The new book by Chavisa Woods...sat unread on my nightstand for a good week before I managed the courage to pick it up ... Still, the very upfront title had both repelled and intrigued me, and once I started the book I didn’t put it down until I’d finished it ... What Woods has done in chronicling her experiences is multifaceted: she has created a prism that shows the true, lived experiences of feminized bodies in the world; she has shown the progress of compounded trauma; and she has, by naming it and logging it, shown how persistent, every day, and accepted the behavior is. We need work like Woods’ memoir in the world ... by showing the omnipresence of gendered violence, she is showing the seams of patriarchy ... This text is not only a vital read for those who have experienced gender violence, but also for those looking to enact real allyship and create real change in the world. I suspect this text will become a vital tool for teaching, reclaiming, and collectively mourning for years to come.
The fascinating, horrific but also sometimes hilarious story that emerges from the list is of a pacifist queer from rural Illinois transforming into 'an extremely assaultive 'feminazi' and then transforming again into a slightly less assaultive feminazi ... This hero's journey—told in straightforward, unadorned prose—struck a thrilling revenge chord within me ... Though Woods details some repugnant stuff, one of the more infuriating aspects of the book is her need to demonstrate that she understands what normal behavior is ... She uses pseudonyms in all cases because her point isn't to call out the particular men she's met, but to show how common and widespread her experiences are. She hopes to find solidarity with other women who have similar lists, and hopes men 'come away with a greater understanding of how sexism shapes women.' She certainly achieves that goal, times 10.
Woods' text pinpoints the pervasive threat posed by institutionalized sexism ... Woods is methodical in her analysis and deliberately examines various cultural conditions informing her experiences with sexual harassment ... Woods unabashedly reminds readers that subversion is deemed as an absolute threat and an equally powerful weapon ... The acerbic vitriol Woods faces is informed by homophobic and sexist discourses. But Woods is on point ... With a writing style evocative of Gertrude Stein, Woods frequently relies on repetition to emphasize sexism's ubiquity ... Woods' memoir is multifaceted and relatable, her writing is conversational and responsive. As such, 100 Times is the ideal tool for inciting the collective rage needed to subvert gender-based harassment and violence.
Woods...unshakable memoir is a list of 100 incidents of sexism that she’s experienced in her three decades of life. The chronologically arranged accounts are plain and profound, allowing the actions to speak for themselves, and range in length from a paragraph to a few pages ... Incredibly, a rich portrait of Woods’ life as an artist and a lover prevails through all of the horror. Even focusing on sexism, she claims her identity as so much more than a survivor. In the haunting conclusion, Woods reminds readers that there is no such thing as reverse sexism in a world where women are so systematically oppressed, citing gender comparison statistics about rape and homicide. Brilliant and simple, this is sure to advance understanding of a topic of intense national reckoning.In the haunting conclusion, Woods reminds readers that there is no such thing as reverse sexism in a world where women are so systematically oppressed, citing gender comparison statistics about rape and homicide. Brilliant and simple, this is sure to advance understanding of a topic of intense national reckoning.
100 Times originated as a series of Facebook posts, and Woods maintains the informal style—they read as if she’s sharing trauma with a friend ... The descriptions feel compressed and at times unfinished. And, in a sense, they are, since another incident lurks right around the corner. The effect is unsettling ... Woods indicts not just men and boys for aggression, but also the culture that allows this type of behavior to continue ... No one should be alone in telling their stories of surviving sexual violence, and Woods underscores not just the toll of abuse, but also the lack of bodily autonomy for women, girls, and anyone expressing femininity ... By articulating the full range of her own experiences, Woods stresses the need for a dramatic shift in societal attitudes if we ever want to live in a culture in which rape and sexist discrimination are no longer routine.
