Penis Envy and Other Bad Feelings

This book took me quite some time to finish as it was considerably heavier a topic than I was expecting - and along with that came a great deal of academic writing, which I am unaccustomed to reading these days. The cover and title both give an initial first impression of a fun view on a serious topic, maybe something that Caitlin Moran might write. Instead, Ruti skips the puns and humor and goes straight for the psychological themes, including lots of history and words that I was thankful I could look up on my Kindle dictionary. All of this isn't to say its a bad book - I enjoyed it even for the lack of ease to read. Ruti brings up lots of good points and I spent much of the time between readings thinking on ideas that she brought up.

My final vote - read this book. Just be prepared for what it might take to read it and give yourself some time.

Thanks to the publisher for providing this ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The great merit of Penis Envy and Other Feelings is how it brings academic advances and debates in critical theory (with a particularly feminist bent) to bear upon certain problems of everyday life, particularly involving inter-personal relationships and how one relates to oneself. Introducing readers to concepts such as happiness scripts (the well-trodden (exclusive?) paths to happiness that society endorses, regardless of their merit) and cruel optimism (the hopeless belief that working hard at something unpleasant will make it better), Prof. Ruti provides readers with the tools to interrogate issues in their lives. She explores issues taken for granted (e.g. gender dynamics) in addition to problematizing aspects of life that are taken-for-granted (.e.g that productivity is good, that beauty ideals are natural but not the result of capitalism).

Blending personal experiences (that, in the aggregate, gives insight into the author's character) with staunch analysis of contemporary life, augmented by academic theory Penis Envy and Other Bad Feelings is recommended to any reader willing to be challenged in their values, assumptions about what matters, and is willing to think a little bit.

While the cover may suggest that this book is geared toward a female audience, the reviewer (a cis-male) very much wants to emphasize that this book is beneficial and engaging for all readers.. Secondly, the fact that this book is published by an academic press should not discourage potential readers; it is an engaging book (as many academic books are) and can contribute to a multitude of discussions around success, gender, family, capitalism, social constructivism, the body, sex, and many more.

EXACTLY what I expected, and grateful for this read. As a recovering comp lit grad student, I'm always looking for accessible academic writing and a return to Derrida, Foucault, Berlant. This weaves theory into relevance.