Susan Brownmiller

A lot of language used in this book was kind of trans-phobic, so I'm rating it down a bit. Also, a lot of interjections about the author's personal style felt a little self-congratulatory. The author's point would have benefited from other women's voices. (I realize it's a little ironic to criticize for the tone, but this book was about performative femininity as a whole and only using the author's own experience was naturally limiting.)

This was originally published in the 80's, and so many of the pop culture references (in addition to the trans-phobic language) made this feel dated. However, the overall point is still a valid one that women are still grappling with.… (more)

Written in 1994 when I originally read it but found it just as interesting and useful January 2015 when revisiting Vietnam. Parts of this well-written book are evergreen--for example, the sections on history and geography--while other elements have obviously changed with the 20 years that have passed. But that is the charm of this book and why I would recommend it to anyone traveling to or in Vietnam today. This 20-year gap is both amusing and enlightening as I read each chapter as I travelled many parts of the same route Brownmiller travelled. The Cham Museum in Danang remains exactly as described. However, Hoi An has become a tourist town with its main streets lined with travel agents and coffee shops. Today one can talk to anyone willing to engage with a curious visitor unlike Brownmiller's days but many of the conversations remain unchanged. On my last day I sat in a small concrete shop with its eager 30-year old owner clutching my hand as she told me of her dream to become rich taking in tourists' laundry at $1/kilo and selling cans of LaRue beer and bottled water (and renting motorbikes and providing a taxi service and ...). I thought the stroking of my hand a bit odd until later that day I read on page 45 of Brownmiller's text from 1994 "It's a Vietnamese thing, this tactile stroking. A sign of approval."… (more)