FACT: sexism is still alive and well. The history of feminist movements with all of it triumphs and debates presented in a concise, easy to comprehend manor. Current-day feminist issues and and inequalities. The politics and people that are preventing change. Primer for those looking to understand the world surrounding them and what they experience everyday.
I have not read Cameron's feminist tome written in the 80s or any of her other writings, but this book shows how well versed she is on the topic. I recommend it for women who were told all their lives that they were equal in every way, but find themselves angry with just how unequal life turned out.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#FeministLinguist #NetGalley

It calls itself a brief introduction but it’s incredibly thorough despite its brevity (144 pages). Mixing notes of feminism past, present, and future, Deborah Cameron manages to cover all the key notes of how we’ve arrived at our current standing and where we’re going. More importantly, Cameron focuses heavily on the importance of intersectionality, varying viewpoints, goals, cultures, genders, and beyond. This isn’t White Lady Feminism 101 like far too many books on the subject tend to be. This isn’t simply an overview of feminism, but a review of the map that got us here with the constant necessary reminder that our maps all look different and the destination is not the same across the board.

Using ample research sources, Cameron compares and contrasts the four waves of feminism (stating her belief that we’re currently in the early to mid-stages of the fourth wave) while touching briefly on the conflict between generations of self-identified feminists. Like all areas of life, there are certain members of every generation that believes that they had it harder than those that come after them, that they fought the “real” fight, and that “kids these days” are just asking for too much. With a deft hand and gentle coaxing, Cameron reminds us that while the battles may be different, they’re still battles worth fighting.

Where Cameron’s writing and knowledge shines brightest is covering the opposing views of feminists on the same issue while not siding with any one notion or mindset. And, since according to every man on the internet we’re supposed to factor in how feminism helps men as well, Cameron consistently brings them into the conversation discussing their place, status, and the ways they benefit from a strong feminist movement.

This is a good and important read no matter your stance, experience, or label. New to feminism? Great. Read this. Consider yourself a veteran in the trenches fighting the good fight for as long as you can recall? Great. Read this.

This was a wonderful presentation of what feminism really means, to all sorts of women, not just those yelling the loudest. I really liked the thorough manner that this dealt with the current climate of women in the workforce (at home and in the outside workforce) as well as the historical perspective of where our prior generations came from and what they fought to achieve that has led us to have the choices that we have currently. I have always thought of feminism as the woman's right to choose the life she wants for herself, whether that is in the home or outside the home or a combination of the two. This book was very good at putting those ideas into words and prior events that supported the feminist movement.
Really well done.

#Feminism #NetGalley

this is easy entrance into feminist criticism is challenging and illuminating making it a superb resource for educators as well as other writers--it's great strength is its contemporary tone

A wonderfully concise and clear explanation of feminism and the dialogue surrounding it today. Many differing and diverse viewpoints are addressed, all respectfully. An excellent primer for learning about this vital movement. Highly recommended!

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.

This was a compelling, thought-provoking book. This isn't a manifesto by any means, or even an endorsement of one type of feminism over another. Instead, the author examines the topics of domination, rights, work, femininity, sex, culture, and the future as each feminist perspective sees it. Ms Cameron examines the differences and the common threads. She begins the book with a history of feminism as a movement from the beginning of the 18th century through the present. Each chapter that follows is dedicated to one of the aforementioned topics, and go into great depth for each one. This is not a book that can easily be read in one sitting, but one that should be read carefully and thoughtfully. So much ground is covered and yet it's done so concisely that the mind is kept engaged but not overwhelmed. This is also not a dry, boring book by any means. Ms Cameron excels at presenting the information in an engaging way that is easily understood by non-academics. 

One passage I highlighted is the perfect summation of this book:

"...my answer to the question, What is Feminism?, could be summed up by saying, "It's complicated." Feminism is multifaceted, diverse in both its historical forms and in its political and intellectual content: it's an umbrella sheltering beliefs and interests that may be not just different but incompatible with one another. (And some of those beliefs are also held by people who deny they are feminists at all."

