by Daphne Rose Kingma
The first part of the book deals with the reality that women have greater emotional freedom than men, and that this is caused by many women depending on men for a feeling of security, which is threatened by his expression of vulnerability. Ms. Kingma gives many examples of situations where various men's attempts to become more open were discouraged by their partners subsequent rejection. Many female readers will no doubt find these examples challenging, although hopefully in a positive way.
The later chapters take on a tone familiar to anyone who has read "Why Men Are The Way They Are" by Warren Farrell, but from a female perspective. The author's basic point is that women have to "initiate" men into the world of emotional acceptance, thereby allowing men to become more complete people. Some of the new age tone of the book seeps through here, because the concept of "initiation" is often used in that context, but the idea remains useful anyway.
The one problem I have with all books of this type, whether written by men or women, is the burning question "what if they gave a party and nobody came?"
It is true that some women will read this book and some women may act differently toward men as a result, but the number of women who are exceptions to the rule doesn't seem to have changed through decades of social activism.
I think the author, like many others in this genre, is optimistic about the human capacity for change simply on the basis of new information, and overlooks the tremendous conservatism of most people. Among the "avant garde", this book will be very interesting, but I think that George Gilder is right in his belief that public policy should assume and encourage traditional sex roles, while allowing the exceptions to exist where they may. In any case, the author is a brave and insightful woman, and that alone makes this book well worth buying.