97
Volume:
2020
,
November

How Much Progress

Submitted By:
Jonathan Gold, Moses Brown School, Providence, RI

Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women by Kate Manne
Random House LLC, August 11, 2020

Philosopher Kate Manne has become an important voice in the conversation around misogyny and systemic inequality. In Entitled, she builds on the philosophical foundations she laid out in 2017's Down Girl to offer a clear-eyed, bracing tour through contemporary forms of misogyny, from politics, to families, to the institutions in which we all move. In short, trenchant chapters, Manne shows just how pervasive and stultifying misogyny can be while illuminating important concepts like "mansplaining," "gaslighting," and (her own coinage) "himpathy." Readers will appreciate the power of Manne's analysis to foster the kind of productive discomfort and inward reflection necessary for unlearning misogynistic ways of thinking and developing more equitable, fair-minded understandings of gender, power, and privilege. While the book's main arguments signal just how much progress is left to be achieved when it comes to gender equity, Manne's final chapter, a sort of wish list for her young daughter, offers a note of hopefulness about the current moment—and rising generation—and the potential for transformative change. Teachers and school leaders need a robust understanding of misogyny, and Entitled is a perfect crash course.

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