I highly recommend this book to not only women engaged in the feminist movement, but to everyone, especially those who think they are not a feminist, and those who perceive feminism as being one ideal.

This was a VERY thorough introduction. In fact, I wouldn't even really say it was an introduction truly. Rather, a comprehensive overview for those who are already feminists or feminist-leaning. This would be the perfect foundational text for an undergraduate class in feminism. Well researched and academic, but also very accessible, this a book you're going to want to add to any collection of books on the subject.

This is a succinct, accessible, and clear overview of feminism and the evolution of the feminist movement. Written in the form of an academic thesis, Deborah Cameron covers the four waves of feminism, provides deeper looks into areas such as sex, gender, representation, rights, culture, etc, and also adds her own thoughts on each area.

Deborah Cameron has an obvious deep knowledge of the topic, and provides quotes and ideas from a great selection of well-known and lesser known sources (some of whom I hadn’t heard of myself and who are now on my to-read and research list). While none of the actual ideas or thoughts were new to me, I found Feminism to be a great refresher on why the movement is so important and why I have to continue the fight onwards. I would have liked to see more focus on intersectionality and the continued disregard of white feminists to sit down and let women of color take the podium, but Deborah Cameron does do a good job of firstly mentioning the importance of intersectionality and secondly making it clear that her work focuses on western feminism and is therefore not an overview on the movement worldwide. I also liked how she stresses the contradictions within the movement, both in the past as well as the present, and the areas where more work is needed to be done.

I particularly liked reading the section on “choice”. It brings up a very important line of thought, mainly that women’s choices are not necessarily free choices, but structured in a way that push women to make a certain choice, even though it appears to be a free “choice”. I found myself nodding through that chapter and wanted to see it pushed a bit further (although for the book itself it was enough).

All in all this is a very good read, especially for people looking to learn more about feminism, but also beneficial to those who have been immersed in it for a while (forever). Don’t be put off by the somewhat dry, academic approach, the content is very accessible and well presented, and there is a lot of food for thought within the pages. I had actually never read anything by Deborah Cameron before, but now I see that she also writes a blog – I shall now be following! This is a book that I will be recommending high and low.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy!

Don't be fooled by the word introduction—although this does introduce the beginner feminist to the movement, this is so much more than a simple overview of feminism. 

This has an introductory quality, but the intellectual tone keeps this from feeling dumbed-down in the way many introductory works tend to. Going into this, I did not consider myself to be in the introductory stage of my learning of feminism, but I did feel like a beginner in the larger sense. I feel that even if you are a veteran feminist, you would still benefit from a brief brush up on the basics of the movement. 

This covers each of the four waves of feminism by giving you their history and primary goals, and how they compare to each other. She provides ample research to show what each of these waves looked like for women, as well as women's place in history prior to the formative years of the first wave. Loads of feminist figures—both historical and contemporary—are referenced throughout, as well as significant feminist works, so you, as the reader, will have an idea of where to turn upon finishing this book.

The author also presents the opposing views feminists have on different topics, and thoroughly explains both sides without seeming to take one side or push it on the reader. And while explaining each side, and providing supporting arguments for that side, she also provides the counterarguments, and compares the ways in which the two (or more) sides conflict and agree. 

All of this the author manages to do while remaining inclusive, and consistently acknowledges that feminism's improvements have not equally benefited all women. She keeps in mind how these different aspects of our society affect people in non-western societies, people of color (but specifically women of color), and people in the lower class. 

In nearly every topic she discusses, she also addresses how men fit into that aspect of society, and how their place both benefits and hinders them. 

I knew after the introduction in this that I was reading something great. If you ever read a feminist work I've recommended, make this one it.

Important, readable, and ripe for discussion. Buy a copy for yourself and then one for a friend because you're going to want to talk about it.