, longing, and the struggles that come with getting older. 

The film is a superb character study that, surprisingly, ends up providing more hope than sorrow. Maya Bulgakova’s portrayal of Nadezhda has incredible nuance. She effortlessly conveyed the profound, wounded warmth of the character underneath the thick exterior of sombre uprightness. That final closeup of her eyes filled with tears while in the cockpit gave me a punch of sudden sadness!

Wings has a strong sense of Russian postwar nationalism, but it is not afraid to explore the morally ambiguous ramifications of that same nationalism on the human mind. Managing to also explore femininity through the lens of feminism while the movement was picking up steam worldwide.

I recommend this film to everyone who enjoys contemplating human existence and is interested in Soviet cinema. Please, let me know what to think about it.

Bye!

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You can find me at:

• https://twitter.com/icthus_book
• https://www.instagram.com/icthus_book/
• https://www.goodreads.com/margaridadesousa

The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House by Audre Lorde – Book Review

This book is a collection of essays on the power of women by the self-described black, lesbian, mother, warrior and poet, Audre Lorde.

The collection has four essays: Poetry is Not A Luxury, Use of Erotic, The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House, and Uses of Anger. Every single one of these essays touches on different topics that concern women, and black women in specific; focussing on issues of womanhood, black identity, the LGBTQ community, and the vital roles that art and community must play in overthrowing the patriarchy.

This little book is loaded with heavy, theoretical ideas but Lorde’s writing is amazing enough to draw most of us in, and I found myself nodding along to must of it. These essays remain true to this day and her judgement and criticisms are as sharp and insightful now as they were when she first wrote them.

My favourite essay was, without doubt, the Uses of Anger. I found it to be as important as fitting with the times, while also being unapologetic and brilliant.

Her urge to unity and intersectionality is flawless due to the assurance that these do not mean conformity but accepting everyone’s individual traits.

Overall, I would highly recommend this essay collection about feminism and intersectionality to everyone, but especially if you’re looking for intersectional texts.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Bye, keep on reading. 

Why She Wrote: A Graphic History of the Lives, Inspiration, and Influence Behind the Pens of Classic Women Writers – Book Review

First of all, I want to thank Chronicle Books for the ARC.

I found the premise for Why She Wrote by Lauren Burke, Hannah K. Chapman and Kaley Bales to be super interesting, the introduction made me super excited to read the rest of the book and I thought this book was a neat take on a biography.

It’s such a unique idea, and honestly one of the most informative books I’ve ever come across. However, I found the transition from written biography to graphic novel mode was often disorienting. Within the illustrated sections, I found that the script font used was difficult to read and the font used in the rest of the book quite unattractive. The images themselves I liked, they were cute but nothing out of this world.

I found the stories of the women interesting, but the writing of the stories not so much, which is sad. More often than not, I was reading just in hopes to see if the chapter on the next writer/author was any better. 

With that being said, I think this book has a place on a shelf of a child with interest in literature and whose parents/teachers are enlighted enough to want their kid/student to read about the power of female authors. 

To sum up, I ended up liking the concept more than the actual book itself and maybe it was just not that well executed. I think the book has potential but needs significant editing and changes before being published. I think it is also very important to mention that the book is very euro-centric and I think it’s time to stop associating classics exclusively to white authors. 

Women, Race & Class by Angela Davis – Book Review

Woman, Race & Class is a non-fiction book about the connection between racism, class prejudice and white feminism.

Having read Angela Davis before (Freedom Is a Constant Struggle) I had already been introduced to the political activist’s narrative. However, this book was a pleasant surprise. Freedom Is a Constant Struggle is a collection of interviews and speeches, so it ended up being a bit repetitive, whereas Woman, Race & Class was objective, concise and exactly what I was hoping from it.

Angela Davis breaks down how misogyny, racism, and classism have shaped our society. She pays special attention to how white-dominated middle-class social movements have repeatedly forsake solidarity with both working class and black people in behalf of political convenience, as well as displaying how the biased goals of white reformists have allowed capitalist oppression throughout history.

