It's a Jungle Out There: The Feminist Survival Guide to Politically Inhospitable Environments

It seems a bit easy to tag Marcotte as "the new Molly Ivins"; they are, after all, both smart feisty women from Texas. However, you if enjoy reading smart, funny writers, you couldn't do much better than Amanda. Marcotte takes a somewhat jaundiced eye towards the patriarchy, and the book comprises less a treatise against the institution, and more of an attempt to stay sane. You're not going to find great arguments; you will find some great pranks. Know that going in and you'll have a blast.

I ordered Amanda's book as soon as I knew it was out, and I was not disappointed. Well, I was a little disappointed--my husband took off with it and read it cover to cover before I even got my first peek! I had to listen to him snort and cackle, and keep myself from asking what the joke was. I finally got it back from him, though, and "It's a Jungle Out There" is hilarious, irreverent and wickedly clever. If you're looking for a dose of levity to take along while you're fighting the patriarchy, look no further.

I thought it was hilarious (in a good way), and I don't see how any reasonable person could find a flaw with Amanda's premise -- that misogyny is bad, and humor has a large part to play in how we maintain our sanity. The book cleverly attacks other oppressions besides sexism (racism, homophobia, etc.) and manages to get in a plug for vegetarianism too (two pages that were highly amusing to me because I am a vegetarian). No, it's not a political treatise. If you want that, buy another book. This book is much more fun than your average political treatise.

This book is very much worth it and provides a great introduction to the hierarchical systems of dominance and oppression that drive so much of our stupid culture. If you already know about the insidious and wide-ranging effects of racism and patriarchy, you'll get a good laugh out of the way Ms. Marcotte shows us these effects. If you're still naive enough to believe that America is a place where everyone has equal opportunity, this will open your eyes. It's a perfect gift for your clever high-school or college-aged niece or nephew: it will help them become aware of just how rigged the system really is.

I was aware at some point that this book was in the works. Imagine my surprise at finding a brand new copy of it in the back of a taxi this weekend. "Keep it," the cabby told me as he dropped me off for my appointment. I started reading it right away in the crowded but quiet lobby of my "specialist." I must have looked like a fool, trying and failing desperately not to giggle and laugh out loud as I read. Thank god I was called in to my appointment before completely humiliating myself in front of the rest of the other people in the waiting room. Once at home I could laugh out loud all I wanted. Marcotte is clever and whip-smart. She's fair and her analysis is spot on. Googling her turned up a cornucopia of other material she's written, all of it in a hip feminist voice that succeeds not just because she elucidates with humor, but because she speaks with compassion and care. Highly recommended.