Cover Image: #MeToo

#MeToo

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Member Reviews

This was a very quick read and I thoroughly enjoyed the different essays, poems, or personal testimonies. Lori Perkins makes a profound statement by saying in her introduction that "We are not a mob. We are a movement." She explained how #MeToo went global with hashtags like #YoTambien in Spanish and #BalanceTonPorc in French. Even Patricia Douglas, the first whistle-blower on the sexual abuse in Hollywood, is covered. In these essays, you hear from Jessica Berdinka who worked for the Weinstein Brothers and Paul M. Sammon who works in the industry and discusses casting couches. You even get to hear about sexual assault or harassment in the work place and how it is handled in HR. This book of essays was empowering and heart-breaking. Definitely something people should read if they need the motivation to get up and change what is happening around them.

This book was given to me for free by Riverdale Avenue Books though NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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This is such an amazing book! Particularly poignant as I read it following Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the US Supreme Court. It will upset you, make you angry, but most of all it will make you want to stand up and fight against this misogyny.

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This review will be published on eyesofowls.org on October 4th at 9am.

Around this time last year The New York Times and The New Yorker published their investigations on the horrific accounts of sexual violence by film producer Harvey Weinstein. It opened up the conversation around sexual harassment and sexual assault not just in Hollywood and the film industry in general, but also in our society thanks to the #MeToo-movement.

What started in 2006 by activist Tarana Burke got widespread attention after Charmed-actress Alyssa Milano posted a photo inviting all women to share their stories of sexual violence with the hashtag MeToo. She wanted to show the magnitude of this problem in our society after so many people seemed to be shocked by what happened with Weinstein.

Inspired by the courageous stories of women everywhere, Lori Perkins decided to publish a book about this new era. Only a month after the Weinstein-story broke, #MeToo: Essays About How and Why This Happened, What It Means and How To Make Sure It Never Happens Again was published. This book contains 25 essays about analysis of predatory behaviour to really horrific stories told by survivors. I've been to tears many times reading what some women had to endure.

Not all of those essays have been interesting to read, some were boring or in one case incredibly bizarre. However, I do think that #MeToo was worth a read. One, the book is free if you buy it as an ebook. (And who doesn't love free books?) Second, reading the stories of other people surviving any form of sexual violence helps you understand the issue more, why people keep it quiet and if you are a survivor yourself, reading about fellow survivor's bravery can help you brave your own #MeToo-moment. At least that is what I felt.

One thing that kind of bothered me about the book was that I felt like it was published too quickly. With some of the essays it seemed as though they were rushed  and the order in which they appear seems so random. Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading #MeToo, as much as you can enjoy reading about a tough subject, anyway.

My favourite essays in this collection where the one about Patricia Douglas, who seems to be the first actress to call out film studios about sexual harassment in 1937, how it was working for the Weinstein company, Miramax, and the one about how women tend to protect the men around them by not talking about their experiences with sexual violence. I never knew about Douglas and I'm glad that I now know her story.

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Incredibly relevant, powerful, and timely. Absolutely required and essential reading for understanding, empathy, and forging a better path forwards.

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This is such a powerful and important book that everyone should read. #MeToo is a collection of essays about the movement from a variety of perspectives. I don't think my review can accurately capture how powerful this book is. It is a tough read, but a must read.

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As a survivor, I wasn't sure how to feel about this. On one hand, it's a conversation that needs to happen, but on the other hand, it's just... it felt rushed. It felt like the author wanted to be the first person to write about it, you know?

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#MeToo: Essays About How and Why This Happened,

What It Means and How To Make Sure It Never Happens Again

More than 16 million people had posted their #MeToo story and support against sexual harassment by mid-October as a reaction to Rose McGowan’s brave admission that she had allegedly been raped by Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

While the essays do talk about an important topic, I felt that it wasn't as well written as I expected it to be.

Overall 3.5 stars

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This is exactly the type of books that need to be published. The #MeToo is something all women should be reading about. This book allows the reader to get a better understanding of the issues, voices, and steps need to be made in the future.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Lori Perkins for allowing me to read and review #MeToo. This book delivered! I think it's a very important book, discussing a vital topic. Well done.

