Women and Other Monsters cover

Women and Other Monsters

by Jess Zimmerman

"This essay collection uses female monsters from Greek mythology to explore traits that women are taught to suppress, and encourage readers to embrace them instead"-- The folklore that has shaped our dominant culture teems with frightening female creatures. In stories chiefly written by men, women who step out of bounds-- angry or greedy or ambitious, overtly sexual or not sexy enough-- are unnatural, monstrous. Through fresh analysis of eleven female monsters, including Medusa, the Harpies, the Furies, and the Sphinx, Zimmerman takes us on an illuminating feminist journey through mythology. She guides readers to reexamine their relationships with traits like hunger, anger, ugliness, and ambition, teaching readers to embrace a new image of the female hero. Monsters get to be complete, unrestrained, and larger than life. -- adapted from jacket

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?