I finished Inga Muscio’s “Cunt: A Delcaration of Independence” (416 pgs) and “Rose: Love in Violent Times” (217 pgs). Wow. Friends had recommended these to me months ago and I brushed them off, but I really wish I’d read them sooner. Cunt is exactly what the title reads; a declaration of independence. Independence from all of the negatives generally associated with having a cunt and/or being a woman, including but not limited to: menstruation, fear of sexual violence, misogynistic comments, sexuality, and on. She invokes some ecofeminism in this book (like syncing your menstrual cycle to the moon) and even more of it in Rose when she talks about the rape of women and the rape of the land (also invoking Andrea Smith’s Conquest). I think its a good read for anyone who doesn’t have a full handle on feminist theory (or even if they do) and wants to bring it into their life.
I am also extremely glad I read “Rose”. Muscio talks about sexual violence and starts the book by breaking down and redefining what we think of when we see violence. This book really hit home after seeing a member of my former community sexually assault and harass almost every woman in the community, and then get away with it and have other women stand up for him. Muscio articulates how things that we generally do not perceive to be violence are actually violent and very wrong. She also breaks down how violence can have a ripple effect within groups or across generations (speaking of how her own mother’s rape has affected her and her sister).
I recommend both, they were quick reads once I started on them.
@internrachel & @julia1