Women Unbound Challenge

I am joining the Women Unbound Challenge. It runs from 11/1/09-11/30/10. Participants are encouraged to read nonfiction and fiction books related to women's studies = "the multidisciplinary study of the social status and societal contributions of women and the relationship between power and gender."

I think it could be a lot of fun, especially because there's a non-fiction element and I'd love to read more non-fiction. I tend to get intimidated by non-fiction, but I have no idea why. I read quite a bit of it while I was in college and I enjoyed a lot of it. I'm also trying to get myself to think about reviewing books and posting my thoughts in an organized fashion, which I've struggled with in the past. Writing is something I need to work on, so I see this as a good way of growing and empowering myself more. :)

To start, there is the Start-of-Challenge meme: 


1. What does feminism mean to you?
I can't believe I'm actually going to say this in a public place, but I cringe at the word. Here's why: too many people have scoffed at my "lack of self-respect" when I say that I want to be a stay at home mother when I get married and have kids. I've also had to deal with someone I care a great deal about literally turn into a man-hating monster for "feminism." I used the quotes here because I don't believe that's what feminism truly is - some people have morphed it into some negative things.
As far as what feminism actually means to me: women are equal to men and should be treated as such. I believe every woman should be able to choose her own career(s) and pursue all of her dreams, both personal and professional. Every woman has the right to make her own decisions about her own life, including but not limited to how she dresses, what interests she pursues, and what career path she belongs in.
For some personal background and info, I am currently the only woman in my department (I work for a small company) and have worked hard to earn a position of respect among my colleagues. In the future when it's time to have kids, I want to stay at home with them to teach and raise them. At some point, I plan to start my own business that can earn passive income - but I haven't quite figured out what I plan to do with that yet. It's been a dream of mine for a long while.

2. Do you consider yourself a feminist? Why or why not?
Yes and no.
Reasons for No: In my experience, the women who specifically consider themselves feminists take on a very negative approach to men, but that's not what it should be. I also think that gender neutral terms are a pain because the image in your head doesn't change when you hear those terms versus the gender specific terms. And I think it only covers symptoms of a problem rather than attacking the problem itself.
Reasons for Yes: In terms of being an American woman, I have legal rights that a lot of women around the world don't have. I believe that every woman everywhere should have equal legal rights.

3. What do you consider the biggest obstacle women face in the world today? Has that obstacle changed over time, or does it basically remain the same?
If we're talking the entire world, then probably achieving the same legal rights as men. We may have the laws declaring us equal, but there are so many women in the world who don't yet. This has definitely changed over time and it will continue to change in the future.

If you've actually read this far, you are probably wondering why I could possibly want to do this challenge if I don't consider myself a feminist. And the best answer that I can give is that I stumbled across Eva's A Striped Armchair and her post about the challenge was so positive and completely void of everything I dont't like about feminism that I had to say yes to this. Because after all, I am a woman, and women's issues are important to me.

I have decided to read 5 books, and here are my choices:
1. George Johnson, Miss Leavitt's Stars: I found this on Eva's blog and it looks so interesting. It's about Henrietta Swan Leavitt, an astronomer in the early 1900s.
2. Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis: This has been on my reading list for a long time, ever since I stumbled across it at Barnes & Noble a couple years ago.
3. Elaine Brown, A Taste of Power: Recommended to me by a good friend, this one is about the first female leader of the Black Panthers

And (at least) two of the following:
Laura Claridge, Emily Post: Daughter of the Gilded Age, Mistress of American Manners (biography of the ever popular author of the go-to book for manners and society)
Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha (surprisingly I know very little about this other than it's about a geisha in Japan)
Deborah Rodriguez, Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil (memoir of an American woman in Afghanistan helping establish a beauty school)
Joan Jacobs Brumberg, The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls (history of feminine body image and sexuality)
Barbara Leaming, Mrs. Kennedy: The Missing History of the Kennedy Years (biography of Jackie O)
Cokie Roberts, Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation (history/bio of a few of the women supporting and involved with the American Revolution)
Pat Shipman, Femme Fatale: Love, Lies, and the Unknown Life of Mata Hari (biography of Mata Hari, an exotic dancer in France who spied for Germany during WWI)
Glenn Stout, Young Woman and the Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World (biography of the first woman to swim across the English Channel)
Mary Jo Buttafuoco, Getting It Through My Thick Skull: Why I Stayed, What I Learned, and What Millions of People Involved with Sociopaths Need to Know (memoir of Joey Buttanfuoco's wife - he shot and nearly killed her - I expect this will count since it's a about a woman in an abusive, unfaithful (on his part) marriage who eventually decided to leave
Martha Ackmann, The Mercury 13: The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight (biography of a group of female pilots turned astronauts during the space race)