Witches, Sluts, Feminists: Conjuring the Sex Positive Kindle Edition

But seriously though, it's a great read. My wife bought this and read it, then I read it too. It's not a dry, academic type of book. It's an interesting and approachable read. I pretty much knew about all these things going in, but that's ok, because there's always a new perspective to discover and consider.As always, we should consider all viewpoints and decide for ourselves what's true or not. Not everyone will agree with her perspective, but that's all right. It's better to read something and decide whether you agree or disagree than to simply write off something sight unseen. The point of books like these is to create dialogues among people so we can begin discovering our similarities and what we agree about, rather than fighting about how different we are and how much we disagree about. And I think this book does a great job doing just that.I think more guys should read these types of books with open minds and start discovering that feminism in all its forms isn't some radical new idea or extreme value system. It's an ancient concept about equality, and people (not just women) living by these values have been persecuted since time immemorial--and it's time to stop viewing feminism as something dangerous or ugly, and start finding out for ourselves what happens to people who are treated as "others"...and start thinking about where we've went wrong, and how we can help ourselves by reexamining our own behaviors as individuals and as a society, lest these atrocities continue.Anyway, it's a good little book. I've suggested it to many friends, but of course, few of the male gender agree to read it. Do yourself a favor and don't be That Guy. It's worth your time and care.

Kristen J. Sollée a gender-studies professor at The New School, the founder of the sex positive feminist website Slutist and the radical mind behind this book, Witches, Sluts, Feminists: Conjuring the Sex Positive, delves into the history of the female presence within the occult, cultural stigmas revolving around witches and campaigns against the oppression of women’s sexuality.Throughout the entirety of this book Sollée supports her writing with a multitude of factual testimony. She gives a hefty background on women and their involuntary fight with misogyny in all domains but particularly stemming from the occult. In the chapter, “Witch Slut Are You? The Medieval to the Modern,” she references how Christianity during the first millennium willingly discarded logic and instead relied on the accusation that women were witches and to blame for the black plague that wiped out a third of Europe (22). Proceeding through the pages of this chapter, she brings us up to date with the modern equivalent. She writes, “Women remain demonized in the third millennium. In America, they are persecuted in public and in private spheres by individual men and entire bodies of male legislators. They are targets of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and laws limiting reproductive rights and abortion access (27-28)” emphasizing the prevalent and age-old misogyny rule women have been forced to contend with.In addition, Sollée does a great job illuminating the witch as an approachable being in her first chapter “Witches, Sluts, Feminists.” Where she personifies the witch by expressing, “...there are multiple ways to be a witch or identify with the witch. Some take part in spiritual or occult practice with a group—or fly solo. Some are inspired by the witch as an archetype and eschew the ritual and spiritual all together. Many view the witch as the embodiment of a powerful femininity rooted in the earth, which transcends patriarchal influence (19).” Sollée essentially cripples the wicked witch mantra we’ve come to know through societal belief and presents a more digestible, multifaceted witch to grasp at.Sollée also responds to the ever-present persecution surrounding women’s sexuality, how their sexuality has been criticized over the years and still is in today’s modern society. She opens up this conversation in the beginning of the book where she states, “For centuries, the word “witch” has been used to punish women and police female sexuality. Now, “slut” has become the damning epithet that is de rigueur. The names and punishments may have changed, but many of the same oppressive attitudes and behaviors toward women that were prevalent during the early modern witch hunts persist (13).” Asserting that women and their sexuality are still in the crosshairs, regardless of what word has been reupholstered or what millennium we’re currently residing in. She continues this intriguing dialogue throughout the book. And in the chapter, “Queering the Witch: Porn, Pleasure and Representation,” where there are mentions of female witches engaging in “satanic sex” with male devils and other outlandish accusations against women (98), is a prime example of the misogyny women have had to endure and how its been used to construe and condemn women’s sexual proclivities. Highlighting the sex positive connotation ingrained within this book.Overall Sollée was able to develop a composition that offers real substance in the realm of “Witches, Sluts” and “Feminists.” I recommend reading this book if sex positivity or an adept prelude into the history of feminism and witches peak an interest. I don’t recommend reading this if you have no real curiosity towards the occult or feminism because this will make for a taxing and perplexing read. Also keep in mind this book in general isn’t necessarily a novice read by any means. It is a very dense and intermediate piece of writing that I highly suggest be read in segments and with an open mind. Personally, coming from a religious background where witchcraft and the occult have always been deemed taboo, I realized early on I needed to adopt a more universal perspective to really read between the lines. To say the least, this definitely was an interesting read for me. But despite all that, I still found myself resonating with Sollée throughout the book and you may too.

I was interested in this subject and wanted to benefit from the author's research but it was so poorly written i couldn't finish it. It was sloppy and pretentious at the same time. I felt it was cobbled together from lectures, dinner party dicussions, and random thoughts. She had a good premise and her research could have made the case to prove it had she taken the trouble to pull it together coherently and concentrated on communicating rather than showing off how erudite she is.

Im really enjoying this book. Its an easy read with lots of references and ideas of further reading (I've ordered 4 more books from the references and done lots of side reading and googling) I'm only half way through lol!!A brilliant starting point for anyone interested in women's history (and present) in the white western world.Its american so thats it source reference, but this introduced me to artists and activists I had not previously encountered.

She casts spells with her choice of words and the crafting of her sentences! Nice short chapters (typically 7 pages long) – she says what needs to be said and then she moves onto another interesting chapter on another facet, including opinions from other people “in the business”.I wonder if the jokes about mother-in-laws are also a remnant of the attacks on witches and crones in the past?

A good introduction to the ideas put forward in the book. Maybe a bit biased at times but overall a good read. It gave me several chances to pause for thought. Going to lend it to a friend and see what she thinks.

This is such a well written book, and honestly so clever that it brings up analogies that I would have never pieced together. I think everyone needs to read this, puts a lot into perspective. It's clever in a way that is accessible and not hyper academic, even funny in some places.

I really enjoyed reading this book however for the price I bought it at I was expecting more pages or content. It is a good read, with short chapters and really accessible so I would definitely recommend