We Should All Be Feminists

Starred review from February 27, 2017
Its tough to imagine anyone other than Adichie narrating the audio edition of her feminist manifesto, which originated as a TED Talk and was later adapted into a book. Many listeners will recognize the Nigerian writer’s voice and words from pop star Beyoncé’s song “Flawless,” which featured sound bites from Adichie’s original speech. Here, those sound bites are put into context and given weight as Adichie lays out her creed. Her voice is both gentle and confident as she takes listeners through the deeply conditioned sexism she has encountered, beginning with her encounters with the label “feminist” growing up and drawing on her own experiences as well as those of other women in her life. She coolly relays the story of a woman in Nigeria who decided to sell her house because she didn’t want to intimidate a man who might want to marry her, followed by another story of an unmarried woman who wears a wedding ring to conferences so that her colleagues show her more respect. Adichie presents these anecdotes in a deliberate, matter-of-fact style. She keeps heightened emotions and urgency out of her voice, instead making use of poignant pauses to let what is she is saying sink in. It’s a powerful message, recorded in a way that will make people listen again and again. A Knopf paperback.

June 15, 2017

If anything about this sounds familiar, that might be because you may have already come across the TEDxEuston talk of the same name, presented by Adichie in December 2012 and widely circulated. Think of that as a highly successful test run, and consider investing the mere 45 minutes to listen to Adichie (again) in this extended version as she explains why she is a "Happy African Feminist Who Does Not Hate Men and Who Likes To Wear Lip Gloss and High Heels for Herself and Not for Men." Adichie's tone seems light, and she uses ironic humor brilliantly throughout--how a childhood friend first called her a feminist at age 14 in "the same tone with which a person would say, 'You're a supporter of terrorism.'" But she doesn't shy away from getting angry, dismantling stereotypes, exposing inequity, and demanding change. Adichie's own definition of a feminist is simply empowering: "a man or a woman who says, 'Yes, there's a problem with gender as it is today, and we must fix it, we must do better.'" VERDICT Libraries aware of Adichie's global popularity will surely want to spread her concise, common-sense, inclusive feminism.--Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC

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