Guest Author - Isabelle Harman
July 2007 Book Review One
“Are Men Necessary? When Sexes Collide” by Maureen Dowd (Penguin Group Inc., 2005) takes on the age old debate regarding men versus women and refreshingly brings to the 21st century a humorous, thought provoking, and, at times, personal perspective on the battle of the sexes.
Ms. Dowd is currently the only female Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times. She began her journalism career in the mid-1970s. A native of Washington, DC, she has brought to this book a perspective many of us will never have the opportunity to enjoy. Though perhaps not a Washington insider in her youth, she certainly gained a perspective through observations made as a student, young adult and eventually journalist for the Washington circuit. Many in the military would call her a “local”, someone with a sense of community that goes to the core of who they are because they have been a part of its growth and development. Fortunately for us, unlike some “locals” who never leave the roost, Ms. Dowd also brings to this book depth because of her travels.
Don’t let the title scare you or even fool you. Surprisingly the content is a bit of history of the women’s movement, examples of the suppression (both overt and covert) of women in the workforce, and chastisement of women for their shift in self-definition from bra burning “I am woman, hear me roar” attitudes, to male-cloning by women in the boardroom – because they thought it was necessary to get ahead, to an inability to define oneself, to the sad conclusion that the only way a woman may be able to get ahead is if she has a man to give her a leg up – the last chapter will get your blood pumping!
Ms. Dowd has written in a style of classic journalism. The content is well researched and easy to read. Her examples from her own experience as she developed her career are entertaining and insightful. Some will touch close to home and may make you want to burn your bra again! Some parts of the book seem to be misplaced. For example, she explains in Chapter Four a theory of the personality of the sexes based upon the X and Y chromosomes; it was a struggle to get through and not a very convincing demonstration of the evolution of the differences between the sexes as they stand in today’s world.
The most interesting and a little unnerving chapter was Chapter Five. In this chapter she discusses the power, magnetism, and leadership style of Helen Gurley Brown editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan. It’s a must read!
Ms. Dowd has given a lot of food for thought but she doesn’t answer the title’s question. I’m sure this was intentional, but I would have been interested to read her answer. The content wasn’t as much an attempt to answer the question as it was to bring forth historical, scientific, and personal examples of the plight of women (and men just happen to be involved) so the reader gains a good basis upon which to draw your own conclusion.
This book is a great read and I would recommend it. It will stand the test of time and bring about great discussion. I found myself wanting to read it, not being able to put it down at night and anxious to pick it up the next day.
