#MeToo

<b>Average Rating: 3.29 stars. </b>

This is a difficult review to write. I by no means want to take away from the importance of the #MeToo hashtag, but this book definitely had its flaws. I wish I could give it five stars simply for the importance of subject matter, but I can’t. I’m going to divide my review into sections based on the essays themselves.

--

<u>Remembering Patricia Douglas, the First Woman to Call Out Hollywood for Sexual Assault:</u> 5 stars. Haunting, sad, and made me tear up. I had never heard of Patricia Douglas before this, but she deserved a lot better than she got.

<u>After #MeToo</u> 2 stars. The beginning was good, but it was somehow too long and too rushed all at once. It was split into a bunch of little sections, which, instead of making the essay easier to read, felt like an information overload. There were too many sections. Every time I flipped the page I was like “Seriously?? There’s more??”

<u>The Bully Culture of the Weinsteins</u>: 3.5 stars. Good, but didn’t give a lot of details and didn’t really set up any tension or feelings of being overwhelmed, so it wasn’t as effective as other pieces I’d read.

<u>The Big Ugly</u>: This left literally no impression on me whatsoever. I can’t even remember what it was about. I’m not even going to rate it.

<u>Wall Street Assets</u>: 2 stars. The writing was good but the uncomfortably graphic scene in the middle of it was unneeded and just plain weird.

<u>#MeToo: A Rock’n’Roll Runway</u>: 3 stars. The stories were haunting, but it is a very potentially triggering piece. There was also some unneeded and racist stereotyping of black girls, which was unappreciated and wrong.

<u>Consent: Breaking the Silence</u>: 5 stars. Sad and hopeful all at once, with a good message r.e. statutory r*pe.

<u>Tit for Tat</u>: 2 stars. Another one that was kind of weird. It used the terms “male” and “female” wayy too often. Like, that is literally the type of language that TERFs use and emphasize on??? I really hope that it was accidental. However, there were some good guidelines in it that described the warning signs of a sexual predator.

<u>“I was only…”</u>: 5 Stars. An excellent and wonderfully written piece on the importance of not minimizing the effect of sexual harassment by not saying “I was only trying to help,” “It was only a joke,” etc.

<u>Me Too: Protecting Men from Themselves</u>: 5 stars. The second good piece in a row! Hooray. An excellent look at how sexual assault victims are expected to protect the loving men in their lives from their trauma. Probably my <b>favorite piece</b> out of the whole book.

<u>Men, Women, and #MeToo</u>: 5 stars. An awesome look at aspects of r*pe culture that aren’t looked at a lot in the mainstream feminist stratosphere. Another favorite.

<u>Every Book I Have Ever Written is a #MeToo Novel</u>: 3.5 stars. Good subject matter, but I wish it had been longer with more depth than breadth.

<u>#NotMe’s Instead of #MeToo’s</u>: 2 stars. There wasn’t really anything wrong with it, I was just kind of bored and it didn’t really keep my attention.

<u>Not Them Too</u>: 2 stars. Got a real “white feminism” vibe, and it was too short for me to really get anything else from it.

<u>Why We #MeToo</u>: 1 star. I read this literally five minutes ago and can’t even remember what it was about.

<u>Until When? #MeToo</u>: 2 stars. This was the third super short essay in a row, and I was getting kind of tired of brief essays. Wish there had been a long one somewhere in there to break the monotony.

<u>Doing What We’ve Always Done: Gender Roles and Sexual Assault</u>: 4.5 stars. Great topic about gender roles and how sometimes men just don’t get it. It reminded me of the intro to the10th Anniversary edition of Speak.

<u>More Than a Hashtag</u>: 4 stars. Brought some humor to an unfunny topic that was a welcome break from the more serious pieces. However, the humor didn’t detract from the overlaying message.

<u>For Guys Reading #MeToo Testimonies</u>: 4 stars. A good step by step guideline for men wondering what they can do to help.

<u>The Wild Feminine Freed #MeToo</u>: 1 star. Uhhhhhhh. This was just kind of weird. Like wtf was going on. Seeing Baba Yaga, the centuries old witch from fairy tales who literally runs around on a house on chicken legs, as a symbol of femininity, was…. strange.

