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We Should All Be Feminists: The Desk Diary 2021

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A beautiful hardback, elastic hinged desk diary with a week to a view alongside an inspiring and powerful quote or a photograph of Chimamanda and a brand-new introduction from her. ‘We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller.’ ‘Not one day longer.’
 
This year, with some words of wisdom to inspire you, you will walk tall. Make 2021 your biggest year yet, with this beautifully designed hardback diary filled with some of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s most inspirational quotes. From her award-winning novels like Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah, to her stirring calls to arms We Should All Be Feminists and Dear Ijeawele, from her countless magazine covers, her work with Beyoncé and sharing the stage with Michelle Obama, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is one of the most defining and stirring voices of our time – a truly modern icon. Now, each day, Adichie will inspire you to stand up and be heard. Start your year off on the right foot and be inspired to be exactly who you want to be in 2021.
 
After all, as Chimamanda ‘It’s not your job to be likeable. It’s your job to be yourself.’

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2021

28 people are currently reading
9436 people want to read

About the author

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

133 books48.5k followers
CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE grew up in Nigeria. Her work has been translated into more than fifty-five languages. She is the author of the novels Purple Hibiscus, which won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize; Half of a Yellow Sun, which was the recipient of the Women’s Prize for Fiction “Best of the Best” award; Americanah, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award; the story collection The Thing Around Your Neck and the essays We Should All Be Feminists and Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions. Her most recent work is an essay about losing her father, Notes on Grief, and Mama’s Sleeping Scarf, a children’s book written as Nwa Grace-James. A recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, she divides her time between the United States and Nigeria.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
Profile Image for Lau ♡.
580 reviews609 followers
October 29, 2023
While it was short and didn't tell me anything I didn't know, it was still interesting to see the experiences of the author in a country with a society even less feminist than in Spain. I loved how she directed the message, the writing and the narration. Maybe i need to read more non-fiction books

🎧Read as an audiobook
Profile Image for Elena Handtrack.
Author 1 book1,180 followers
February 23, 2024
Ich hab das Buch geschenkt bekommen & ich glaube, ich bin vielleicht einfach in der falschen Altersklasse. Ich könnte mir sehr gut vorstellen, dass dieses super illustrierte Buch toll als Einstieg sein kann, um mit Kindern über Feminismus zu reden. Aber für Erwachsene, die sich schon mit dem Thema auseinandergesetzt haben, finde ich das Buch zu oberflächlich. Da merkt man dann schon, dass der Inhalt eigentlich „nur“ ein TEDTalk war und kein ganzes Buch.
Profile Image for Maria Jose.
47 reviews8 followers
June 26, 2021
Culture does not make people. People make culture…..and it is in all of us to change certain ways. We should all be feminists, even for the sake of our sons.
Profile Image for Emelia Plumb.
1 review
September 26, 2023
firstly it was a very short read which in my opinion isn’t a bad thing at all and really got to the point of the book. i absolutely loved every part of this book from chimamanda’s experiences as a black woman and nigerian gender expectations to actually what it means to be a feminist. she really details on how the arguments against feminism are typically uneducated, and why everyone should be angry and should want change that benefits everybody, and not just women which is what is stereotypically assumed. this book i would recommend to anyone and everyone, it’s very easy reading and moving and able to change perspectives.
21 reviews
June 30, 2022
I read/worked through this with my 8yo daughter and it was such a lovely experience! With everything going on in the world, I wanted to find a way to have these types of conversations with my daughter without it feeling too serious. We had so much fun completing it together. The writing is beautiful and the guided questions allowed us to really dig in together - something I wouldn't have achieved on my own. I'm also looking forward to looking back on what we wrote 5/10/15 years from now. A gift!
Profile Image for Hannah.
103 reviews
December 11, 2021
felt nice to read about nigeria and nigerian culture from someone who holds a lot of love for the country, even when speaking about the misogyny present in our culture. did feel like the message was a little simplistic, like it’d been made palatable for uncles and aunties.
Profile Image for bronteswife.
39 reviews1 follower
August 9, 2021
Very simple and easy to read, but it got the point across very directly.
Profile Image for Le.
101 reviews
January 26, 2023
Ich hab dieses Essay bestimmt schon 6 mal gelesen aber es ist immer wieder beeindruckend... die Illustrationen unterstreichen die wichtigen Aussagen hier ungemein. Absolut wundervoll. 🌷
Profile Image for Lea.
6 reviews4 followers
March 2, 2025
Lest das Buch. Es ist brilliant.

