I’m going through some big life changes right now, and this new era for me is about breaking down people pleasing habits to find myself beyond the mask I’ve created for others around me. I just finished reading I Who Have Never Known Men, and I can’t stop thinking about it. A lot of people say it left them in a pit of despair, but oddly it gave me hope. Maybe I’m an optimistic nihilist, idk. I very much liked that it left me questioning the purpose of life and what it is to be a human, to take stock of what in your life that matters most when it feels like you have nothing left.
Recently I have been enjoying themes of dystopian fiction, esoteric theory, feminist theory, feminine rage, anti-patriarchy and anti- capitalism, and I prefer to read from a FMC’s perspective but that’s not a deal breaker. Have you read any books like this that made you question something about yourself or life?
by notsojoyuoss
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That book hit me different too when I read it few years back. Most people focus on the bleakness but there’s something liberating about how the protagonist finds meaning in such impossible circumstances.
For similar vibes, maybe try The Power – it’s about women developing this electric ability and how it flips power dynamics completely. Made me think a lot about how society structures work and what happens when they get turned upside down. The female rage element is definitely there and it asks some heavy questions about human nature.
Also if you want something that really messes with your head about identity and what we perform for others, The Left Hand of Darkness explores gender roles in way that might connect with your journey of breaking down those masks.
M-0 by Tanasa- dystopian philosophical fiction that had me question the conditions of happiness. Plus a lot a heavy hitter nuggets like: “Truth, Mel, is an overrated concept. It doesn’t exist in a pure form. Each of us holds only a fragment of it, utterly incompatible with that of our neighbor. And beyond that, it’s deceptive. It makes you believe you can afford its price, only for you to realize, too late, that it was far too expensive.”
Steppenwolf by Hesse- cracked open the illusion that you are a single, fixed self, showing instead a fractured, plural identity that can be explored rather than feared. It turns inner chaos into something almost liberating, even artistic. “A man is never just a man; he is always also a woman… a child… an animal… a god.”
Thus spoke Zarathustra by Nietzsche- reframed life as something to be created rather than obeyed, pushing you to reject inherited values and become the author of your own meaning, no matter the cost. “Become who you are.”
Animal Liberation. Been vegan for the animals ever since.