<u>Our Bodies Are Not the Problem</u>: 2.5 stars. Another…. Just, bleh. I don’t know. It had no effect on me.

<u>Hush</u>: 4 stars. Short, but the good kind of short. It was nice to have a poem as a break from the essays. This one packed a powerful punch.

<u>Sexual Harassment on the Job from HR’s Perspective</u>: 4 stars. Another superb piece. I loved that it went really into depth on sexual harassment in the workplace. I learned things I didn’t know before.

<u>Why the #MeToo Movement is a Call to Arms for Men Everywhere</u>: 4 stars. A great piece on why it’s important to actively support the women in your life.

<u>Politics is My #MeToo</u>: 3 stars. uhhh some more white feminism vibes. But besides that, it definitely wasn’t the strongest piece and not a very good essay to end with.

<b>Overall thoughts</b>

All in all, it was definitely a nice book, and probably worth reading (especially since – according to the ARC copy, it will be free on all e-book platforms!!) if you are interested in the #MeToo movement.

I wish there had been more pieces written by women of color, and I was definitely looking for a piece written by a trans woman! Violence towards trans women is a super prevalent issue in sexual harassment, but the issue was only briefly mentioned once throughout the entire collection. And that made me sad.

(Also – it should be noted that this novel could be <b>extremely triggering</b> in terms of sexual harassment/assault, r*pe, and violence. Tread with caution.)

<i>I was provided an eARC copy by NetGalley in exchange for a complete and honest review.</i>

While some were more insightful than others, these essays managed to illustrate strong connections between gender inequality, toxic masculinity, and misogyny in a meaningful way.

#MeToo

Before I begin, please be warned that there are potential sexual assault triggers in this book and possibly this review. If you have a #MeToo story, whether you’ve shared it or not, whether it happened yesterday or decades ago, you are stronger than you think you are and healing is possible.

#MeToo - Essays About How and Why This Happened, What it Means and How to Make Sure it Never Happens Again delivers what it promises. While I personally connected with some essays more than others, overall this book does a really good job of shedding a light on this ... I don’t want to call it a movement because that implies an ending. Perhaps cultural shift is a more hopeful term?

Some of the essays were political and others were heart wrenching accounts of experiences people have survived. Written by males and females, some who’ve experienced sexual assault and some who haven’t, I appreciated the different viewpoints and the opportunity to consider opinions that differed from my own.

I think my personal favourite was the first essay, where I learned of Patricia Douglas, who in 1937 was the first woman to “publicly call out the studios”. We’ve been inundated with news items of men and women silenced for so long bravely coming forward and telling their #MeToo stories. Knowing how difficult this is for survivors today I can only imagine the courage it must have taken for Patricia Douglas to speak of this in 1937. That is one extraordinary woman!

I could go into detail about the contents of each essay, what I liked, what irritated me, what encouraged me to want to do more in this area, but what I’d really like is for you to read it yourself. Riverdale Avenue Books has committed to making this ebook available to download FOR FREE across platforms and are selling the paperback at cost, so they’re not making money from this project.

While you’re reading, please be safe if there are likely to be triggers for you and reach out for support if you need to, but also:

* Think about the issues (painful as they are).

* Consider what you personally have the power to do to make sure we’re not talking about this time in history as a movement that could have been the catalyst for lasting change, if only ...

One of the things I love about #MeToo is that people who have been living in silence are finding their voices. Survivors are finding the support they deserve and I hope they’re accessing services that can help them navigate healing.

I could tell you my #MeToo story but I think I’ll give you a lesson in your response when someone tells you their #MeToo story. Believe me when I say that your response, especially if you’re the first person they’ve told, can make all the difference.

Now, some of these are outrageous in their insensitivity whereas others are more subtly damaging but I’ve heard every one. Please don’t say any of these to a survivor.