"Wut hat in der Geschichte immer wieder eine wichtige Rolle gespielt, wenn wir Dinge verändern wollten. Ich bin nicht nur wütend, ich habe auch Hoffnung, denn ich glaube fest an die Fähigkeiten der Menschen, sich zum Besseren zu ändern und sich neu zu erfinden."

"Das Gefühl der Wut schickt sich nicht für eine Frau. Wenn du eine Frau bist, darfst du keine Wut ausdrücken, denn Wut wirkt bedrohlich." <- Die Gesellschaft mag keine (wütenden) Frauen. I'm gonna hold your hand when I say this: Wir mögen die Gesellschaft mit den alten, tradierten Werten nicht. Ich bleibe wütend, solange es sich hier nichts grundlegend ändert und es in den Köpfen "klick" macht.
Wenn *Du* mich indes als Feministin bezeichnest, in der Annahme es sei eine Beleidigung, dann bleibt es ein Erfolg für mich und eine peinliche Situation für dich. Feministin zu sein, ist ein Privileg und etwas worauf ich stolz bin.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Buchdoktor.
2,367 reviews190 followers
February 16, 2022
Die Vorlage für diesen kindgerecht bearbeiteten Text
Der Text des Impulsreferats vom 12.4.2013 ist in Deutschland 2014 als Taschenbuch erschienen. Mehr Feminismus! Ein Manifest und vier Stories

Inhalt des Originaltexts
„We should all be Feminists” – so lautete Chimamanda Ngozi Adichies bekanntes Impulsreferat (Hochgeladen auf TEDxEuston am 12. 4. 2013). Sie berichtet darin vom vorwurfsvollen Einwurf eines Jugendfreundes als sie selbst 14 Jahre alt war, sie sei wohl Feministin – und dieser Einwurf klang, als wäre ihre Haltung illegal. Später folgte die Kritik an der Autorin, ihr Roman „Blauer Hibiskus“ sei feministisch, dieses Mal mit dem Unterton, Nigerianerinnen dürften keine Romane schreiben, in denen männliche Figuren schlecht wegkommen, noch später, Feminismus sei unafrikanisch. Adichies Schreiben und Wirken lässt sich perfekt mit der Definition umfassen, dass sie Dinge flink wahrnimmt und scharfzüngig formuliert, die für sie offensichtlich sind, die anderen dennoch ausführlich erklärt werden müssen, weil sie sie nicht wahrnehmen können oder wollen.

Für die Jugendausgabe wurde der Text für Kinder bearbeitet, illustriert und erhielt ein eigenes Copyright (2019).
Der kurze Text richtet sich auch an ungeübte Leser.

Inhalt des Kinderbuchs
Adichies Erlebnis als Grundschülerin, dass damals ein Mädchen bei gleicher Leistung und Disziplin grundsätzlich nicht „Klassenaufpasser“ werden konnte, kann schon jüngeren Kindern als der Zielgruppe ab 12 vermitteln, dass sich an hartnäckigen Rollenklischess nichts ändern wird, wenn nicht schon couragierte Grundschülerinnen dagegen protestieren. Wir erleben ein Mädchen, das zuhause zwar seine Brüder bedienen muss, aber nicht hinnehmen will, dass Jungen schon als Kinder bevorzugt werden.

Von der Anekdote aus Adichies Kinderzeit ist es nur ein winziger Schritt zum Erlebnis als 14-Jährige, als ihr bester Freund Okoloma ihr verkündete „du bist eine Feministin“ und nachschob, warum dieser abstrakte Begriff negativ zu verstehen sei.

