All We Want Is Everything: How We Dismantle Male Supremacy

by Soraya Chemaly

From the award-winning author of a “battle-cry of a book” (The Guardian) Rage Becomes Her, comes a fearless and timely manifesto for identifying and rejecting male supremacy in our daily lives.

Drawing on her trademark skill, wit, clarity, and sharp insight, Soraya Chemaly walks us through how male supremacy operates, adapting dynamically in order to maintain cruel, exploitative systems of oppression.

Male supremacy, she asserts, isn’t primarily about men dominating women; but rather a system that first and foremost violently pits men against each other using women and marginalized communities as resources in their competition for power. Under this system, anyone who isn’t white, straight, CIS, and adhering to strict rules of traditional masculinity is considered inferior and rendered “other”—women, LGBTQ+ people, people of color, immigrants, religious minorities, the disabled, and Black and Indigenous communities. Being feminized defines vulnerability, exploitability, and disposability.

There is no justice for any community until we confront this defining injustice. Most men don’t have to benefit from this system or feel powerful for this system to work, indeed only a relatively few do. While women, particularly those with multiple marginalized identities, are hurt the most, men, too, need liberation from this oppressive system.

All We Want Is Everything offers both unflinching analysis and genuine hope, informed by the bold and revolutionary potential of feminist imagination. From private relationships to global politics, Chemaly shows how naming and refusing male supremacy is essential to resisting the forces tearing democracy apart. This fresh, timely, clear-eyed, and necessary manifesto is a call to refuse supremacist identities, relationships, and values in order to build more just, healthy, and sustainable worlds for everyone.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Audiobook, Politics, Social Justice, Womens Studies

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 11, 2025

About the author

Soraya Chemaly is a writer and activist whose work focuses on the role of gender in politics, religion, education, tech, and media. A 2016 Mirror Award Winner, her work appears in a wide range of publications including TIME, The Guardian, The Nation, Huffington Post, Verge, Quartz, The Atlantic and The New Statesman. Chemaly is also involved with multiple anti-violence and media equity organizations dedicated to expanding women’s freedom of expression and public parity. She has been named by Elle Magazine, The Telegraph, and Fast Company as among the most inspiring women to follow in social media and the co-winner of a 2017 Newhouse Mirror Award for Best Single Story. You can find her on Instagram @sorayachemaly and @ragebecomesher as well as Substack where she writes Unmanned.

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

All We Want Is Everything is a very persuasive look at how preference for males affects everything in our lives. The writing is clear and convincing. I would say it’s fairly radical, but I became an adult when men could literally say anything inappropriate anywhere without fear – at work, on nonprofit boards, at the gym, on the street, on the bus, at a ballgame. Fortunately today’s women are less likely to simply accept that as the way things are.

This book is enraging and depressing; I’ve seen it described as hopeful but it feels overwhelmingly hopeless to me, in today’s political climate (and after a smart, educated black woman lost the presidency to a white racist misogynist male felon). I hope others can find things to be optimistic about in this book. I’ve also seen it described as funny, but I didn’t see much to laugh about.

“It’s remarkable to watch the media describing declining heterosexuality in terms of women demanding ‘higher standards’ and not in terms of so many men’s persistent desire for dominance and rejection of equality. Women’s departure from heterosexual dating and marriage is often framed by anti-feminists as the result of feminism teaching women to hate men, but all this argument does is center men, a perpetual reasoning flaw known as a center-stage problem: the tendency of dominant groups to maintain their centrality at all costs and at the expense of marginalized people. …In the case of heterosexuality, what I am talking about is a system so deeply organized around men’s needs and dominance that any attempt to step outside its framework is felt as either incoherent or a direct attack.” (ch. 1 of the ARC)

Whoo boy, I hear this.

“What I am saying is that men need to change, masculinity needs to evolve, and male supremacy has to end. Men of good faith can start with three simple steps: stop talking, listen, and learn from what women are saying.” (ch. 1 of the ARC)

And this.