* “What did you do to make him think he could?” - a friend

* “What were you wearing?” - a friend

* “He was only being affectionate.” - his wife

* “How many seconds/minutes did it happen for?” - teacher in charge of student welfare, said in the context of if it didn’t last long enough it didn’t count

* “He told me what happened and he said that he didn’t mean to. It was an accident.” - his wife

* “Did you enjoy having sex with him? Is that why you didn’t tell earlier?” - a friend’s mother who worked as a nurse who primarily cared for abused children

* “Are you sure he did that?” - a friend

* “It couldn’t have possibly happened the way you described.” - the detective investigating my case

* “He told us what you said about him. You embarrassed us and we didn’t know what to say. He was really quite mad about it.” - friends

* “Are you sure it was him? Maybe it was someone else and you’re only saying it was him because you don’t want to tell me who it really was.” - teacher in charge of student welfare

* “You’re saying it happened the second time you saw him? That <b>never</b> happens! Why didn’t he do it the first time you met?” - the detective investigating my case

* “You can’t tell your friends about this. They’re not old enough to be able to handle it.” - teacher in charge of student welfare

* “The Royal Commission is unable to investigate individual matters.” - Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

* “He’s going through a difficult divorce, he’s an alcoholic and he has two children, one a girl a few years older than you. This would make his life even more difficult.” - teacher in charge of student welfare, who thought if I felt sorry for her friend I’d shut up

* “I can’t see you anymore. I can’t talk to you about any assault other than the one you were referred to us for.” - sexual assault counsellor

* “You’re the only one who’s made a complaint about him so far. Unless someone else makes a complaint there’s nothing we can do.” - the detective investigating my case

It’s pretty complicated coming up with dodgy reasons to shut someone up, isn’t it? Want to know what you can say that will help someone who has trusted you with their #MeToo story?

* I believe you

* It was not your fault

* You are not alone

Simple, huh?!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley (thank you so much to NetGalley and Riverdale Avenue Books for the opportunity) in exchange for honest feedback.

I liked this book's purpose very much, it's admirable, it's raw and makes you feel things and understand the gravity of the issue. I was hoping for an all-women book, though, because while men have to be our allies in this problem, it would be nice to hear women speak of their issues, only women for a chance. I wanted to hear how #MeToo affected women, how it changed the way they saw life, whether the hashtag helped them or not. Men already have so many ocassions to speak, on any subject, this is about women or even men that had been victims of sexual abuse/harassment. But the men that contributed to this book, mostly spoke of how they had been ignorant of the magnitude of this issue or how they had been bullied at work and some of them did say supportive things, but you get my point.

There were some essays in this book that hurt me deeply, you have these strong women that had to go through so much at the hands of men. And it's awful to read of it. There were some stories that didn't surprise me because they happened to me too, to women I know, but I still stood there and wondered how did we reach this point where rape and harassment are the norm. And having control over your body being something that you were lucky enough to have.

This book mostly made me sad, it did raise some questions, most of these I had already thought about multiple times. There was a question that stood up, though, and that was whether #MeToo will make a lasting impression.

I'm very much interested in knowing this, too. Because for a while, it's been an international matter, things changed, men lost their jobs, women came forward or felt safer speaking about what happened to them, but will it make a lasting impact?

Will it push us towards making this world we're living in a safer place for women? Only time would tell, I suppose.

Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with this copy. I admire the hard work everyone put into this book in order to inform people about why #MeToo matters.

And I want to thank everyone that was brave enough to come forward with their stories, you are forever my heroes.

This book was a collection of 26 essays/testimonies around #MeToo.
Most essays were very heartfelt and incredible but some of them felt flat for me and some even annoyed me.
As Minnie Driver said :
"Let women do the speaking up right now. The time right now is for men just to listen and not have an opinion about it for once."
Still, this was mostly great.

This book made me uncomfortable at times and I found some of the essays difficult to process emotionally due to the subject matter but I do think that talking about sexual harassment and abuse is important, especially in a society where people who experience such actions often stay quiet about it. It was interesting to see different points of view from both male and female authors and to read about their personal experiences. I would like to see more of what happens after #metoo.

