The Mother of All Questions by Rebecca Solnit
Written by Ashley Kelmore, Posted in Feminism, Reviews
Three Stars
Best for: People who enjoy Ms. Solnit’s writing.
In a nutshell: Essays on the experiences of women.
Line that sticks with me: “The entitlement to be the one who is heard, believed, and respected has silenced so many women who may never be heard, in so many cases.”
Why I chose it: I’ve enjoyed Ms. Solnit’s writing in the past.
Review: I wish I had more energy to do this review justice. I definitely enjoyed many of the essays in this book, and as always Ms. Solnit has a way with words that any writer would envy. That said – I don’t know. This one didn’t do as much for me as her last book.
I found the second half of the book to be more engaging and interesting to read than the first half, although I did underline and make notes on quite a few passages throughout. Her words on the Isla Vista murders and on rape jokes are especially good, but I can’t really imagine that I’ll be buying this for friends or returning to it often over the years to come.
