The Female Man [book]

The Female Man [book]

THERE IS A REASON I AM SO OBSESSED WITH NEBULA AWARDS, ESPECIALLY THE RUNNERS UP. THE GOOD ONES HAVE THIS VERY PARTICULAR TONE WHERE THEY ARE SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS WRITTEN ABOUT A VERY CUTTING EDGE SOCIAL ISSUE BUT IN THE YEAR THAT ISSUE WAS JUST ENTERING PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS ENOUGH IT MIGHT WIN A SCIENCE FICTION AWARD. SO IT'S OFTEN THESE TOPICS THAT HAVE SINCE BEEN DISCUSSED FOR DECADES OR EVEN SETTLED FOR DECADES, BUT THEY ARE WRITTEN IN THE MOMENT IN A WEIRD MUDDLED "THESE IDEAS ARE STILL PRETTY NEW" SORT OF WAY. LIKE THIS IS A BOOK WRITTEN ABOUT FEMINISM IN 1970. IT HOLDS UP SHOCKINGLY WELL, I MEAN, AT LEAST IT SEEMS TO. WITH LIKE SCENES OF EXTREMELY CURRENT DAY THINGS LIKE A MALE COLLEGE FRESHMEN SPEAKING OVER THE FEMALE PROFESSOR ON A TOPIC AT A PARTY. AND MOST OF THE DOUBLE STANDARDS THAT ARE STILL ISSUES TODAY, IT'S LEGITIMATELY A GOOD BOOK. BUT LIKE IT GETS THE PART OF THE NEBULA AWARD WHERE IT JUST MIXES IN WEIRD SCIFI STUFF PEPPERED IN, LIKE THE PHRASE 'THROW OFF YOUR PUSSYFETTERS TO BECOME A WOMANMAN"  I DON'T KNOW, I'M MIXED, FOR THE NEBULA AWARD REASON THAT THIS BOOK HOLDS UP SHOCKINGLY WELL AND ALL THE CONCERNS IT RAISES ARE CLEARLY NEARLY IDENTICAL HALF A CENTURY ON, BUT AT THE SAME TIME ONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS HAS A LOBOTOMIZED APE THAT THEY LIVE WITH AND HAVE SEX WITH BECAUSE THEY ARE HETEROSEXUAL BUT CAN'T STAND TO BE NEAR MEN. LIKE THIS IS PERFECT NEBULA AWARD, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HOW LEGITIMATELY GOOD IT IS BUT ALSO NEED TO TALK ABOUT ALL THE WEIRD BONKERS 1960S/70S SCI FI INSANITY. IT'S BOTH THINGS SO PERFECTLY.

PS. THE ONE BIT OF WEIRD I CAN'T GET OVER IS THE ADVANCED WOMEN ONLY PLANET THAT IS IN THE YEAR 3000, IT MENTIONS MULTIPLE TIMES THAT OVER THE CENTURIES ALL THE WOMEN HAVE BRED TO HAVE GIANT BUTTS. IT NEVER MENTIONS WHY THIS WOULD BE. THE ONLY THING IT EVER MENTIONS IS THAT HAVING A GIANT BUTT MEANS THE GIRLFRIEND OF ONE OF THEM DOES NOT GET HOT EARS WHEN THEY HAVE ORAL SEX? WHICH LIKE, WHAT? THIS RAISES A SERIES OF EXTREMELY WILD CLAIMS THAT LEAVES ME WITH MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THE 60S THOUGHT ANYTHING WORKED.

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