I believe that gathering powerful people together can be very beneficial. The #MeToo movement has changed my point of view in many situations. It is vital for us to share a message like this, and this book is suitable for the ones that feel the need to listen to others for once. Many of us misunderstood the meaning behind creating this hashtag, and it is still unclear for many of us why so many people are able to tell their stories only now. I truly recommend this book, and I hope that together we can fight for a better place to live in.

This was such an eye opening read. With what is going on in the world and it is so wonderful to read all of these essays. What a wonderful way to bring everyone’s story out and let people know that we believe them. I would say that everyone should read this, man or woman, young or old.

This is such an eye opener. Despite already knowing the struggles and issues of being a female and having to deal with a lot day-day, it was comforting reading first-hand accounts and reading how courageous and strong the writers were knowing they came out of the other side, and decided to share their experiences to help others. It was also refreshing to read essays from men who have dealt with similar issues and shedding light and speaking out on something that is more taboo in today's society. I feel this is an extremely relevant book for everyone to read and digest, especially with the current news.

The collection of essays edited by Lori Perkins - available for free download on Amazon.com - reveals personal experience of both and women that at certain moments of their careers or human development faced different degrees of sexual harassment and abuse. The testimonies are liberating but also aimed at giving strenth and support to those not yet able to talk about their trauma. It helps - although at a limited extent - to deal with the everyday weight of the soul drama, but also to realize that sharing is a way to empower others in similar situations, the silent voices of the victims. Such a collection has also the role of educating both potential victims and aggressors, offering examples of how much suffering sexual abuse can bring and how avoid ending up as a victim. Each and every one of us has a voice that we need to use it to fight and counter inequalities, injustice and abuse. And perpetrators, regardless how close to kin they are and what personal trauma they went through either, they need to be revealed.
A very useful collection to read for everyone interested in understanding the subtle ways of sexual abuse and how important is to reject such public behaviors, regardless of the professional background and social status of the perpetrators. Abuse is just not acceptable.

So with the topic of sexual harassment dominating the news, and the #MeToo campaign dominating my social media feeds, and Gretchen Carlson's Be Fierce being the last book that I read, the stars were aligning for me to read this so I could tell others about it. It's a free ebook, a collection of essays that was written in a very short period of time (a couple of weeks, maybe?) to seize the #MeToo moment. Which is admirable, but the quality is very uneven. I'm rounding up to four stars because I still think people should read this book, but don't feel like you have to read each and every essay if you can tell it's not speaking to you. There's dispassionate analysis and deeply personal accounts of assault. There's poetry. There's some misspelling -- more than would be tolerable in other circumstances. But if you feel like there's some pieces of this phenomenon that you're missing, or you just want to hear some voices beyond those on your Facebook feed, reading this is time well spent. And unless you need a hard copy (which is available for a nominal shipping cost) you won't have to spend any money on it. Stay engaged, my friends.

I received a free copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. (But you too can receive a free copy at the publisher's website, www.riverdaleavebooks.com, as mentioned above.)

This was a fantastic read and important. This book made me cry but as it said there is strength in numbers so I posted my review and story @ http://touchmyspinebookreviews.com/2017/12/02/book-review-and-my-story-me-too-essays-about-how-and-why-this-happened/

The hashtag #metoo was started by social activist Tarana Burke in 2006 to raise awareness of sexual abuse among women of color. Actress Alyssa Milano borrowed the hashtag in October of 2017 to encourage all women who have experienced sexual abuse, assault, or harassment to post about it on social media in order to show the magnitude of the problem. According to a CNN story, the hashtag was used on Facebook more than 12 million times in the first 24 hours.

Lori Perkins states the purpose of these essays is to show “the beginning of this particular phase of the movement” and I very much like the premise but ultimately I think this collection falls short. I was hoping for a collective, cohesive, voice but I found the essays to be disjointed. I was disappointed that male authors were included in these essays when barely a dent has been made in documenting women’s stories. Just as with the #BlackLivesMatter movement, when someone responded with #AllLivesMatter, they missed the point. This is about a historical, institutional, systemic, global crisis of sexual harassment, assault and degradation of women.

