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Wednesday, January 24, 2018

The Power by Naomi Alderman

Margaret Atwood is quoted on the cover of this book, so you know right away that there is going to be some serious feminism in the guise of fiction contained within. The difference here is that the women rule, and the bad news is that it really is just as bad as when the men do.  The story is told through several lenses and it is beautifully written and you can view it many different ways, and you won't forget it, whether you love the book or hate it, and I think for the most part it will be one or the other and not something in between.  Which is a real accomplishment in and of itself.
The story is that girls and women across the globe begin to have electrical power,  they are able to transmit this electricity to people and things and they use this power mostly to get back at the patriarch.  Men have oppressed women for generations and now they are ready, even eager to take over the reigns of power.  But not so much to use it for good.  Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and this is no exception.
In the end, I think what I have always thought, that power sharing is the key to peace.  We know that gender imbalance, in either the work place or government, leads to problems.  Women are just as capable of being villains as men are, if given half a chance.   The real issue is we need change, but let there be more peace on earth, let's just tuck the patriarchy in and put it put to bed, never to arise again.

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