A BRIEF HISTORY OF MISOGYNY: THE WORLD'S OLDEST PREJUDICE
A Well Informed and Researched
History of the Hatred of Women
By Jack Holland
Constable & Robinson
ISBN-10:1-84529-371-1
Reviewed by Sharon Greer
"The topic was quite a conversation starter. A common response from other men, when my father told them what he was working on, was an assumption that he was writing some sort of defence of misogyny, a reaction he found startling. Another common response was surprise that such a book should be written by a man. To this, his answer was simple. 'Why not?' he would say. 'It was invented by men'.
Page XI, Foreword by Jenny Holland from Misogyny
When I opened a recent copy of one of Vancouver's free tabloids, I couldn't help but notice, not one, but two glaring articles on misogyny - they happened to be on opposite pages.
The first one involved the sentencing of American polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, convicted of two felony counts for being an accomplice to rape.
The second article was about a court's decision in Saudi Arabia to sentence a 19-year-old woman, gang raped by seven men, to 200 lashes of the whip.
Try wrapping your brain around that kind of hatred and contempt for women.
It is these two articles, only two of many, which makes reading Jack Holland's brilliant and
extraordinary final book, A Brief History of Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice so vitally important in today's world.
Jack Holland was a well-respected Irish writer and commentator best known for his commentary about Northern Irish politics. He has written a jarring, well-informed and researched book on the history of the hatred of women over the centuries.
In this impressive, intense work he searches for answers and explanations on why, "....half of the world's population is brutalized and oppressed by the other half." His journey through time is a long and tragic one as he reveals countless examples of absolute virulence against females, perpetrated in large part by all of the religions of the world.
Holland covers massive territory beginning with his assertions that misogyny started sometime in the Eighth Century and has continued over time. With a special emphasis on perhaps the worst period of time for women, the witch-hunts of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries, where countless women - estimates range from 60,000 to several million - were burned alive at the stake.
Holland attempts to explore the depths of such contempt and loathing for women with a critical eye on many aspects of different civilizations. His sensitivity and obvious affection for women can be felt throughout this ingenious volume of writing.
Sadly, misogyny rages on in all its ugly shapes all over the world today. Veiled women, so-
called "pro-life" campaigners, polygamy, rape, prostitution, horrific conditions in women's
prisons, stoning of women, whipping women, domestic violence and abuse, genital mutilation - the list goes on and on.
Tragically, Jack Holland died of cancer just after finishing Misogyny - a manuscript which he felt was his most important work.
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