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Roxane’s essays balance the light and darkness so eloquently. I have seen this in my mother and my grandmother.
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I know how women build their walls and force forward strength to protect themselves, to protect those they love. This essay, I feel the need to say, turns to Roxane’s past and brings up a darkness that I was not prepared to go through. She does her best to meet the expectations for the people she loves, even when it costs her so much. Katniss is expected to be strong, and is coerced into an idol of strength. But what hits me hard is the theme of strength in women. I bond with Roxane over our deep love of the ‘Hunger Games’ and the emotional investment we made to the books. In her essay What We Hunger For I find a theme that deeply resonates with in me. You need to understand the extent of your privilege, the consequences of your privilege, and remain aware that people who are different from you move through and experience the world in ways you might never know anything about.” ( Peculiar Benefits, pg 17. “You don’t necessarily have to do anything once you acknowledge your privilege. Roxane reminded me of this in her essay Peculiar Benefits and I am thankful for that. I know this to be a privilege, and would not deny that if I had been born a different race, or in a different country, I would not be allowed the graces that I had in my current situation. I have had the privilege of being a white woman living in America. Some reminded me of the inequality that is still left in the world, and while I may feel comfortable where I am I cannot deny the fact that there are women who are not as privileged as I have been. Sometimes her essays touched me in ways that I had closed myself off from. Her writing is relatable because I also feel these struggles.Īfter reading an essay I would take time to contemplate her words. Her tone is bold and strong, and I can feel how torn she is at wanting to live her life in ways that fabricate the respect women deserve, but how deeply flawed she feels in meeting the standards she thinks feminism has placed on women. Her introduction to the book hints at the subjects to be touched upon in the following essays. They are broken down into sections: Me, Gender & Sexuality, Race & Entertainment, Politics, Gender & Race, Back to Me. The essays range from pop-culture and political topics to deeply personal experiences.
Roxane gay peculiar benefits discussion questions series#
Roxane Gay published these series of essays in 2014 and they explore feminism in the realm of how loving and being true to yourself fit into cultural ideals about being a feminist. It sat on my shelf for several years before ending up in my duffle bag to be read during our travels in New Zealand.
I picked up this book while Casey and I were living in Oregon from Powells book store.