“Today, men’s professional dominance is being laundered as ‘masculine energy.’ … [I]t’s a thinly veiled code for the aggression, anger, ruthlessness, and decisiveness our society celebrates in men. … Not only does ‘masculine energy’ trade in gender stereotypes, but it gets bonus points for obscuring a blinding whiteness. A Black man with ‘masculine energy,’ for instance, is far more likely to end up incarcerated than as part of tech company’s leadership team.” (ch. 3 of the ARC)

Just a small part of the conclusion: “We want dignity. We want recognition of our contributions, equitable pay, and environments free of hostility, harassment, coercion, and exploitation. We want to compete on an equal footing without hostility, belittlement, exclusion, or threats. We want our expertise valued, our leadership respected, and our ambitions met with opportunity rather than disdain.”

So much of this seems so obvious and reasonable, but I know many many men who will not find it either. I could keep quoting from this book – but just go read it when it comes out.

I read an advance reader copy of All We Want Is Everything from Netgalley.

[Mélissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 ⭐️ read!!! i listened to the audio book and won’t have a choice but to buy a physical copy because i NEED to outline so many parts and re-read the end of chapter statistics dumps (i loveeeed that finishing touch). truly an amazing book, i’ve read a couple of other reviews and agree that i don’t feel like many men while pick this up (i mean she does state it in her book that men simply don’t read a lot of female authors), but i hope some will and understand how it feels to be a woman in our society today. violence against women is rampant, and addressing gender inequality is crucial 💔 LOVED IT

[Tara ☆ Tarasbookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal read!

All We Want Is Everything: How We Dismantle Male Supremacy by Soraya Chemaly is an outstanding book.

Superbly written and referenced, clear and impactful without being unnecessarily inflammatory, Chemaly reflects on how male supremacy operates in our society, along with its implications and outcomes. Discussing things like intersectionality, othering, emotional labour, and gender roles, Chemaly uses a mixture of statistics and stories to convey her point. Despite the grim picture and the framework of control and oppression, the overall message is infused with a powerful, contagious hope and vision for a more egalitarian interdependent future that I am eager to build.

I admire and appreciate All We Want Is Everything: How We Dismantle Male Supremacy by Soraya Chemaly, in particular for the way it takes such an insidious, difficult to comprehend, woven into every facet of our lives and society concept and explains it in such an incisive and compelling manner. I want to buy 4 billion+ copies and distribute them to every girl and woman on the planet!

Incredible work. I’ll be reading Chemaly’s other books.

Expected Publication Date: November 11, 2025

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Soraya Chemaly and Atria Books for access to a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

(Unable to add quotes as the text is not finalized)

[Amy K · Rating 3 out of 5]

A question for men, from the book: "If equality makes you feel anxious and left behind, shouldn't you ask how much of your identity is based on oppressing other people?"

I would add another question for men: "How much of your 'success' is based on the fact that so many others weren't allowed to compete with you?"

Right now, we are experiencing a severe backlash of any gains, however small, we saw for women in the past 50-ish years. It's a scary time to be anything other than a white man in America.

There's a lot packed into this relatively short book. While it doesn't necessarily tell you anything you don't already know, it is a good reminder that you are not crazy for thinking and feeling that the world is stacked against women in almost every way.

*I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway!*

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enraging, validating, and deeply moving. Chemaly exposes how male supremacy infiltrates every corner of our lives — education, family, politics, culture — while offering a vision of solidarity and possibility beyond it. Chemaly’s prose is urgent yet hopeful and wryly funny at times. Everyone should read this book.

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an eArc of this book. This is an honest review.
3.75

As the author mentions in both the introduction chapter and one of the later ones, this is very much a book that preaches to the choir. The author is soap-boxing to a crowd of those who, ideally, already understand some of the base struggles that come with femineity when it comes to a male dominated world. Again, as mentioned in the book, it's unlikely that more then a handful of men are going to pick this up with pure intentions of understanding, if at all.