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This book was bittersweet- enjoyable, yet heart wrenching. Each essay in this collection was a powerful comment on the #MeToo movement and will serve to empower the women who read this book.

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This collection of essays are so important. These are not easy to read, but they need to be told. I believe this book will empower many others who have yet to share their own #MeToo experiences to find their voice and speak their truth. I received the ARC version of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

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I stayed up late last night reading and recommend! The #metoomovement exists everywhere that women move through the world and first we speak our truths and now we change the world!

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"We are not a mob. We are a movement."

Pithy with interesting writers contributing. It's worth reading because it's a quick read and gave me time to evaluate what's going on. I felt that most of the contributors are too second wave non-intersectional feminists for me to really want to say YES YES YES. I feel like a book on the #metoo movement should include male voices that feel the impact of the patriarchy. Not those who say unhelpful things like it never happened to me, I never saw it happen to anyone, etc. I'm looking at the 'The Big Ugly' chapter by Paul M. Sammon - who says 'it's not only straight hetero men who proposition (OR WORSE?!?!) straight hetero women...' This isn't a battle of the sexes, but I'd say both are bad and one happens a lot more due to it being a patriarchy.

"...Calm, fact-based discussion isn't often effective at changing anyone's mind. Our emotions don't reside there."

I didn't like Camilla Saly-Monzingo's chapter, as we are beyond asking girls and women to change what they are wearing and for them to be strong. The focus needs to be on the person committing the crime, not the one on the receiving end.

And Mary Billiter's 'if pubescent girls aren't protected in their homes, on the playground, or in school, how will they ever fend off sexual predators? The issue runs deep, but if girls and young women know what sexual abuse, harassment and assault look like, they will have a better idea how to combat it, and more importantly, report it"
-Again, this feeds into victim blaming culture. I'm sure it's not conscious and something needs to be done while we change the culture around what/how men and women behave, but protecting our children is not enough. This looks in the wrong place.

Again, in Tit for Tat - a woman doesn't want to tell her experience to her friend because it will ruin the relationship between her and her friend and her friend and his friend - and I say, let it ruin relationships.

I also don't find it helpful to ruminate that if women ruled the world, they might perpetrate many more sexual assaults, but that is just me.

Liz DeBetta's chapter is the only one that mentions and only mentions intersectionality. I felt she understands the issue at a level I could get behind.

Interesting contributors and it's good to read to reflect on what the future should look like and how to get there. Also, it's not too many stories of assault and well balanced, so I had the mental space to think about how I feel about these issues.

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Thank you Netgalley for a galley of this book, for review, all opinions are mine.
I am a advocate for #metoo, and i loved that this was written by both female and male experience. Its written about survivors from years ago, currently, and even by those who haven't experienced sexual abuse. This book make us think and live through this issue through others who were strong enough to talk about it. We BELIEVE YO, ITS NOT YOUR FAULT, YOU'RE NOT ALONE, AND YOU CAN BE HAPPY AGAIN!

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I was given an advance copy of #MeToo in exchange for an honest review.

As a woman (human), I have been impacted by the Me Too movement. I have gone into a club and experienced unwanted touching and pictures taken without my permission. I have a Me Too moment (okay, maybe more than a moment). So I want to start off my review saying that I have a stake in this movement as do too many others.

Lori Perkins starts off the collection by writing about her motivation, “The #MeToo movement is part of a larger ripple of change, but most of it has been on social media, which is ephemeral. I wanted to put something together immediately so that we can have a document of this, as a record of the moment in time when we said in unison, ‘This has to stop.’” I think the book accomplishes this goal.

There are several essays that comprise the book. I read each one. There were some I loved and some I thought were okay. I think that is the goal of an anthology though, especially one about this, you want to capture several view points and experiences, because this is such a massive problem, not all people will understand all perspectives and stories and that’s okay. That’s how we learn about an issue we are exposed to other people’s powerful stories and language. All of the essays were well thought out and considered, there were simply some that stuck with me more than others.

