Are Men Necessary?
 | |
| Author | Maureen Dowd |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Gender Studies, Women |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Putnam Publishing Group |
Publication date | November 8, 2005 |
| Media type | Print Paperback |
| Pages | 338 |
| ISBN | 0-399-15332-2 |
| OCLC | 61353155 |
| 305.3/0973/090511 22 | |
| LC Class | HQ1075.5.U6 D68 2005 |
Are Men Necessary? When Sexes Collide is a book written by American author and The New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd. It received a torrent of criticism and created controversy regarding classic problems facing women balancing careers and families. The book was not well received by critics, unlike her previous book Bushworld: Enter at Your Own Risk.
Overview
In the book, Dowd puts forward her view of the current state of feminism, whether women pursuing a mate is worthy and the belief that smart women are left at home only to be left with only domestic duties. Are Men Necessary? deals with the cultural analysis and memoir of sexual politics along with modern gender relations. There are also her personal views about Hillary Clinton arguing that she destroyed feminism, betraying other women by sticking with her "dissembling, thong-seeking, wife-betraying husband", and becoming a feminist icon in the process.
Reviews
Maureen Dowd's publication received mixed reactions, the majority of them negative.
- Metacritic gave it a 31 out of 100.
- Entertainment Weekly said: "To observe Dowd at her coquettish, stiletto-wearing worst, crack her new book, Are Men Necessary?, a hodgepodge of recycled columns, Dorothy Parker quips, and peekaboo glimpses into the glam journalist's personal life."
- Salon said: "She's asking some very uncomfortable questions of her male and female readers, and presenting some startling answers, including the winked-at implication that, as the title suggests, men may not be necessary anymore. Dowd has clearly touched a nerve. And you only touch a nerve by telling a truth." - Rebecca Traister
- The Nation: "You're always so glass-half-full in public," my editor says at this point. "But in private you're as down as Dowd." Well, not quite that down. But yes, I thought we'd be further along by now." - Katha Pollitt
- BookReporter.com said: "In the end, Dowd's down-n-dirty gender manifesto is an inquisitive yet pointed ode to all things Dick and Jane." - Alexis Burling
- The Age said: "Saving much of her best until nearly last, Dowd goes for the jugular of America's hard-man political culture. Inside the beltway and below the belt." - Dr. Natasha Cica
- Booklist's Brad Hooper said: "Dowd is hilarious, cutting, and provocative--in other words, perfectly willing to express her vision of the truth without an ounce of reservation."
- Wall Street Journal said: "And then we're off down the rabbit hole, twisting and turning from subject to subject as the author wonders why Americans prefer their news anchors tall, white and male, why men aren't that eager to marry argumentative feminists, and why herds of women now inject themselves with skin-plumping bovine collagen. These are all good questions. It's a pity that Ms. Dowd never stops scrabbling long enough to answer them."
References
- NPR's Fresh Air interview:
- Bill Thompson's Eye on Books interview:
- CNN:"If Maureen Dowd was trying to cause controversy, she's done a good job."
- New York Magazine:"The Redhead and the Gray Lady" by Ariel Levy
- Salon "Scary screeds about Maureen Dowd, written by threatened men"
- Slip Sliding Away: Maureen Dowd's Are Men Necessary? stirs up stagnant feminist movement by Felicia Feaster
- Metacritic "Are Men Necessary?" by Maureen Dowd
- Entertainment Weekly"Are Men Necessary? When Sexes Collide" Book review
- Salon: "Yes, Maureen Dowd is necessary" by Rebecca Traister
- The Nation "The World According to Dowd"
- The Age "Why do women hate Maureen Dowd?" by Virginia Haussegger
- BookReporter.com:
- The Age "Maureen Dowd looks at power and gender from some unusual angles."
- Wall Street Journal article