This book did manage to put several things into a clearer picture, especially considering with the New York article and interview that has sparked controversy in the past week. It was nice to see thoughts and feelings that had been floating around my head be given true words. And I liked that at least once a chapter she would share a relevant story of her own, or at the least one she's seen secondhand or heard from the news, which I always think is important in these types of nonfiction books.

From my ability to parse out in my own whiteness and queerness, it was generally inclusive. Talking about how Women of color, specifically Black, Latine, and Indigenous, women get treated differently and how white women are more often to throw them under the bus for male supremacy. How they are most often the ones to get the short end of the stick when it comes to legislation, and unnamed social rules when the stick for non-men as a whole is already so small. It touched continued to touch briefly on queerness and the disabled throughout, though WOC were the most woven in.

Now, I guess my main problem lead to the continued mentions of generative AI being used by the author for one reason or another. Even if it offers a base and a quick insight considering that it takes and steals from every corner of the internet, and tells people what they want to hear for the most part after the first mention of it I couldn't stop wondering how much of these words were the authors. Either intentionally or not. Even 'brainstorming' with AI has been linked to demising creativity. And considering the conclusion chapter (and the chapter before that, that discussed deepfakes and the like), just kind of left a sour taste in my mouth.

Also some points made did feel like beating a dead horse. I understand bringing in points from previous chapters to show how they link, but at several points I had to pause to make sure I hadn't accidentally gone back pages or chapters and was actually on the chapter I was supposed to be on. I've had 'All The Rage' on my TBR for a while, and while I still think I'll read it, it did just get bumped down a bit compared to other nonfiction I have on my list.

Anyways, all in all I'd say Nonfiction November is still going strong, and If this interests you to pick it up, even if this personally isn't going to be added to my own physical collection when the book comes out.

[Natalie Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Lilouae · Rating 4 out of 5]

all I want is to watch the system collapse and be redone by women. Is that really too much to ask? 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[Amandanoel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I was looking for more small actionable ideas which I understand is tough given big systematic problems. Probably would have rated higher if I wasn’t already so familiar with the research cited throughout the book. But kinda just felt like a depressing slog at the moment… that’s likely on me and where I am right now more than the book itself

[Kate Laycoax · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soraya Chemaly’s All We Want Is Everything: How We Dismantle Male Supremacy is one of those books that manages to be eye opening, challenging, and hopeful all at once. Known for her sharp and fearless voice in Rage Becomes Her, Chemaly takes an even bigger step here: looking at how male supremacy shapes our world, not just as men dominating women, but as a whole system designed to keep power in the hands of a few by dividing everyone else.

What makes this book stand out is how the author explains that male supremacy isn’t only about gender; it’s about hierarchy. It pushes men into competition with each other, while using women and marginalized groups as resources in that fight. Under this system, anyone who doesn’t fit a narrow idea of being white, straight, cisgender, and traditionally masculine is seen as “less than.” That includes women, LGBTQ+ people, people of color, immigrants, religious minorities, disabled people, and especially Black and Indigenous communities. This framing helps readers see how oppression connects across different parts of society, and why fighting male supremacy matters to all of us.

Soraya Chemaly is at her best when she links the personal to the political. She shows how the small things we often overlook, like who gets interrupted, who is expected to care for others, and whose pain is dismissed are tied to much bigger issues like inequality, violence, and threats to democracy. At the same time, she never makes it feel hopeless. She pushes us to imagine and create different ways of living, such as ones based on fairness, care, and shared responsibility instead of domination.

Another strength of the book is its inclusivity. The author doesn’t just talk about women in a broad sense; she makes it clear that women who face multiple layers of oppression, like women of color, queer women, disabled women, and immigrant women carry the heaviest burdens. She also points out that men are hurt by this system too, even if they don’t always realize it. Male supremacy doesn’t need all men to feel powerful to work, just enough to keep the system running. That reminder makes her call for change feel all the more urgent and human.

This isn’t just a book of critique. It’s also a call to action. She challenges us to reject supremacist values in our relationships, communities, and politics, and to commit to building something better. It’s the kind of book that makes you stop, think, and start to notice the ways male supremacy shows up in daily life and it gives you a sense of possibility for how things could change.

