The Mother of All Questions

I had mixed feelings about this author's most famous essay collection, MEN EXPLAIN THINGS TO ME. I thought the titular essay was quite good but that the overall essay collection felt mixed in theme and tone, and walked away feeling a little befuddled. Not so with THE MOTHER OF ALL QUESTIONS, which is like if Solnit's first book was a Charmander with Confusion who was fed a berry and then evolved into a fire-breathing, socially aware Charizard. It packed a mean punch and was nearly perfect. The emotion and the organization was SO MUCH BETTER.This is a collection of feminist-themed essays, mostly revolving around the work that still needs to be done. Some of the topics in this book: how a woman's decision to have children is irrelevant to her professional career or the way she defines herself as a woman; the way silence is used and weaponized to preserve the status quo; the way most great and "universal" works of literature tend to be from the white male perspective; the way people miss the point with the book, Lolita; and so much more.Even though this is a pretty short book, it took me a while to read because 1) the writing is pretty dense at parts and 2) I really wanted to take everything in. I'm honestly so impressed at how Solnit has evolved as a writer. The fire in the writing smoked off the pages. This book reminded me of a much more serious version of Lindy West's THE WITCHES ARE COMING. It has that same call to action feel, while also being a scathing analysis of pop culture, culture at large, and the work we have left to do. Really, really well done.4 to 4.5 out of 5 stars

I preordered this book with high expectations, having recently finished Men Explain Things To Me. And let me say: It surpassed them! This book is a phenomenal look into how men need to (also) be feminists. What I especially appreciated about this book is that it was even more aware of intersectionality and privilege than Men Explain Things To Me. Solnit shows much more awareness and appreciation for not only race, sex, cisgender, sexual orientation, class, age, religion, etc. ... she also calls out how these combine and interact. Another thing I like is how surprisingly relevant the book is, making references to occurrences as recent as Donald Trump's "Grab them by the pussy" comment.Now, I do not want to call this a flawless book. Remember, it is a collection of essays, and while they generally build upon each other, you might get to the end of the book and think, "What kind of ending was that?" I found the first half of the book especially exceptional, with the second half being still great, but not *as* great, especially with final chapter. But Solnit, as always, is a magician with her writing, and will take you on a meandering, but laser-focused, journey through modern-day feminism.

Clear writing with inventive use of language. Mind expanding thoughts on the repression of women.Everyone should read and discuss this great book.

Smaller than I thought, but I didn't read the measurements. It came in very clean and not damaged

This book presents a wide range of information about women's daily struggles in our current political climate. I think that this book would be highly beneficial for men to read to learn more about what the opposite sex goes through on a regular basis when it comes to harassment, pay grade, etc.

Another winner by the writer who has become my favorite contemporary feminist essayist! I first stumbled on her work in a bookstore in San Francisco, with "Men Explain Things to Me." Filled with intelligence, wit, enough righteous indignation for the current world, and explorations of some of the hottest issues of the day. Solnit hits it out of the park.

Recommended but wasn’t sure I could get through it, but the more I read the more it rang true with everything I’ve seen and experienced. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time to come. Very impactful

Art... Stories..change us, can make us stupid, can hide the truth. Some of the essays are repetitive. That is helpful as it reveals another layer of what is hidden...A tough book about men hating on women. Not all men ..But how hating on women effects all women. Brilliant.

I read this book kind of recently, I really loved most of it! Interestingly I found that a lot of it felt a bit dated, as it's most recent additions had been written just after Trump became president and before the #MeToo movement began. It's interesting to see how much has changed in the public discourse in some years, and how much of the thoughts and language used in this book has made it into popular culture.

Really enjoyed yes this book, every step of the way. I'll definitely go back over this and grab the zingers in here for when I'm stuck in those polite coffee table chats where people blather on about nothing, imagining they're being profound because they've agreed with whatever the media told them to think.

Just what I needed after being in the Women's March. Fantastic writing.Powerful insights. Outstanding essays especially The Power of Silence.

Loved this collection of essays.Everyone should read them, especially men and especially in these days.

Useful information, but a bit of a dull read