I love the formatting and the idea behind this book. It's a little bit hard to an adult to read because it feels like the author is talking slightly down to a person, but I don't know if teens will feel that way. I am looking into getting a copy for the teenager in my life!

I got this book because I can't help myself. I am unabashedly addicted to feminist writing and feminist theory. I devour it all. If I agree with it or not, I want to read it. I want to learn.

This book had an interesting premise of educating younger feminists and giving them a framework to base their own feminism off of. The book does an amazing job of not being too far leaning in one direction or another of feminism. It is very middle road, with a few exceptions. There was even discussions on TERFs (which if you have read some of my other recent reviews you know how strongly I feel about that branch) and different branches of feminism that I had never heard an official term for, despite being an avid reader.

I had three issues with this book:

Who the heck likes French knots? That is just madness! The idea of doing your own needlework and realizing how being feminine is itself a form of feminism and feminist power is wonderful. I just hate French knots as they kick my butt and always have. For more information about feminist needlework tumblr is a great resource. My favorite blogger has her own site too. She has made waves and is amazing. I wish to one day have her skill.
I was taught in undergrad by Dr. Luis Cordon about Freud and the unspoken history of Freud's work. Dr. Cordon said that Freud actually believed that the women and girls he was seeing were raped and being abused. However polite society men (the ones doing the raping) told him in no uncertain terms that if he continued with that view that they would believe he was a pervert because no self respecting man would ever do that to his own daughter and that perverts were not going to be tolerated. Freud in fear for his career changed his theory and made the bastardized version people are aware of today. This story is not told in the book, but I feel like it would have made the section about Freud even more powerful as it shows that men have dictated what has and has not happened to women, even if the men themselves were the cause of the trauma. That men who spoke out against the masculine order of things were often forced to change or they were kicked out. It would have been so cool to see that!
Gloria Steinem. I am so against her being a feminist hero and the go to for people talking about what a good feminist is like. She active fights against trans people and belittles their lives. She has said amazingly problematic things in her speeches at college campuses (such as when she said that rich white women were the most oppressed at her talk on UCONN campus in the early 2010's). While this book stayed away from praising her as perfect as many other books and feminists do, I am just saddened to see her mentioned in any capacity by name when so many other feminists could have made the same points. bell hooks for example was not mentioned until the bibliography/further reading sections and is much more palatable for younger feminists. 
The book covered so much and was such a wonderful starting place for so many future feminists. I am very thankful it exists. I am also thankful that I didn't have to cringe my way through it or have to defend my right to exist or the rights of my friends and family to exist. This book is wonderfully inclusive and even if someone doesn't go further in their reading, they will have a wonderful basis for feminist thought.

Everyone should read this book. It is the perfect primer for feminism. It is so well written and constructed. The layout and voice used are just right. Never condescending or preachy, it is a glowing example of feminist literature done right- meant for everyone.