The Power

This was a timely book to have happened upon during this era of #MeToo. Definitely a one of a kind book. I have never read this sort of science-fiction before and it was strangely liberating and incredibly insightful.It is amazing how it takes such a simple exercise of role reversal to make you rethink some of the things you've long accepted as "normal".There is one main character in the book that really shows you the progression of change that is occurring in this fictitious society. He goes from living in a world where he ALWAYS feels safe, to living in a world where he is likely to get violently attacked at any moment (and does). Having that sort of mental exercise put into context the violence that we, as women, have to face on a nearly daily basis. And if we are not directly facing it, we are living in constant fear of violence against us.The UN recently released a report titled a Global Study on Homicide: Gender-related killing of women and girls. One of the key findings of this study was that of the 87,000 intentionally killed women in 2017, more than half of them (58%) were killed by intimate partners or family members. This study made headlines because it was stated that in the four regions of the world with the highest share of murdered women, the home was the most likely place for a woman to be killed. To put this into context, women and girls account for only 20% of total homicides. And only one out of every five homicides at the global level is perpetuated by an intimate partner or family member. However, women and girls make up the vast majority of those deaths (64%).The Power gives the reader the opportunity to imagine what the world would look like if women no longer had to fear for their lives. If women no longer had to fear for their lives in their own homes. If women no longer had to fear their significant other or their family members.There is this particularly powerful scene in the book where a governmental official realizes during a meeting that she is the most powerful person in the room. That if she wanted to she could do anything she wanted to anyone she wanted. The internal discussion she has with herself is incredible because she thinks to herself, "Is this how men have always felt?".All in all, a great read and highly recommended.Additionally, I highly recommend checking out these two French films that do a similar mind experiment: Oppressed Majority and I Am Not An Easy Man.

The plot of this book is great and I loved the comment on society but it is also a tough read. Lots of violence and SA and at some point I was just trying to finish so it would be over 😅 still recommend though, just go in prepared.

The Power was really good, and really thought provoking and uncomfortable and made me shamefully pleased and horrified and really mad at once.Let's break it down:It was good because it was well written and original. I loved the interplay between the main text and the correspondence that took place at the beginning and the end of the book. It was thought-provoking in presenting a different idea for consideration and doing so in a way I hadn't seen before. The role reversal between men and women was fascinating and infuriating. I loved all the details and nuances that the author included that I just got because I live them every single day as a woman.The Power made me uncomfortable in itself and uncomfortable in the things it made me feel. There's some really cruel scenes in here, abuse and assult and rape. And it's gross and tragic. But some part of me, some part that maybe I didn't want to admit was there, felt so satisfied by that violence. Like finally, we are in control. Women don't have to bow to the power of men. Men have to feel the fear and the insecurity and the discomfort of being scared, insecure, unsure for a large majority of seemingly mundane circumstances (like walking alone, walking at night, being approaching by groups of people of the opposite gender, being approached by a single individual of the opposite gender, having to be constantly "protected" and validated by the opposite gender), and part of me loved that and totally rejoiced in imagining a world where I wasn't powerless in the way that I am. But that's awful and really I don't want anyone to feel powerless and fearful because it sucks.It also made me really mad because it was SO RELATABLE. The dialog between the man and the women at the beginning and the end of the story made me clench my teeth because the power/dominance relationships that it presented in business/work/professional settings was so true and so infuriating. But I don't want to give too much away...Definitely worth the read!

First of all the person performing the audio version is AMAZING. Very talented and honestly their performance is what kept me reading when I may have given up.Well written and interesting premise, however the end, or rather lack of end to the story is known from the beginning, so all sense of suspense for what is going to happen to the world itself is lost.It seemed like it was building up to a climax but instead just ended.It makes for inspiring discussions around gender and history for sure. For the first 40% of the book I was feeling some dread that I may have been reading a TERF story, but a small ounce of queer was injected just in time to keep me from putting this book away.This is not the escapist, suspenseful, thriller type sci fi I usually read and was looking for. It is more fodder for gender studies classes. Still it was very well written and I would be interested to hear more of the characters' stories like Tunde and Roxy.