Als 26-jährige Autorin, die ihren Roman „Blauer Hibiskus“ in Nigeria vorstellen wollte, erfuhr Adichie, dass Feministinnen unglückliche Frauen seien, wegen ihrer kritischen Einstellung keinen Mann finden und deshalb zum Unglücklich sein verdammt blieben. Feministinnen hassten Männer, trügen keinen BH und überhaupt sei Feminismus unafrikanisch. Von der Wertung, dass kritische Frauen wütend wirkten und Kritik sich deshalb für sie nicht schickte, ist es nicht weit zu Adichies glasklarer Analyse, dass Ungerechtigkeiten und rückständige Ansichten selten auf Widerspruch stoßen, wenn sie den Menschen als normaler, gerechter Zustand verkauft werden.

Das Handwerkliche
Die für Kinder bearbeitete Ausgabe ähnelt durch die Cover-Illustration der Serie „Little People“. Adichies Pullover-Design (Schwarz und Weiß bilden gemeinsam einen Kreis/die Welt) wiederholt sich auf dem Vorsatzpapier und harmoniert mit den Cover-Illustrationen für Adichies Werke in deutschen Taschenbuchausgaben.

Fazit
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie spricht ihre Leserinnen direkt an. Ihre Erlebnisse als Kind, Jugendliche und junge Autorin sprechen für sich und helfen, ein abstraktes Thema für Jugendliche altersgerecht zu vermitteln. Der Absatz über Adichie als Grundschülerin spricht schon jüngere Kinder an, für den Rest des Buches finde ich die Alterseinstufung ab 12 passend.
Profile Image for Lauren.
513 reviews1,686 followers
October 14, 2022
Voelt een beetje lullig om dit maar 1 ster te geven maar ik denk dat dit een stuk beter had gekund… De tekst was me iets té simpel, het was leuker geweest als er iets meer een verhaallijn in had gezeten. Ik vond de tekeningen ook niet echt mooi. Ik kom vaak in kinderboeken slecht getekende (niet-kloppende) rolstoelen tegen en dat is altijd een irritatiepuntje. Jammer! Het origineel vond ik wel heel goed dus daar ligt het niet aan.
Profile Image for S. Wigget.
913 reviews44 followers
February 14, 2023
Thank you, Goodreads and Knopf, for a free copy of We Should All Be Feminists Guided Journal by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

It's a bit weird to attempt to write a review for a guided journal, but not as weird as writing one for a blank journal. So here it goes....

It's a pretty, hard bound book with a yellow ribbon bookmark and a floral--sort of Art Nouveau--pattern on the cover. The book also features glamorous photos of the author.

In the front of the book: "I think it is morally urgent to have honest conversations about trying to create a fairer world for women and men." I drew a carot and added "and all genders." There are many different genders, and it's backward to still act like there are only two. Also, transgender and nonbinary people are a threat to patriarchy, which is obsessed with perpetuating stereotypical genders roles. Don't be gender essentialist.

I expected questions, since it's a guided journal, not a blank journal. But it's better than that, because the book has many quotes, some quite extensive, from books she wrote and speeches she made. When I first opened the book and saw a quote, I figured it would have quotes from We Should All Be Feminists, but in addition to quotes from that book, it also quotes Americah and... the little purple book that's a letter she wrote to a friend.

In addition to the quotes (which sometimes take up a full page, always in a lovely font in color), there are also questions related to the quote. I don't think you have to worry about too much writer's block. There's also a space at the top right corner for adding the date, and it occurred to me that I don't have to write in order--I can skip around if I feel like working on a different page. The pages in which you write are white and lined.

The quotes and questions are of course pertaining to feminism. It's kind of like if you were reading We Should All Be Feminists and stopping to write comments as you go along. But... I don't mean brief comments on the margins. This guided journal calls for reflection, bringing up memories, and deeper thinking, not sound bites.
27 reviews1 follower
April 12, 2023
I think this is a great companion book to help read with intentionality and mindfulness. It is really approachable and does not assume that you agree with the ideas in the book but allow space for you to engage with them.
Profile Image for Maileen Hamto.
282 reviews17 followers
October 17, 2022
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s "We Should All Be Feminists: A Guided Journal" is based on the author’s book-length essay of the same title. The journal edition reiterates important points on the intersectionality of oppression that manifests in how women-identified people experience race, gender, national origin, and other salient identities. Journal prompts are pre-empted by quotes from the author’s writings, as well as important moments in U.S. and global feminist history. The final pages include lists of nonprofits whose missions are centered around uplifting women and girls.

