A Brief History of Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice

An excellent book - written in understandable language and with intelligent and balanced analysis that you don't have to have a PHd in philosopy to follow. It was published at least two years ago and though I do not know how it went under (or maybe it was over?) my radar for so long, I am glad that I finally found it. It is definitely a keeper.

This seminal work should be required reading in all college sociology, humanities and women's study courses. Mr. Holland, God rest his soul, provides the reader with a razor sharp view of the history of this insidious world community prejudice. Easy to read with concepts that challenge our sensibilities and acceptance, the author strips away the rhetoric and lays bare the bias that keeps us all in bondage.

Its amazing that this book was written by a man. This is a must read for every female especially those who take the many freedoms they have today for granted.Misogynistic practices,behaviors and attitudes are entrenched in many cultures(some more extreme than others)and it would be wise to take note that freedoms were fought for(not just generously handed over by kind hearted men)and that we have made a little progress in some areas but still have a long way to go to eliminate deeply rooted prejudices against women everywhere.

I'm as surprised to report as I'm sure you are to read that this book is neither the downer nor the inciter to riot I was expecting. It's the history of the world's oldest and most determined prejudice written with clarity and humor, beginning with Pandora and ending with the Taliban. There are discoveries -- Did you know that the main reason Menelaus fought so hard to get Helen back was that he married her because she was his claim to his kingship? Face that launched a thousand ships, indeed. Did you know that in contemporary accounts it was rumored that Brutus was Julius Ceasar's bastard son? That explains a lot. St. Paul's remarks in Romans amount to "a declaration of war on the human body," and the marquis de Sade's fictional Juliette is "a sort of Tyrannosaurus Sex." The chapters on witch burning and the Holocaust are pretty horrifying, but then so were the events, and Holland's prose is so good it pulls you through to a conclusion not lacking in hope for a better future.

Misogyny is a remarkable book, melding ancient philosophy, religion, sociology, literature, art, and politics. It was written by an Irish journalist who cared deeply about women, and it seamlessly brings together the elements and causes of the omnipresent patriarchal control of women by men over thousands of years throughout the world. The relatively modest advancements for women in developed countries in recent decades are little cause for rejoicing when hundreds of millions of women and girls continue to suffer the most horrendous treatment: rape, child sexual slavery, and physical abuse; genital mutilation; forced marriage, child-bearing, and/or late-term abortion; lack of effective, affordable contraception; infanticide of unwanted female babies; exposure to HIV/AIDS from straying husbands and partners; poorer health and shortened life span; lack of education and control of family finances; public humiliation and even violent death for flouting male cultural demands including unreasonable clothing requirements; loss of hope and opportunities on all levels. Present-day political and religious leaders do little to help the cause of women and girls. Jack Holland lays it all out from Aristotle to Darfur, from Plato to Hitler, from the past to the present and into the uncertain future. This is a book that finally exposes the inception of the domination and maltreatment of one gender by the other through the ages. It is a gem and ought to be required reading in all high schools and colleges AND for all legislators. Our conduct toward others defines our characters. Men, take note. And for women who ignore the history of the fight for women's rights, those rights are fragile and fleeting, and your callous ignorance is dangerous to you and to those you love . Your rights, and those of your mothers, your sisters, and your daughters will always be in peril. Know this and take action. Begin by reading Jack Holland's incisive book.