NOTES ON FEMINISM isn't a dud or a complete fail—I generally liked it—but I think it was a missed opportunity.

The author writes from a Christian perspective and acknowledges that feminism has often been made out to be an enemy of the Church. The opportunity was right there to address the "why" behind this and offer a deep dive into the intersections between feminism and a type of Christianity that honors the dignity and equality of women. Instead, the "hot topic" of feminism is given maybe one chapter, and this book ends up truly all over the place.

This book wanted to be research and essays. It wanted to be theology and humor. It wanted to appease women *and* men from both traditionalist and progressive Christian camps. It ended up as disjointed "notes on feminism" that don't actually say much. There are a lot of Captain Obvious thoughts, oversimplification, and so many quotes. You could wonder if this was a book by Kat Armas or Beth Allison Barr by how often quotes from their books appeared. Original thoughts felt rare, and when they did appear, they weren't very insightful.

The most significant note I want to share about NOTES ON FEMINISM is that this book is about womanhood, not feminism. Even the guest essays included were about issues that simply apply to women and not about being a feminist. The description of this book makes it sound like an argument for feminism from a Christian feminist, but it's not. It's a series of sometimes good, sometimes genuinely informative, but often aimless essays and quippy poems about the many hard things women face.

I wanted the author to commit to and lean into her views and stop trying to play both sides. She doesn't seem ready to fully let go of toxic teaching about women and rigid rules around who women are allowed to be, even though it's clear she doesn't prescribe to any of it herself. As a result, this book is going to be too much for conservative Christians and not enough for progressive Christians. Understandably, that's often the case with Christian books today, but it was unnecessary for NOTES ON FEMINISM to be one of those books. There's a difference between being balanced, gracious, and charitable and being so determined not to offend anyone that you forget to make a solid point or make any clear case at all.

So, since I said I liked it overall, who would I recommend this book to? There are many Christian women out there who don't fully subscribe to conservative views on women's roles but aren't comfortable examining what that means for them theologically and practically. This is a book for them. NOTES ON FEMINISM offers simple overviews of many issues pertinent to women AND options for Christian women that many don't know they have.

*This review is based on a digital ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are 100% honest and my own.

Okay, I’m not finished yet with this book but I’m loving it to such an extent that I needed to send you my thoughts already. Then, I will write some bullet opponents to summarise what I LOVE about it (I read the 60% of the book and I intend to finish it, don’t worry):
- The author says several times that this is not a book that intends to convince anyone, but to inform
- She also says that she’s open to dialogue with anyone who wants it, as this is not a formal essay, but a journalist work
- White cis privileged feminism is recognised, as there are other realities that we must also work for
- She explains that the religion that refuses to acknowledge women as similar people as men comes from a subjective interpretation of the Bible (I really liked this part)
- She always defends the freedom of women whatever aspirations they have

However, the only point that I did not enjoy of this reading were the contributions of other women. I really liked the writing and opinions of the author, but in some sections she lets other women give their opinion or explain their lifestyles, which I did not like at all. Some of them were really good, but I found others quite offensive, actually.

I hope this review helps and I encourage the author to continue writing.
Finally, I have to clarify that these exact points that I just mentioned will be written in goodreads when I actually finish the book.
Thank you for letting me read it!

With a focus on the church, this collection explored issues of feminism, gender identity and sexism (among others)

I found this to have a humorous voice, while exploring these issues from a religious perspective I do not commonly read.

The content had depth and was clearly well researched and educational. I would recommend this to anyone looking to broaden their understanding on different perspectives and aspirations of feminism.

Thankyou to net-galley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a collection of interesting, thought-provoking, balanced, and passionate essays on feminism, womanhood, gender issues (etc) with particular focus on how these issues play out inside (or around) the Church.

I love Lauren's sense of humour and the way she is able to tackle some really tough topics with an authenticity that can be lacking in Christian living books. She doesn't mince her words and she doesn't pretend to be the poster child for The Christian Woman™. Her writing is well-researched, without being preachy; informal, without lacking substance.

I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the differences and similarities within the complementarian/egalitarian/feminist matrix. I had some knowledge of each of these positions, but this particular layout, and the subsequent clarifying paragraphs, helped me to understand it much better.

Other topics include explorations of medical gaslighting, sexual violence, beauty standards, racism, sexism, and abuse. These are heavy chapters, but there are also lighter ones, such as the satirical chapter on how to attract "godly men"... which was hilariously (if unfortunately) accurate!

