emmadilemma reviewed In Defense of Witches by Mona Chollet
Profound insight, challenging start
3 stars
If you came for witches, you're going to get a whole lot more. Witch-hunts are demonstrated to be just one of the mechanisms by which women have been and are held down. We're led through pop culture and the image of the 'old hag' that permeates films and Disney cartoons. Then we're taken to hospital for a critical look at medicine and a particular gaze at obstetrics and gynecology.
But first, motherhood. The front half of the book is a polemic against societal norms for mothering and parenting — only a mutant doesn't want kids — that may turn off readers well before she actually converts them. It's a fine line. I can't say pulling punches would have reached more people. I only know I almost didn't make it.