The hardbound volume is beautifully rendered in pages that will inspire introspection and self-revelation. If you’re looking for a muse, there are full-color photographs of the author looking fashionable and fabulous. Trivia about feminist icons such as Rosa Parks, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Malala Yousafzai is a great reminder about how courage and bold vision made way for progress.

The guided journal offers an invitation to reflect on lived experiences, while also developing a lens to see the world through the experiences of women with different backgrounds. While the journal may be targeted at those who identify as women, it can be useful for anyone who wants to embark on a journey of self-discovery to examine deeply held beliefs, while also focusing attention on what can be done to advance the feminist cause.
Profile Image for Ashi.
23 reviews
June 4, 2023
Very easy read and a great summary of why feminism (and using the world feminism intentionally) is important.
Profile Image for T.L. Cooper.
Author 15 books46 followers
May 1, 2023
We Should All Be Feminists: A Guided Journal by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a beautifully designed and inspiring guided journal/workbook for exploring feminism and the role feminism plays in an individual's life as well as in society as a whole. I often found that the questions I most dreaded answering were the ones that brought me the most insight into not only my own struggles with feminism but in the messaging of feminism and even anti-feminism to some degree. Exploring the platitudes that often popped into my thoughts and how those platitudes became so much a part of the lexicon helped me find a deeper relationship with my feminism. Many of the exercises helped me better integrate feminism's role in the wider struggle for equality. We Should All Be Feminists: A Guided Journal inspired me to examine my own inner struggle with feminism and reminded me of the importance of speaking up for equality whenever I can however I can. I highly recommend We Should All Be Feminists: A Guided Journal for anyone wanting to better connect with their feminism and pursue ways to be more involved with both the feminist movement and the equality movement. Though I also highly recommend reading Adichie's We Should All Be Feminists, the book this journal is written to accompany, I don't think it's absolutely necessary to use this journal.
Profile Image for Stacy.
158 reviews5 followers
February 11, 2023
I received this copy from GoodReads and will give my honest review.

This book is probably something I wouldn't have on my TBR list but I'm so glad it found its way to me. I absolutely loved this book, it is the best guided journal I've ever read. The layout is nice and clean with room to write your thoughts. I read through the book first to get a feel for it, then started my written journey daily 5 days ago. It has been thought provoking helping me grow to be a better feminist/human.

I can't recommend this book enough. Thank you Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for sharing this with all of us.
Profile Image for Krystal Failey.
55 reviews1 follower
November 17, 2022
I won this journal in a GoodReads giveaway and I am voluntarily giving this review.

I love this journal. There are many pages with quotes that are thought provoking. I also love that the page are in color and the top right hand corner of each page has room for the date in which you write. There is enough room provided after each question to write thoughtful answers.

The cover is beautiful and the pictures used were of Chimamanda. I recommend this journal for those that are exploring their views on feminism.
Profile Image for Brenda.
2 reviews10 followers
July 17, 2023
This lovely book is a guided journal version of the seminal work by Chimamanda. While being informative and fundamental on the issue of feminism, this journal is also so lovely and aesthetic. She asks questions that will challenge the ingrained bias and misogyny that exists in everyone existing in a patriarchal society. I would recommend this to everyone I know who is ready to dive into feminism in a fresh and personal way.
Profile Image for Will Allison.
57 reviews5 followers
October 9, 2023
Thank you #goodreadsgiveaway for the chance to review this book. I finished reading the book, We Should All Be Feminists, before reading this. It follows the ideas written and discussed within the original book. What this book does is give the reader a chance to look further into what it means to be a feminist, in today's world, its past, and where it could be in the future.
Profile Image for Marla Burke.
66 reviews2 followers
April 12, 2023
Thank you to Goodreads for the free copy! I will be working my way through the written portions of this, but read/reviewed content. It appears to be a wonderful guide for feminism for everybody, and all colors. White feminism really is not it.
Profile Image for luana.
20 reviews
May 21, 2022
this book is really good. it was really short which was my favorite part. it had a good structure and the message was amazing. there were so many lines which were so right. i loved reading this.
Profile Image for Anne.
13 reviews1 follower
August 9, 2022
This journal was thought provoking. I considered myself a feminist before using this journal, but now I have a much deeper and richer understanding of what it means to be a feminist.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews

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