I was especially taken aback by Jude M Lucien’s words in her essay "Men, Women and #MeToo": "Likewise, women sexually assault people. They don’t do it nearly as often as men do, and I attribute that to patriarchy (in other words, if women ruled the world, I think they might perpetrate many more sexual assaults, but they are subordinate in this world, so they don’t do it nearly as much)..." I understand this is a personal essay but I think that is a false and disappointing statement.

Overall these essays are worth the read in the spirit of documenting the start of this movement but many more voices need to be added and heard.

“It’s how, as a society we view the female. How society takes our words, clothes, past sexual histories and scrutinizes them. This isn’t about how many people a woman has slept with. Or how short her skirt was on the day her boss decided to touch her without consent” - Gen Ryan Until When? #MeToo

“A world this riddled with sexual harassment and abuse will never be healed by a hashtag, that’s for sure. Yet this moment could be the first one in which you choose to do something different, to lay the first brick in a world that is built differently, a world safe for women’s bodies and men’s feelings, a world worthy of everyone’s wholeness.” - Courtney E Martin For Guys Reading #MeToo Testimonies

“The problem is not how many stories there are, but the fact that no one is paying attention. No one is giving them proper credence…” - Liz Debetta Our Bodies are Not the Problem

There are possible sexual assault triggers in this book. It is a very powerful read and one I would recommend for everyone who wants to know what the whole #MeToo movement is really about, how you can be a part of it, and how you can DO something about the situation.

This is a collection of personal essays--most written by women, but also some by men. While it doesn't seem appropriate to say I enjoyed this book, it was definitely an educational read. Some are politically slanted, and others are personal experience stories. I was touched by many of them, and even found myself in tears at a few.

The ebook version of this book is available free on all platforms, and the print version is available at cost.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publishers, with no expectation of a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

This book cuts to the chase. You feel the stories as you read them. This book is a group of essays written by various women. Some of the stories are heart-breaking and some will definitely give you something to think about. Yes, some of the essays are stronger than others, but overall, a good read. Thanks to NetGalley, the authors and the publisher for the ARC of this timely book.

Ultimately... This book was not what I expected it to be. Springing out of such an amazing movement made me think that this would be a letdown, simply because I couldn't see it living up to the stories women have told. I was mistaken. Although not perfect, this book was an amazing read. Some essays were better than others, which I suppose is to be expected, but overall, I really loved this, and would definitely come back to this a second time after some more research.

The essays in this book give women a voice that has not been seen or heard before.

Mini Review: #MeToo by Lori Perkins @LoriPerkinsRAB @riverdaleavenue
January 25, 2018 ~ Betty ~ Edit "Mini Review: #MeToo by Lori Perkins @LoriPerkinsRAB @riverdaleavenue"

#MeToo cover

#MeToo Essays About How and Why This Happened, What It Means and How to Make Sure it Never Happens Again is a collection of twenty-six essays—written mostly by women, but also a few men—with many sharing their personal stories about sexual harassment, assault, or rape.

#MeToo isn’t a fun read, but it’s an important one. In November 2017, millions of women from around the world shared their stories on social media (or simply #metoo if they were unable to tell their story). If you followed the movement and read even a tiny portion of these heartbreaking stories, you couldn’t help but be both saddened and enraged at how pervasive this problem is. Rape culture and misogyny have enabled this pernicious abuse of women and young girls. All too often, there is no justice for the victim, leaving women unwilling to report sexual crimes, fearing they won’t be believed.

(NB: I’m aware that there are men and young boys who have also been victimized and are survivors of sexual harassment, assault, and rape. Their stories are just as important to be acknowledged; their trauma just as real.)

We need a society in which those who have been hurt are no longer afraid to speak up. Rather than doubt those brave enough to come forward with their stories, we should allow them the dignity to be heard, help them heal, and seek justice for them. We can only do better as a society when we shine the harsh light of truth on the evils of the world, and make a commitment to change things for the better… and that’s what this book is about.

I had the chance to take a look the this book today. Amazing and empowering! This is the book the kind of book that you give as a gift to family and friends. The movement started long time ago and the author gives you a good scope of the the beginning of Hollywood stories to today's women experiences.

I think this anthology is a very important one to have an idea behind the #MeToo movement that happened back in November. The stories all shared different point of views, some of them want us to fight while others just want to understand it.

