One of the Guys: Women as Aggressors and Torturers

by Tara McKelvey (Editor), Barbara Ehrenreich (Foreword)

The debate about women and torture has, until recently, focused on women as victims of violence. But when photographs were released from the Abu Ghraib prisoner-abuse scandal, one featured Lynndie England holding a prisoner by a dog leash. Overnight, she became a symbol of women's capacity to inflict pain and suffering-and soon, many in America were questioning why the infliction of violence has always been seen as inherently male. One of the Guys deals specifically with this issue.  In her foreword, Barbara Ehrenreich wonders why she once assumed women possessed an innate aversion to violence. Her essay then serves as a launching point for the rest of the contributors, which include academics, journalists, and activists, each grappling with women's involvement in torture and the abuse of power. The essays in One of the Guys challenge and examine the expectations placed on women while attempting to understand female perpetrators of abuse and torture in a broader context.

Genres: Feminism, Gender, Nonfiction, Psychology

300 pages, Paperback

First published December 28, 2006

Reviews

[LANI BALDWIN MALCOLM · Rating 2 out of 5]

Over halfway into this book I found myself still searching for something more. It was often repetitive, and I found myself constantly wondering when it was going to go deeper as I felt the authors danced around the issues and never really delved onto formulating solutions or responses to the issues raised. Eventually my patience waned, and I returned it to its owner unfinished...a rare ending for me.

[20hrsinamerica · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting collection of commentary that, through one event - that of the Abu Ghraib prisoner photo scandal, epitomizes a discussion of liberal feminism vs feminism that believes women are naturally more peaceful. It's a quick read that poses some good food for thought on the current (in the last 10-15 years current) state of women in American culture and military culture.