bell hooks

[Chovexani]

How many are familiar with this fearless woman? She speaks truth to power in everything she does. It was her books (particularly Feminism is For Everybody) that opened my mind to what feminism means in our day-to-day lives. Here's a fan-made site with a lot of her writings posted:

http://www.allaboutbell.com/

[marions ghost]

1. not too familiar with Bell Hooks

but the articles on the website look interesting...

Is there one of her books you would recommend?

[Chovexani]

3. Why certainly

My absolute favorite is Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center. Most of hooks' work examines feminism from a broader perspective of social justice, and the places where various "isms" connect (particularly racism and sexism). This book does a very good job of it, especially where she talks about the role women of color have had in the movement and how our voices have been traditionally marginalized.

It's one of those books that I can read again and again, and still get something new out of it every time I read it. It never fails to make me think.

[marions ghost]

6. thank you

will do, was looking for some new food for thought...

[Eloriel]

2. Of all the wonderful feminist authors I've ever read

for some reason, bell hooks was never among them. I'm going to have to fix that, once and for all.

Thanks for the link!!

[shockra]

4. She's one of my favorites.

I've read at least a dozen of her books. I think Killing Rage is one of her best.

Wish I'd gotten my hands on Reel to Real: Race, Sex, and Class at the Movies when I saw it at a used bookstore once. Now I'm having trouble finding it. I read one of her essays on Spike Lee (from that book, I think) and was glad that she was not a fan. I could never quite put my finger on why I didn't like his films until she revealed how misogynistic he is.

[Chovexani]

5. Have you tried Amazon?

If I'm having a hard time finding a book, I usually check Amazon or eBay...you can get some bargains that way (I only do that after I've exhausted small/local booksellers though).

I can't stand Spike Lee. And not just because I'm a Knicks fan, hehe. I'm a Brooklyn girl (even went to HS right up the street from his store, the hot second it was around), and boy do I get tired of having him promoted as some kind of hometown hero. Everything I hear is so pro-Spike, I want to gag. Not to mention the fact that if you dare criticize him or his work, somehow you are tearing down The Black Man in general, which is a big no-no for sisters as we are always supposed to be "uplifting Him". :puke:

I just love bell hooks' stuff on Spike, and her cultural criticism in general. I'm always gobsmacked by the way she always manages to say things it seems like no one else wants to say (but must be thinking!).

[shockra]

7. Yeah, she's awesome.

Gobsmacked -- that's a good way to describe it. When I pick up one of her books I can't put it down. You just can't believe someone would actually say some of these things out loud! But boy, do you feel grateful that she has such a combination of intelligence and courage.

The Spike hype has bugged me for a long time too. It must be so much worse though actually living in Brooklyn. I was glad when he appeared on the scene because we needed more black filmmakers, but then I never liked his movies. In fact, I *really* didn't like them. Which made me feel like there must be some racist streak in me that I wasn't acknowledging since everyone else was raving about him. If bell hooks hadn't spelled it out so clearly what he was about, I'd still be wondering "what's wrong with me?"

Yeah, it's disgusting but misogyny is one thing that black and white men can bond over, and help to keep all "their" women down. Which may be the main reason why Spike was so welcomed by the entertainment industry.

Amazon was one of the first places I looked for Reel to Real, and they didn't have it at the time. I also tried to get it through inter-library loan, since my library didn't have it, and couldn't. Powell's used bookstore didn't have it for a long time either, until I finally gave up looking. But they have 3 copies now! My city library has the majority of her books, so I've been lucky otherwise.

She writes about so many different things, culture, education, writing, love, prejudice against appearance, films, class privilege, white privilege. I'm hard-pressed to think of a feminist writer that I like more, even though there are a lot of great ones out there. She's consistently good, and prolific, whereas most of the others have let me down or bored me at one time or another. hooks is so well-rounded that after reading her I just notice more what the other feminists are missing.

[geniph]

12. I wish to all the gods Lee wasn't so misogynistic

because some parts of some of his movies are sheer brilliance. And others are utter crap. There are some moments in Malcolm X that are framed so brilliantly that they could not work any other way. He Got Game has moments of sheer genius, as does Do the Right Thing. And then there are those moments that just set my teeth on edge.

If he could get past some of his weird hangups about women, and quit casting himself in his movies, he could be so much more than he is...

I'm a big fan of his, but some of his movies are unwatchable (She Hate Me being a prime example).

[alarcojon]

8. I second your props for Killing Rage

It is an excellent work with a powerful introduction.

[Stuckinthebush]

9. Killing Rage

Was the book that got me fascinated in critical social theory. The first part of the first chapter is powerful.

I have read it to classes, and some get it and some don't.

You've just gotta appreciate bell hooks.

[donsu]

10. yep, I've read her - recommended

nt

[alarcojon]

11. May I also recommend "Teaching to Transgress"

for Ms. Hooks' thoughts on how the educational system should be promoting a new vision of participatory democracy.