A must read especially in today's current political and social environment. I appreciated how raw and honest the essays were and how they even incorporated the male point-of-view on the topic. This could trigger some readers so I would advise a caution before proceeding.

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.

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.

#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.

A truly important book helping to put a spotlight on one of the most important movements of our time. The #MeToo posts mark a crucial tipping point in modern culture, where women will no longer stay silent in the fave of male transgression, and the thoughtful and heartfelt essays here help articulate the severity of this problem and how we can all take action, men and women alike. Please give it a read and share widely with anyone you know who believes in helping women fight male sexual aggression in today's world.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

I have so much to say about this, I'm not sure how I'm going to manage keeping this review a reasonable length. Long story short—I was blown away by this eye-opening collection! 

Before I get to the content within, I'd like to take a moment to mention how thoughtful this collection is. All the pieces in this were donated by their creators, the eBook is free on all platforms, and the physical edition is sold at printing cost. These are the type of acts that show readers how much you genuinely want to make a change—and I think it's amazing. 

As for the content itself, it's hard to explain how complete this collection is. Basically, any possible angle of the #MeToo movement of which one could write about, is covered in this. From the first documented case of sexual assault in Hollywood to pieces describing personal experiences with Harvey Weinstein himself, nothing is left out. 

There are pieces reflecting on the #MeToo movement, pieces which give statistics on sexual assault, and memoir pieces sharing personal experiences and what the #MeToo movement means to their authors. 

The essays contained within are written by a diverse group of writers. Where some do not include mention of male survivors, other pieces are there to talk about them, giving the overall collection an inclusive balance. In this same sense, there's also a nice balance between the more intense pieces and pieces that are a bit lighter. No matter the extremity though, every piece retains a very serious, and thoughtful tone.

Many of these pieces encourage reporting or filing charges and getting help if needed, but do so without coming off as preachy or victim-shaming anyone who chooses not to report an assault. In addition, this collection also encourages bystanders to do better next time they see something questionable, better education surrounding sexual assault/abuse to better protect young boys and girls, and becoming more active in this fight by utilizing a number of resources which the last essay points you in the direction of. 

I also appreciated the acknowledging of sexual assault committed by and between women as this is something I feel is often overlooked.

Some of my favorite essays include;

- One examining careerist culture which gives insight into how sexual assault has grown so rampant in Hollywood and talks about harassment between men, women, and harassment towards women from men, and towards men from women.

- An essay discussing the multitude of ways in which someone may toe the line of sexual misconduct without actually doing something punishable—this largely discusses predators' methods and how to identify and combat them.

- Another one considers how societal expectations and gender roles play into sexual assault and why some men associate violence and coercion with normal sexual encounters.

- One fittingly named "Protecting Men From Themselves" explains how damaging it is when the "good" men in a victims life cannot control their emotions when they learn of their loved one's sexual assault/abuse and how this type of reaction can perpetuate a victims silence.

- And finally, an essay from someone who works in Human Resources, where they explain what the process of reporting inappropriate work behavior looks like.

Between the totality of perspectives/experiences written about within, and the amount of information presented on not just the #MeToo movement, but the examination of sexual violence in general—this is something I would recommend everyone pick up, and learn from. And I've been encouraging everyone I know to do just that.

So powerful and timely in today's society. Perkins edits a brilliant collection of essays from a variety of writers regarding the #MeToo movement -- writers from many walks of life offer their viewpoint, experiences, opinions, and concerns for our society and the movement itself. The essays are poignant and brutally honest while at the same time remaining hopeful. A moving read all should pick up.

#MeToo is a book filled with essays of stories. Every story in this is heartbreaking. I was hoping that these stories were going to be about how the #MeToo affected people. This book was raw, told by these victims, personal journeys and experiences are not hiding anything, which is very important. But be warmed when reading this that it's will hurt your heart, made you sad and very upset, to know what these writers and more have gone throught. This book is matter and is importatn but I do wish that it was also about of the #MeToo affected the wrold and people.

