PositiveThe Guardian (UK)... one of those books that takes something ubiquitous, something that perhaps many have become desensitised to, and slowly exposes its far-reaching implications ... The strength of the work is in its data collection ... The first few chapters of the book are the strongest: Sieghart explains not only that there is an authority gap that has serious consequences, but that closing it is good for everyone, men included ... It is harder to keep track once Sieghart starts to break down the authority gap into its parts. Chapters are divided into texts that do not seem that distinct from each other...The reader starts to lose the very specific thread of authority, and stray into the realm of general patriarchy and misogyny. Of course, the authority gap exists because of these structural gender imbalances, but the distinct contours of the gap begin to blur a little as the thesis progresses ... I also wished, as the voices of powerful women punctuated the book with their accounts of being undermined and underestimated, that the authority gap could have been demonstrated more through a less elite cohort. It makes sense to refer to those women with the most authority to show that the gap is so huge it applies even to them, but I found myself searching for more details of everyday challenges that don’t involve boardrooms or high office...That said, Sieghart is fastidious in trying to cover the experiences of all women across the spectrum.
Mikki Kendall
PositiveThe Guardian (UK)There will be no reverence here, no tiptoeing around mainstream feminism’s dreams, no grateful acceptance of a black space that is in the gift of white proprietors ... Her book brings it back to the real world, where feminism is about \'food insecurity and access to quality education, safe neighbourhoods, a living wage and medical care.\' Kendall uses both anecdote and analysis to make her case ... Kendall’s voice is passionate, and moves easily between the personal and the political. She is at her strongest and most refreshing when rejecting the fetishisation of black women for being strong ... Kendall is often unsparing and honest about issues that aren’t related to racism, pointing out that colourism among black communities predated contact with Europeans. In doing so she pulls off two things at the same time. She exposes the yawning chasm between what constitutes mainstream feminist activism and the urgent needs of women of colour ... And she does so without absolving her own communities, or elevating them into saintly victimhood.