All We Want Is Everything is bold, clear, and necessary. It’s not just about understanding oppression; it’s about imagining freedom and justice for everyone. Whether you’re deeply familiar with feminist ideas or just starting to explore them, this book is a must read, especially in today’s climate.

Thank you to NetGalley, Soraya Chemaly, and Atria for the eARC of this book.

[Elizabeth Blaeser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps I was too excited by the promise of this book. Or maybe I didn’t have an accurate understanding of it before I started. Either way, I found it:
1. Not very informative; and
2. Made statements and quoted statistics that were not cited (looks like citations are accessible online. I’m glad they exist but also it should be clear what quotes go with what sources so this is not sufficient in my opinion) and I had a hard time taking these assertions as facts. One such example, “When boys outperform other boys in school - whether due to class or racial advantages, for instance - no one labels it a crisis. It’s called a crisis only when girls outperform boys.” Okay. I could believe that… but where exactly is this from? Is this real data or just an anecdote from the author?

I think what this showed me is that I’d prefer a book by a sociologist rather than an activist. Now I know!

ALSO, where is the advice on how to dismantle white supremacy as the title suggests?!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a digital ARC.

All We Want Is Everything is a short, passionate book about how male supremacy is terrible for everyone. It’s a really explosive, engaging read that intelligently dissects some trends and gave me a new language to better understand them. I don’t think I can speak as eloquently as the author, so here are some of my favorite quotes:

‘We “lose our minds” as teenagers who get periods and pregnant women who don’t, as trans people needing hormones, and as older women losing them. These are complicated and often confusing and enraging states of life not because of biology or “female” emotionality but because society and medicine fail to see us as whole human beings with critical needs.’

‘It’s the perfect visual metaphor for how pregnant people are treated today in medicine, law, and policy: the fetus front and center, the person growing it a structural resource but not a person herself. But it’s more than just erasure; these images impose a male-centered view of reproduction, one in which embryos exist as separate entities rather than as part of a person’s body. What is this male supremacist? Because it forces us to operate within the parameter of almost all men’s experience of reproduction. Embryos and fetuses are never part of men’s bodies. Men’s bodies are not involved or transformed when a baby is made. Because they are separate from their own reproduction, separation and an unaffected body define reproduction and the terms of criminalizing women for gestation.’

‘What a luxury it is not to have to think about being assaulted while you go about your day; to feel safe in a rideshare, loiter in a park, relax in a bar, walk home alone from work at night. Like the right to comfort, men’s relative freedom of movement and safety are unspoken privileges. And women pay for them dearly every day.’

‘Even the simplest example, teaching boys to admire women, it’s something most people seem to do, think about, or feel is a good idea. I have lost track of the number of times I have heard teachers, coaches, educators, and parents enthusiastically embrace the visible celebration of women as “role models for daughters,” only to look disoriented and wary when I’ve said that these women are role models for sons, too.’

[Lynn Strickland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, is all I can say after reading this manifesto for identifying and rejection of males supremacy in the daily lives of women. The main points to me is the feminist screaming the need for social justice for the female sex. The author says this topic is a global movement in the making. I wonder how popular Soraya Chemaly would be received in the middle eastern countries such as Iran, Iraq, Egypt, etc.. These countries scream inequality for women but this topic would never be uttered either by men or women. If you want to see a picture of inequality then these are the places to start a movement on decentering men. I think that women are holding their own today in America. There have been and continues to be great strides for women in the work place and the roles established in the home. Soraya Chemaly writes with a wit, a clarity, and sharp insights into how horrible men seem to be today. I can see how valuable this book would be in classes in Women Studies at a university. It seems to be radical in defining injustice of it being a "man's world." I wish Soraya Chemaly well in her endeavors but as a man reading her book is "wow."

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley Atria Books for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Things that I’ve been reading about the past few months: hidden women heroes, queer narratives, environmental issues, and political oppression. In short, I am down for fast-paced, reflective, and socially conscious books. All We Want is Everything is an activist manifesto that’s a call to action to women everywhere.