#MeToo:Essays About How and Why This Happened, What It Means and How To Make Sure It Never Happens Again.
by Lori Perkins
2017
Riverdale Avenue Books
4.5 / 5

It's 2019. It's hard to believe #MeToo, a hashtag/movement named 10 years ago by Tamara Burke, is today even necessary. In fact, now more than ever, it is more than necessary.
It is essential.
We came so close to being a nation of people, working towards inclusion.
We came so close to being a nation, one of the only nations, whose pride was in our diversity-our ability to see beyond ourselves.
We came so close to being people with enough respect for each other, to give others, different from you, the same rights the entitled have always had and claimed.
We came so close to being enlightened enough as human beings, to instill an environment of people helping people,simply because we all have to live here together.
We came so close to being a nation known for our diversity, pride, respect and inclusion. Not just of ourselves, but of all people and nationalities.......
.....just to be pulled back into an environment we worked so hard to almost get beyond. The environment of fear. An environment where women, people not white, children of immigrants are treated as less, not equal. An environment that covers each other, because "boys will be boys". An environment where the phrase "Do you drink beer?" are actual responses to accusations of sexual misconduct. We are back to the "good old days", when "boys were boys" and its all just "locker room talk" anyway.
Its 2019, people. How can we explain the importance of personal dignity and respect, responsibility and not being a silent witness without #MeToo? We can not any more.
This book of essays was incredible, looking at the issue from all sides. It opened my eyes to the scope of the problem. How prevalent and ok we have become living in a subservient and subversive world. Ignoring, not supporting.
#MeToo is one of the most positive thing to come from all this. It needed to happen. Because as long as people need to be reminded that they are not entitled and its not ok to take something that is not freely given, we need movements like this. We need a reminder. Essays by Kata Mara (Silence=Violence); Jesse Berdinka's 'The Bully Culture
of Weinstein'; Paul M. Sammons male perspective on the Weinstein atmosphere and A.M. Carey's amazing history of the movement ....Poems by Liz DeBetta and Sherri Donovan... These are just a few of the many essays and stories included in this book. Each and every essay and story is a reminder of how much further we need to go to again start to win the fight of injustice and discrimination.
Please read this book, it will bring the issues so clear. Educate not hate.
We came so close.....with #MeToo it's possible again.

This a wonderful essay collection about the political movement that rose to mainstream awareness in 2017-2018 but had been striving away almost underground. This book contains essays from a wide range of inspiring women from an array of backgrounds. Its also a good book to dip in and out of an essay at a time.

I enjoyed this book a lot! It gave some great perspectives about the #MeToo movement. Though I didn't agree with all of the opinions in this book, it did provide some interesting perspectives about how sexual harassment and assault have plagued Hollywood and American society for years.

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.

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.

First, I want to thank Perkins, Riverdale Avenue Books and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

#Me Too Essays about How and Why This Happens, What it means, and How to Make Sure it Never Happens Again edited by Lori Perkins cover of the book got my attention right away. It is incredibly powerful with three arms up different ethnicity showing that they stand together as one. This book is filled with incredible stories from incredible strong woman who are passionate about their fight in the #MeToo and #IBelieve Movement!! I stand beside them 10000%

I knew I had to read this book. I have read many memoirs on woman who were sexually abused this year. I commend those women for coming forward and sharing their stories. They are helping those who have been in similar situations seek help. I confess that I have had many #Me Too moments in my life. For me it makes me sad and angry the men that gets away with it.

#Me Too is dedicated to Anita Hill, Tarana Burke, Rose McGowan, all the woman that have bravely come forward, all those who won’t be silenced, and to the next generation who will not let this happen to them.

This book starts off with Lori Perkins reminiscing about how she had a totally out of place sexual behavior in the workplace. She was a publisher of the local newspaper in Upper Manhattan. Out of the blue a middle-aged local New York City politician asked if she would be his mistress!! Of course, she was shocked!! I would be too!

Lori put this book for everyone to tell their stories. She is hoping that this shows the beginning of this particular phase of this movement one that can be read and passed around as a reference when people look back on this time. These essays range from personal tales and reflection to cause for action and insider stories about abuse in Hollywood.