One of my favorite ones was a discussion about protecting men from themselves. This chapter works off the idea that women are told by well meaning fathers, brothers, friends and partners, ‘If someone ever hurt you, I’d kill them.’ The author of this essay writes how when she was abused she kept it a secret because she didn’t want the man in her life to resort to violence and potentially get themselves in trouble. She writes about how this threat can keep woman silent and I agree. When someone has already taken so much from you, you don’t want them to take your loved ones from you. You don’t want to ruin someone you loves life. You want support, you want not to be shamed, you don’t want this assault to ruin anymore lives. And so you stay quiet. It was really helpful to hear another woman speak this truth. It helps.

There are several essays that cover workplace harassment, assault, child abuse, and men coming to terms with the abuse that women have long suffered in a misogynist society. There are essays that describe the unbearable pain. There are essays that offer support for those hurt. There are essays about changing the story.

You don’t need to read every essay (though, I’d recommend it). Find the one that speaks to you. Find the one you need. The author writes about how this book will be a free EBook so that it can reach as many people as possible. So when it comes out on November 3rd get your copy.

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I really enjoyed this book! It's a very quick read, and it's really inspiring to read about a movement that gained momentum fairly quickly. It addressed a lot of key issues and it was interesting to read about people's stories. It was also great that this book was a collection of essays, meaning there was a variety of voices and perspectives. I'd really recommend - an important book but so easy and accessible to read!

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#MeToo is a well curated book of essays by Ms. Perkins that are written from all points of view in the #MeToo movement. The essays range from the Hollywood stories to the uncle in (most) everyone's family. The essays are sad, humorous and every emotion in between. What it portrays is a deeply pervasive issue of abuse, misogyny and overall contempt for women and their value. Disturbing, but recommended reading, particularly who doubt such a problem even exists. It's hard to say I enjoyed the book, but it was eye opening.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review.

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Part of me is wondering how many more times we'll keep having to have this conversation. None of these stories are pleasant, none of them are pretty, and some are their own kind of offensive that makes you wonder why women (and men to a lesser extent) participate so easily in their own degradation. Then there are the stories of the ones who refuse to really see themselves as innocent and claim complicit-ness is what was clearly never their fault. The people who still can't bring themselves to hurt a family member because "they're family" as if that mattered? For the life of me, I still can't figure out why women haven't gone on full on rampages, like that woman in Turkey who, after a period of being raped, cut off her attacker's head and brought it to the town square. When the law fails us, as this book illustrates, one wonders how long it will be until someone decides that Turkish woman had the right response.

This book makes me disgusted at the lack of outrage and anger. The sadness of the stories falls away after awhile until it turns to burning rage. And I guarantee someone reading this is going to say, "Oh, don't get mad, elect new people, change the laws..." like the simpering fools in these stories who only hoped to perpetuate the attacks on the women writing. #praying won't get you anywhere btw.

Reading this book made me pissed at the men and women who refuse to get involved, who refuse to get angry. Give this book to our young women. It's time for them to be angry.

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A collection of essays written by brave women about their experiences of sexual harassment, abuse and assault - this should be on school curriculum and shared worldwide - everyone NEEDS to read this.

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This is my unbiased and honest review of #MeToo, which I received at no cost from #NetGalley.

The essays run the gamut of the emotions and responses that this subject provokes. As a woman who entered the workforce in my 20s at the beginning of the 80s, I understand why so many people coming forward now never said anything. Who, exactly, were we to tell? The people in charge were all members of the club, and that includes the women. If you weren't in the club, you were powerless. Women did not mentor other women, because other women were competition for scarce slots. Unless you've been in that environment, or you've been the only woman in the room at a time when Debbie was doing Dallas, then you might have trouble imagining the challenges.

So read these, and feel free to disagree with them. You are allowed, after all. But do not discount the stories you hear, do not blame the victims, and do not allow this to occur to someone's daughter or son. Speak up and be supportive of those who do, because the reality is that while there are false accusations, they are a small portion of the accusations being made, and that "fake news" hurts people who have been assaulted or battered by an aggressor.

Read these and make intolerance your benchmark for assault or battery by an aggressor.

Read these and make our society intolerant of assault or battery by an aggressor.

Read these and hold the aggressor responsible for their actions.

Until WE do, they will continue being "boys" or "girls" who act without regard for OUR right to say yes AND no.

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