The Feminist Agenda of Jemima Kincad by Kate Hattemer is a great book that follows the life of highschool senior Jemima Kincad. Jemima Kincad is a highschool senior, captain of the quiz team, and triumvirate (student council). As being a part of the triumvirate there are many responsibilities she has including planning prom. When the triumvirate decides to make a website that will match people based on who each person puts on their “list”. All seniors like this idea until a week before prom when everyone's list of choices is leaked. The triumvirate must attempt to save prom and end the school year on a high note.
The book shows the sexsims she faces while in school from teachers and peers alike. This book covers the idea of internalized misogyny as well. Throughout this story Jemima Kincad slowly faces the realization that she and most if not all females have internalized misogyny. “It’s called internalized misogyny. Men don’t have to do anything because women hate women all on their own.” (Hattemer 102). This quote is said by Jemima’s best friend Jiyoon. During this part of the book Jemima is realizing that she has internalized misogyny. In this story we can also read thoughts about tradition and if tradition can/should be changed because it is sexist. By the end of the book traditions are changing and the female characters of the book view this as a big win.
Throughout the book Jemima realized how much internalized misogyny she has. By the middle of the book she is starting to understand what she needs to do to be nicer to the women around her. Someone who really helps Jemima realize this is her best friend Jiyoon. Throughout the book their friendship has lots of obstacles some of which are internalized misogyny. Jiyoon is willing to call Jemima out, but also willing to help Jemima get better about this.
Overall I really liked this book , and thought the topic was very interesting. I would recommend this book to high schoolers who are interested in the topic of sexsim in the modern world and how people should approach it. I would recommend this book for high schoolers specifically because of the topic and specific chapters that go very deep into this subject.
This book seems super interesting--especially because of the topics you mentioned. I think the topic of internalized misogyny is an important thing for everyone to learn about, and this book seems to cover it really well. The structure of the novel also appears to be interesting, since the main character is learning about misogyny along with the readers. I'll add this to my list! -Meher
ReplyDeleteI think this topic is really interesting. I see a lot of stories about women fighting misogyny from men, but not a lot about internalized misogyny, which we need to talk about just as much. I like how the MC has a really supportive friend who is taking her along on her journey, which also inspires others to not be weary when asking for help. Overall, this seems like a rally good book that covers really important topics.
ReplyDelete- Athena
This book seems very interesting. I've never heard of the term internalized misogyny before and I think more people should be aware of it. Thank you for writing this review!
ReplyDeleteI agree with what a lot of other commenters said in that internalized misogyny needs to be talked about more. It's a big issue, with, like you said, lots of women, and it's not addressed nearly often enough.
ReplyDelete-Ivy
I don't usually enjoy reading books about misogyny because they are usually written by men. However this one seems to take an interesting take on the idea of misogyny and how it affects young girls especially. I will definitely read this sometime. Great review!
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