Rating: 
Summary: Clever role reversal provokes serious thought
Review: A couple of things other reviewers haven't touched upon:-Brantenburg presents a compelling illustration of the popular view that one must choose between being a Marxist and a feminist (or a Sparksist and a musculist!) -The self-referential ending is a clever and extremely effective literary technique. It adds richness and interest to the story, and powerfully defends the book against some well-anticipated criticism. Anyone who does not think that women continue to be oppressed in Western societies needs to read this book. Brava!
Rating:
Summary: Living in a Woman's World
Review: After reading Egalia's Daughters, I realized that the author, Gerd Brantenberg, has many recurring themes which relate to the oppression of men in a woman dominated society. In my view, the language, family structures and the entitlements women are given for having children, are the most important topics in the satire. I am amazed by the language in Egalia's Daughters because the author chooses to go outside the norms when using this language, ignoring traditional uses of the English language (maybe due to the fact this language is translated from the Norwegian language to the English language). In my opinion, Brantenberg uses women-centered language to add to the satire of her work and also to point out the male-identified nature of language in our society. I agree with the author's choice to provide the reader with examples of the rationalizations the women use to support their positions of power and control. They are similar to the rationalizations the men use to support their positions of power and control in today's society. I also agree with the author's choice to award the women a palace where they can go and give birth because this is a form of respect given to the well-deserved hardworking women of the Egalsund sociey. I really enjoyed reading Egalia's Daughters because it really gave me a sense of the things our society takes for granted in women from another female's perspective.
Rating:
Summary: Egalia - a true reversal of gender roles
Review: Although the English version has about twenty to fifty editing errors and is not the original language it was written in, Egalia's Daughters by Gerd Brantenberg, is a highly inventive study of female oppression through every stratum of society, down to the smallest detail, such as how women are oppressed liguistically. The english language denotes girls as females and women and denotes boys a simpler version or primary version of those words, male and men. Thus Egalia equates women with wym and males with mafeles, making the every word (except history) switch to give women a dominance over males. The most interesting part, however, is not the lurid sex scenes, which are probably more accepted in Norway(is she from Norway?) or the hard to grasp linguistic switch Gerd presents, but rather the success of the menwym (men) to find freedom and some level of equality within an obviously biased and completely unfair society in which menwym are nothing more than sex objects. I would suggest this book to anyone who does not agree with feminist thought. If you think women are treated fairly, read this book. It's not only completely entertaining, but educational as well. It made me think thrice.
Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful satire - great book for a reading group!
Review: Although you have to adjust to the pronoun reversal in the book (women=wym, men=menwym, history=herstory), I found it easy to get past this quirk and really enjoyed this book. I especially liked the fun that was poked at particular gender-specific activities: The traumatic rite of passage of buying a first bra is transformed into buying a first "pehoe" or penis cover; in hot weather, those with mammary glands are free to go about without a shirt, while those with hairy chests are forced to keep their clothes on; it takes hours to groom a beard and properly adorn it with beads and ribbons. These and other clever satirical twists make the book very effective in pointing out gender inequalities in our society. My reading group had a great time discussing this book.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful satire - great book for a reading group!
Review: Although you have to adjust to the pronoun reversal in the book (women=wym, men=menwym, history=herstory), I found it easy to get past this quirk and really enjoyed this book. I especially liked the fun that was poked at particular gender-specific activities: The traumatic rite of passage of buying a first bra is transformed into buying a first "pehoe" or penis cover; in hot weather, those with mammary glands are free to go about without a shirt, while those with hairy chests are forced to keep their clothes on; it takes hours to groom a beard and properly adorn it with beads and ribbons. These and other clever satirical twists make the book very effective in pointing out gender inequalities in our society. My reading group had a great time discussing this book.
Rating:
Summary: Gender Roles in Egalsund
Review: Brantenberg reverses patriarchal gender roles in an effort to ostracize, or simply call our attention to, these social imperfections and inequalities. She addresses several of the gender roles in patriarchy in the context of unavoidable biological differences. Some of the issues she adddresses are sexual objectification and social oppression. Brantenberg uses a creative role reversal to accomplish this. She makes female issues, like menstruation and childbirth, most important socially. She also presents sexual objectification from a matriarchal perspective. This book makes you more aware of the social issues and patriarchal ideals that have been traditionally overlooked and need to be dispelled in modern society. It accomplishes this in an extremely original and quite a dynamic way.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderfully Witty Satire!
Review: Brantenberg shows us the ridiculousness of our own gender troubles by constructing a society that is or own stereotypically gendered opposite. This book will make you look not only at society but the very basics of language in a different way. There is so much packed into this one short book that it will make your head spin! Read it again and again because there is always something new!!
Rating:
Summary: Egalia's Daughter's: The World with Women in Power
Review: Gerd Brantenberg's Egalia's Daughters creates a world where the women are in charge, and matriarchy exists. The women are the heads of the household, the breadwinners, while the men stay at home and take care of the children. If there is a party, the women have to convince the men to go along. However, the reluctant men worry that they do not look nice enough to go to parties, and complain of being too tired after doing housework. They do not want to spend time dressing up and fixing their beards with ribbons. Moreover, in this fantasy world, the language is completely different. The women are called wim and the men, menwim. This change enforces the idea of women being superior. Also, common last names include Lizdaughter instead of Johnson, emphasizing the feminine world of Egalia. This book satirizes our world in many ways and forces us to pay attention to the patriarchal society we live in.
Rating:
Summary: Egalia's Daughter's: The World with Women in Power
Review: Gerd Brantenberg's Egalia's Daughters creates a world where the women are in charge, and matriarchy exists. The women are the heads of the household, the breadwinners, while the men stay at home and take care of the children. If there is a party, the women have to convince the men to go along. However, the reluctant men worry that they do not look nice enough to go to parties, and complain of being too tired after doing housework. They do not want to spend time dressing up and fixing their beards with ribbons. Moreover, in this fantasy world, the language is completely different. The women are called wim and the men, menwim. This change enforces the idea of women being superior. Also, common last names include Lizdaughter instead of Johnson, emphasizing the feminine world of Egalia. This book satirizes our world in many ways and forces us to pay attention to the patriarchal society we live in.
Rating:
Summary: Satire of the sexes
Review: I really did not enjoy this book. I understand that this is supposed to be a satirical look at American gender roles, but it was probably a lot more applicable back in 1970s. I am a feminist and this book didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. Maybe if you're a raging chauvinist, this book has something to teach you. To me, Brantenberg's prose seems trite. The writing is simplistic. The sex scenes are graphic, but moreover, so are the non-sex scenes. I felt as though the author was secretly smiling to herself and saying, "I'm so clever" while she wrote it. It's hard to define what makes for a great book, but here's something I can define: this book is not great. Or good. Or even tolerable.
| 
