Book cover of The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality

Book description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2023

'I learned something new on every page of this totally essential book' Sathnam Sanghera

'By thinking about gendered inequality as rooted in something unalterable within us, we fail to see it for what it is: something more fragile that has had…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Patriarchs as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I read so many books about feminism and theory that I am often discouraged by overly academic and theoretical styles. This book is a real exception to the rule. It is accessible, readable, interesting and informative. It gives an in-depth dive into the origins of patriarchy and why it still maintains power and dominance now. You might be surprised by the contents! I can't recommend this highly enough. You will not look at patriarchy in the same way again.

After four phases of feminism, we still find ourselves in a world dominated not just by men but by male ideas. I saw this book on the bookshop shelf and knew it was a definite-buy.

The book spoke to me because I’m a human being. It’s obvious what is going on in the world – that men are exploiting their position for selfish ends, at the expense of women but also of themselves.

This book demolishes the unspoken assumptions of patriarchy by showing, with full evidence, the variety of social organisation – humane social organisation – that is possible. Men…

If you love The Patriarchs...

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December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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