After #MeToo by A M Carley’s essay really spoke to me. AM brought up a great point in someone that sounded a lot like the famous Hugh. I never thought of him as a predator but now I do.
Wall Street Assets by Veronica Vera, D.H. S (Excerpt from her Memoir in progress) shouldn’t have shocked me seeing the subject matter. However, it did. Veronica’s first job was in 1969 in the back office. She worked with a short, loud-mouthed Napoleon that was the head trader for the company. He had a dirty mouth while he was on the phone. So, he asked her for her name in which she replied. Then he asked if she liked his material as he unzipped his fly!! There was a reason the called him “Crazy Sherman.”

This book is a must read for every female out there young and old!! This must be passed out in school libraries, counseling offices, workplaces, crisis centers, etc. Students need to be taught about this in health class in Middle or High School. This is a serious topic!! This is not going to go away anytime soon!! We need to come together and fight it!! #METOO #IBELIEVE

The publisher, Riverdale Avenue Books, kindly agreed to send me a review copy through netgalley, however, you can download the e-book for free from a number of platforms, including the publisher's own website http://riverdaleavebooks.com/books/5358/metoo-essays-about-how-and-why-this-happened-what-it-means-and-how-to-make-sure-it-never-happens and amazon. And I really think you should, as this is a great collection of essays on a staggering array of topics related to the #MeToo movement including, but not limited to, the Weinstein scandal that was the trigger for #MeToo.

One would expect the emphasis of the book to be on the sexual abuse of women in the film industry, and indeed there are essays that cover this topic, however, the book has a much broader aim: to discuss the diverse experiences of women (and men) in a culture of bullying and patriarchy that perpetuates and rewards certain behaviours at the expense of others. Thus, we have a wonderful essay by Jesse Berdinga discussing the reasons why the unacceptable bullying of the Weinstein brothers was not challenged by those at the receiving end of it, men or women.

"Even in those days at the height of their power, even with all the rewards and fame and influence, Harvey and Bob never saw themselves as Holywood. They were always two kids from Queens fighting and besting a system that didn't think they were good enough to let in. And that 'chip on the shoulder' attitude permeated all the way down the chain, through people like me, and all the way to the interns."

The book covers a number of other topics, some of them taboo, or largely ignored (such as for instance, the abuse of men and women by other women in the industry). Not all of it is about abuse, though. In another wonderful essay, Veronica Vera, artist, author and sex rights activist, describes her early experiences working for, and dating, a Wall Street trader. Vera is very honest about this affair: she was not exactly bullied into it, and she enjoyed both the sex and the rewards. But she's also perceptive enough to realise that it was sexual harassment:

" What I wasn't, was a feminist. A part of my job was to go out for drinks with business prospects, sometimes in a group with Sherman, sometimes on my own. There was no sex involved, although some of the men lived in hope. My job was to make the fellow feel special just by spending time with him, no matter how boring he was.

There was an entire revolution taking place, and I didn't notice. If I had, I might have understood that my situation at work was sexual harrassment, but the term had yet to be coined. It would be some time before the idea trickled down to Wall Street: a very macho place."

There are essays about the pervasive culture of raping and abusing very young women, and what these women then have to go through to 'protect' members of their household from the shame. In #MeToo: Protecting Men From Themselves Kate Mara makes a wonderful point about women not only having to deal with the trauma of rape but being expected to shut up about it lest they put in danger the very people that should have protected them in the first place:

"When my uncle tried to rape me (I got away) when I was 12, I told my mother (his sister), just like I was supposed to. She warned me not to tell my father, because he'd kill my uncle. She was right, he would have. But then I had to protect both myself and also my father, who would get himself in trouble if he knew.

And a bit further on:

We protect them because we can't trust them to be in control of themselves if we tell them. We can't trust them to center our needs over their own desire for violent retribution.

Lori Perkins is to be commended for commissioning and editing such a broad range of viewpoints on the #MeToo experience in such a short time after the movement erupted. I think all the essays in the collection give expression to a distinct aspect of the overall experience of living under patriarchy. I heartily recommend it to everyone who would like to read about and reflect on these matters.

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

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.

"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.