We are living in a time where any advances for women that have been made in the past 100 years is being chipped away at by the right. Many of the gains our grandmothers, mothers, and our generation made in terms of equality for women are being stripped away. And this book validates the feelings millions of American women have had in the past ten years. The challenges women face are still there, and many of the challenges we thought we’d conquered are being attacked.

While there is nothing earth shattering in All We Want is Everything. The only part of the book I didn’t like was the use of generative AI. It’s lazy, it’s morally crappy, and don’t even get me started on how bad using AI is for the environment with its massive use of drinking water.

[Lulu]

Soraya Chemaly's “All We Want Is Everything” is a sharp, grounded look at how male supremacy not only shapes gender relations, but how it affects nearly every part of our social and political lives. Chemaly argues that this system isn’t just about men holding power over women; it’s about forcing competition, rewarding dominance, and dehumanizing anyone who doesn’t fit its narrow definition of worth. In this compelling read, she clearly shows how everyday habits and cultural norms keep inequality in place. Chemaly's writing is clear and full of conviction, cutting through theory and focusing on what it could look like to have real change. This isn't just about diagnosing the problem; it's about calling for a collective reimagining of how we live, love, and share power. “All We Want Is Everything” feels like an invitation to see the world as it really is and to believe we can build something better.

[Carol Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My partner has a favorite phrase: Knowing is not enough. You might KNOW that we've created a world centered around male standards, but have you checked in with your coworkers? Asked them if they're reading books written by women? Statistically, they're probably not. If you have a husband, statistically, he probably isn't either. Through sports, chores, workplace, health, conversation, activism... Chemaly has collected a gold mine of data to explain why the gender divide needs destroying. I kept stopping to run to my partner: "Did you know 2/3 of all student loan debt is accrued by women?" "Did you know women are less likely to gain custody if they name their abusers?" The lists of data at the end of each chapter? Sensational. I wish all nonfiction books came with end-of-chapter fact refreshers.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 1970s, all jobs started opening up to women. In the time since, I have realized that for everything that has changed, a lot has remained the same. It all seems to be stacked against women. Men seem to want to control women. Women supply the free labor that society relies on, but when they go to work this disappears. Women's free labor is why they retire poor. The system is only set up for people who work. Society does not value the free work of women. Young girls have to be taught and shown that they must work in order to be able to take care of themselves, because men often fail at taking care of them. This is a book that shows that women are groomed from a young age to support men, but men are not taught the same about women. This book validates what I have thought

Thank you to #goodreads, #SorayaChemaly, and #Atria for a copy of this book.
#AllWeWantIsEverything

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soraya has done it again!! I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. She expertly touched on how influential male supremacy is in our every day lives, effecting everyone from all identities. She really encouraged the reader to ask questions and push back against that which constrain us. I was left in silence with each devastating statistic she provided at the end of each chapter. Her final chapter was full of hope and power. 1000/10 read for everyone!! I will definitely be recommending this book to my male relatives or friends. Feminism is for everyone after all. Thank you Soraya!!

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

All We Want is Everything... a powerful investigation into feminism, sexism, and racism globally and in America. The author brings facts and figures to show disparity between different groups and proves why some groups are doing better than others. This is a great read that I think everyone should look into to become more open minded.

[Mayar Mahdy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good book, but I feel like it could've been done in a way that connected all its parts to one another for more coherence. All the points were really good and well-thought out, but the reading experience as a whole felt more like reading random essays with no connection rather than book.

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this enough, and it is good food for fodder.
I wish I paid better attention to how Chemaly organized her book.

[Ji-Won · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

This needs to be on required reading lists

[Susan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read about male supremacy. Fascinating book about male/female relationships.

[Bridgette · Rating 5 out of 5]

*well-written, easy to read
*powerful, full of emotion
*kept my interest from cover to cover
*highly recommend

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the best books I have read through all of 2025. I cannot recommend this highly or fervently enough.