I think Lauren does a great job of offering various viewpoints, along with extensive links to further reading and the encouragement to draw your own conclusions from the sources. Some of the topics covered are often ignored or skirted-around, particularly in the Church, as they are seen as "divisive". But I found that Lauren broached these subjects with care and a willingness to be challenged in her own opinions and biases.

I would recommend this book to everyone; women, men, feminists, those who dislike the term, complementarians, egalitarians, lifelong Christians and newbies alike. I would consider this to be one of the most important must-reads for church leaders, churchgoers, and church-avoiders in 2024.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, SPCK Publishing, for review purposes.

Notes on Feminism was published on 8th March 2024.

Thanks to @laurenwindle_ + @spck_publishing for the chance to read an advanced reader copy of Notes on Feminism

I immediately jumped at the chance to read it because a) Lauren Windle is so criminally underrated in the Christian book rec world b) being a single pink girlypop in the church ministry world is hard sometimes. Lauren writes with humour, inane levels of intelligence + charm. That’s why it’s a solid 5/5 for me.

The first thing you’ll notice is that it reads like a collection of short essays on different topics within the wider umbrella. I love this style as we’re not bombarded with information overload. It’s succinct and to the point. It’s feels like personal research project written by someone who is on the journey alongside us - not as someone who has all of the answers to these questions. I love that because it gave the book real warmth, humility and insight into something Lauren has clearly been wrestling with for a long time. She writes like a mate out for girly brunch and deep, deep chats (babes hmu if you’re ever in Belfast, we’d be pals for sure). This doesn’t diminish the profound research and journalistic integrity that is clear throughout the book - it just presents it all in a more relevant, more readable and more impactful way. Anyone can write a million words on a topic but it takes real skill to distill the key information like this.

And I particularly enjoyed how there were so many different perspectives on the topic with chapters written by a smorgasbord of women speaking about their personal lived experiences of being a woman and a Christian. Lauren doesn’t presume that her experience of being a woman is a universal truth and by acknowledging that we as readers are given an opportunity to reflect on our own privileges, biases and hold space for the experiences of women different to ours as legitimate and meaningful. There is no one sized fits all approach to being a woman, being a feminist or being a Christian.

Get your hands on a copy as it’s out now! And once you read it let’s go get brunch and discuss!

This book was released on International Woman's Day which is an extremely fitting day to bring out such an important book.

It has a focus on Christianity throughout whilst looking at the circumstances that women face day in day out across the world. I think in society today women are very aware of the dangers that they may face and this is scary. We also, sadly, still live in a society where women are viewed as the problem - questions that women are asked when they come forward about sexual assault, for example, often include things like 'what were you wearing?' - victim blaming at its finest!

I've never actually read much on feminism - not books, anyway. The combination of scripture and feminism made for a fascinating read that I absolutely devoured. Definitely a book that should be read, Christian or not.

BOOK REVIEW📚💖: Notes On Feminism by Lauren Windle. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Congregation member Jules Woodson wrote a blog about a sexual assault she had experienced aged seventeen, when celebrated pastor Andy Savage was her youth leader. A couple of weeks after the article went live, Pastor Andy stood up in front of his congregation at Highcourt Church in Memphis, Tennessee, and confessed to the assault he had been accused of. He was greeted with a standing ovation for his honesty'.

'I don't feel like a man when I have consensual sex'

'We live in a world where six women are killed every hour. In the UK, one woman is killed by a man every two-and-a-half days'.

Above is just a snapshot of the abborent attitudes towards women that are explored within this book. Whether from the viewpoint of a political figure, a religious leader, a member of the church or the incel online community.This book takes a deep dive into what women are battling against in society today, with a particular focus on Christianity and scripture.

These statistics infuriate me, but I'm not completley shocked by this.
As a woman,I'm all too aware that we are not safe. If I was to be killed, then it's very likely a male known to me will be responsible. I'm also aware that unfortunately,we live in a society that views women as the problem.

I've previously read books and various essays in relation to a number of topics surrounding feminism, but never in relation to religion. I realise it's very ignorant of me, but I never thought of the two coexisting.
Despite not being a religious person, I genuinely found the Christian aspect to such topics fascinating.
This book is so well written, the painstaking time spent researching, analysing scripture, conducting interviews and focus groups is evident as the effort just pours off the pages.

Congratulations @laurenwindle_ on an intriguing gem of a book. I hope it reaches those who feel like they haven't got a voice. Thank you for opening up about your faith and your recovery.

Thank you to @netgalley and @spck_publishing
for my advanced copy. Notes On Feminism is out March 8th, which just happens to be international women's day! 💖🙌 #notesonfeminism

A really good set of reflections on the various ways that Christian women respond to feminism and its many facets. Definitely worth reading carefully and thoughtfully