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All my life, I was an incessant reader (and still am). After blowing through several books this year, I finally decided to put my novel knowledge to good use by reviewing some of my reads here. They will be honest, accessible, and to the point. I always scour reviews to know if I should spend my hard-earned $15 on a book, or if it was not worth the hype, and that is the knowledge I aim to spread here.
I am catching up on some of 2019's best, some old recommendations I finally got to read, and some buzzworthy books that recently made it to Hulu, so stay tuned for those. For now, here is my review on my first read of 2020, "The Female Persuasion," by Meg Wolitzer.
The story opens with our protagonist, Greer Kadetsky, who is self-described as "selectively and furiously shy," and just coming into her female awakening and acknowledgment as she begins her first semester of college in 2010. Quickly and furiously, Greer is faced with issues until then she only thought were buzzwords: misogyny, sexism, sexual harassment. Never before did she truly consider gender as a means of separation or distinction, nor did she really take note of what her female identity meant for her, that is, until her first week at college.
Greer experiences harassment in the depths of a fraternity basement, ringing similar to stories many, many women leave college holding, almost becoming commonplace discussions at girls' wine nights or sleepovers. The blatant violation Greer experiences shocks her into seeing the world in a new light that she wishes she can turn off, and when Faith Frank comes to campus, Greer finally experiences the validation she needed to turn her experience into a platform on which to rest her career.
Faith Frank, a feminist and activist icon, arrives at Ryland College to give an on-campus lecture for students, and Greer begrudgingly attends with her newest — and only — friend, Zee Eisenstat. Zee idolizes Faith, as her teachings helped Zee establish herself as an activist, and it seems likely that Zee will be the eye of Faith's attention that night. Surprisingly, it is Greer who is taken by Faith's words and now begins to twist her life into focus. After a meeting in the restroom, Greer shares a heartfelt moment with Faith that changes her course forever, as Faith begins to guide Greer down a path of finding her outside voice and proclaiming her opinions and stories loudly and proudly for all to hear.
Greer's purpose becomes clear after that night, and her cookie-cutter boyfriend, Cory, took notice that he might have lost his girlfriend to her new crush, Faith Frank. Greer’s main focus until now has been to spend time with her Princeton boyfriend, but she finds that drive and passion for social justice is keeping her up at night, maybe a little more than his abs. Their story is heartfelt and innocent as both begin to find their way in the world, even if it is away from each other.
"But that was what often happened: the big, long story of women pouring what they had into one another. A reflex, maybe, or sometimes an obligation; but always a necessity."
Throughout the novel, the antiquated dichotomy of gender merges and bends as Greer finds her voice and purpose, while her sidekick Cory falls from power and grace and finds himself as a caretaker to his family. A subtle reversal of the usual tropes, Wolitzer allows readers to accept these characters in their environments and cheer them on as they go. We badly want Greer to rise to Faith's level, and even beyond Faith's career. Though a devastation in Cory's story leaves him bound to his home, we are thrilled to find his first entrance back into the world is the calm and cleanliness of housekeeping for local neighbors. Never once do we stop to think about how this could be possible for either character. Wolitzer allows us to love them for wherever their paths decide to wind, and I think she weaves the destruction of stereotypical gender roles into a very accessible package for all readers.
“The Female Persuasion” is so much more than what I summarized, and I couldn’t recommend it enough. It is an amazing read. It is impeccably written, with amazing uses of language and character development between Greer, Faith, Zee, Cory, and more. Each get their moment to shine, and diving into each story and how they intertwine never left a dull moment in the book.
This was one of my favorite reads ever, and I give it a strong 4.5/5. Check it out at your local bookseller or beyond.
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