This book moved through the atrocities of slavery, lynching and, overall, racist discrimination, especially by the feminist movement of the 20th century. Reading it, I felt outraged and angry towards my very own privileges.

Women, Race & Class is organized in such a way that everything you read sounds like new information even though we know it’s all connected which was exactly the book’s intent. The biggest take from this book is an extremely important one: INTERSECTIONALITY MATTERS, and sometimes we forget how much.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 starts.

She Represents: 44 Women Who Are Changing Politics . . . and the World, by Caitlin Donohue – Book Review

She represents is a non-fiction title written by Caitlin Donohue. It brings light to 44 powerhouse women around the world.

First of all, I’m glad African and South American women were mentioned, however, in my opinion, the book would have had more impact if the approach had been even more global (more Asian and European women) since it focused mainly on women in the United States. The author gives us a summary of these diverse and interesting women in less than 3 pages per person. Not to mention, I was extremely happy to see a wide range of political ideologies represented.

The background stories come to life as a result of the references to their personalities or personal anecdotes. Those make the woman in power feel more relatable. I found the artwork to be both inviting and full of life (and I believe there might be more artwork to come, given it was only an arc).

I reckon this book would be nice for those seeking to learn more about women in politics, current political circumstances.

Thank you to Caitlin Donohue, Zest Books, and Netgalley for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Don’t forget that She Represents releases on September 1, 2020.

I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur – Book Review

More than its predecessor, The Sun and Her Flowers discusses an even wider range of topics. This poetry collection discusses sexual assault, gender inequality, racism, feminism and family.

With this new collection, Kaur opens up the dialogue to even more important topics, giving emphasis to friendship, to how we treat our planet, greater attention to social stigmas of beauty while giving focus to bonds between mothers and daughters, which made me enjoy this second book by Kaur a lot more. By expanding her topic range, she allowed more people to feel connected not only her work but to other individuals as well. Which means, so many more people can find comfort through the words printed on these pages.

I read The Sun and Her Flowers in one sitting, and while I enjoyed it for the most part, there was a good chunk of poems I just couldn’t connect to. I don’t blame the author, it’s normal given that not everyone feels connected to the same topics.

Just like I stated in my review of Milk and Honey, Kaur writes in an emotive way, not to mention that the metaphors she uses are exceptionally powerful and have the capacity linger on your mind.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. And I truly recommend it if you are into contemporary poetry.

Bye, keep on reading.

 

Women & Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard – Book Review

Women & Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard is an adaptation from two speeches she made in 2014 and 2017 where she tracks what women’s relationship with power has been, from ancient myths to current online discourse.

The book starts with Beard stating “Women in the west have a lot to celebrate; let’s not forget.”, reflecting on how times have changed since her own mother was born, a time when women did not have the right to vote. At the end of the text reflects on what can be done and ventures that power needs to be redefined, not womanhood.

Beard draws connections I had never before thought about, between classical imagery and modern politics, the cultural precedents for the oppression of women in the oldest literature, managing to completely blow my mind. Though in contemporary times women have achieved much more “power” as traditionally defined, such as political power,  she notes that women’s political is rather curtailed.

Overall, I really enjoyed it, I underlined so many passages from it, and I really liked thinking more about our understanding of power as a society. I can not recommend it enough!

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Bye, keep on reading.

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur – Mini Book Review

‘milk and honey’ is Kaur’s debut poetry collection. I consider that the main purpose of this book is to bring light to important topics such as violence and abuse, as well as celebrating femininity and love.

This book is dived in 4 parts: the hurting, the loving, the breaking, and the healing. This division makes you feel like you are going on an internal journey the entire time. Kaur’s poems give an incredible message about how important it is to love yourself and not change who you are to please others.

She writes in an emotive way and some of the metaphors were exceptionally powerful, but they didn’t make me feel all that much, which made me sad. Unfortunately, it didn’t speak to me on a deeper level. But I do see it as poetry, and good poetry nonetheless.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. And I truly recommend it if you are into modern poetry.

Bye, keep on reading,