Caputi argues for the placement of mass murder and serial homicide within a context of late capitalist patriarchy. She offers a detailed history of British and American "sex crimes" since the 19th century, and gleans trends of male violence against women from popular culture. Working from a neo-marxian feminist position gives weight to her disturbing thesis; while her sometimes militant tone may edge on polemic the book provides a useful analytical perspective.

I'm sorry, but this book just did not work for me. I sympathize with many eco-feminist notions, but this book makes poorly researched and shaky claims, seeking to link together variables that have no connection, making generalized, fluffy arguments.

The main point of this book is, of course, the linkage between patriarchial society and the nuclear age. The writer provides very strange and eclectic examples from popular culture which are vague, at best, and more often it seems that the writer sought to locate casual references to suit her claim. For example, in several places, the writer refers to titles of different articles about nuclear weapons and about the dangers of maleness (incest - which she seems to regard as a general trait of fatherhood) which happen to appear in the same issue of Time or Newsweek - not as a coincidence, but as a joint issue. She looks at the cover of a magazine, citing different article names, and we're supposed to reach a conclusion that this linkage is not coincidental, and that it is part of the alleged male-nuclear conspiracy.

The writer analyzes similar material in opposite ways when it supports her argument - first identifying the bomb with the male, then with the female. She seems to have thrown the darts before marking the target.

Another disturbing factor is the generalized and problematic, to say the least, condemnation of what the writer describes as "nuclear fatherhood". All fathers are compared, as a general group, to Reagan and Freddy Krueger. Need I say more?

I did find the spiritual contents of this book (such as the idea of the Gorgon) fascinating and useful - especially due to the (regrettable) lack of serious and intelligent discussion of Feminist spirituality as a deserving issue and not merely a bag of love spells. I wish these contents could be given to us separately, and not within a poorly researched scholarly work that does not give credit to its readers as intelligent beings who can evaluate material by themselves, without being spoonfed the conclusions which by no means stem from the material. As a woman who cares deeply about women's issues and about this planet, I believe this book does damage to the general cause by alienating 99.99% of the people who could be responsive to eco-feminism and its ideas. It's sad, really.

People use that phrase all the time til it has no meaning but when I read this book it really did blow my mind. A powerful trip through modern culture that really holds nothing back. I was in a daze after reading this book but am so very glad I did. It gave me a whole new perspective on why modern society is so messed up. It condems the social construct that allows people to hurt and even distroy one another and our home the earth with out remorse. I totally love this book and wish more people would read it.

Do Not read this book if you are attached to the cultural ideal of Men being automatically better than Women & that they only have worth if the are dominating somesome.

I just wish I could write a review as brilliently as Jane Caputi writes so more people would check out this awesome book!

In a word, infantile. While Mary Daly certainly has all the rhetorical flair with which her disciples credit her, this gift of the gab is too often used to justify an essentially close-minded viciousness which leaves any attempt at actually useful philosophy in the dust. It's strange that Daly so consistently castigates the rhetorical abuses of the patriarchy (which are, I absolutely agree, often horrifying) while failing to perform any better in this, her answer to male-determined language. Worse, while she claims to represent all *true* feminists, her argument for this claim is to simply recategorize any feminist who dares to disagree with her as a 'fembot', a brainless casualty of patriarchy. She appears either unable to get over the very paradigms of violent hierarchy which she claims to oppose, or else is somehow under the gross missapprehension that a cycle of violence is somehow to be prefferred to actual progress for feminism or society at large. D+.

While I realize that this book is intended to be a humorous look at the English language, it still doesn't excuse the mean-spirited male-bashing in which Daly engages.

The first two-thirds of the book were indeed fun (hence the extra ratings star). Any attempt to experiment and play with words is great; and trying to bolster women's courage and laughingly shove them into redefining themselves on their own terms--all the better!

But why trash men? Daly's definition of heterosexual relationships as being instigated only by men towards women is not only incorrect but insulting. One could almost accuse Daly of being heterophobic, and isn't bigotry supposed to be wrong? I guess all those loving, ethical, funny, and caring fathers/sons/brothers/friends are just figments of a sadly benighted race of "fembots" and "totalled women".

Mary Daly does it again! She manages to skewer dead and dying institutions in remarkably few words. For example: "bubble n: an artificial total environment which distances, destroys and replaces the physical/spiritual Elemental world; an Eye-sore/I-sore. Examples: disneyworld; the bible." Lest you think this is all negative, delight in "Be-Witching: leaping/hopping/flying inspired by Lust for Metamorphosis...the exercise of Labrys-like powers." Nice pictures, too. A must-have for the Feminist who needs a chuckle or a good quote from time to time. Definitely a keeper!