I found The Geek Feminist Revolution by Kameron Hurley because I needed a palate cleanser after some 19th century melancholia. And it worked. If you want something that isn’t Eline Vere by Louis Coperus, I can highly recommend this book.
A lot has happened in feminism and geekery since the book was published in 2016, shortly after gamergate (which was covered) and shortly before Trump was elected and the me too movement blew up in 2017. I got ready to abandon the book when I saw what year it came out – surely everything would be moot, I thought. But the vast majority of the content was still very relevant. For good and bad.
The author covers geeky feminism through a series of personal essays. They’re so personal that the book is kind of a memoir. She talks about struggling as a writer and getting published and being abused by a boyfriend and having chronic illness and being online.
All the points Hurley made could be applied to any unprivileged and privileged group in any community with a little editing. And she is very aware of her white and cis privilege.
The main takeaway is that men have more wiggle room.
The criteria for being a writer are more loosely defined for men and it’s easier for them to stay writers. Apparently some people argued against Susanna Clarke being called a writer when she only had one novel out. Being a writer and writing was a big part of the book.
Hurley discusses befriending a woman author who got unmasked as a troll. This unnamed author hate-reviewed Hurley’s work and was a probably shitty person and good writer. But it was pointed out that men can be jerks in front of an audience and carry on with their careers.
None of the author’s points were new, but I liked the way she said them and I mostly agreed. And, as she said, she does know how to write. I like “pervy camera” much more than “male gaze.”