Heartbreak: The Political Memoir of a Feminist Militant

My Thoughts and Feelings Whilst Reading:

Heartbreak: The Political Memoir of a Feminist Militant

By Andrea Dworkin

In the town about 20 minutes away from where I live is a little second-hand bookstore. It is, perhaps, one of my most favourite places in the world. It's one of those shops you always read about but never actually see: books towering precariously at seven feet, rickety shelves that are misshapen under the staggering weight of ancient tomes, a dank mustiness in the air that is only achieved through age and ink. The owner is always sat behind the counter and every day he's reading a different book. Whilst it may not have a Costa coffee or a particularly organised structure like my beloved Waterstones, it is something of a rarity and a secret I keep close to my chest. 

The store is divided into five sections: the main entrance, the back room, the Arts and Philosophy room and the children's section. As my interests lie in the third room, that's where I headed. Soothing jazz music played as I perused the shelves and then I saw it. Heartbreak. 

I should make it known that I am not a radical feminist by any means. I think bras are far too expensive to burn. However, I would class myself as a Liberal Feminist and therefore am interested in all forms of feminist literature. Up until today, I had never heard of Andrea Dworkin. However, the cover drew my eye and, along with three other books, bought it. 

I started reading it as soon as I sat down a few hours ago and I've almost finished it (granted, it's not a long book at 163 pages). However, this isn't due to the length; it's the content.

Whilst I don't necessarily agree with all of Dworkin's ideas, I can definitely appreciate them and the way she fights her corner is articulate and persuasive. It's something of an autobiography, and she is incredibly frank. No subject is pussyfooted around, no stone is left unturned. She bares all and I find her incredibly brave for doing so. 

But it's the writing that I find myself in love with. Her writing style is beautiful. She could be talking about cleaning a toilet and I'd have tears streaming down my eyes. There's one paragraph, when discussing her and her classmates' attitudes towards their supposed impending doom, that particularly hit home:

"She was famous as the school whore, and she was widely envied though shunned on a normal day, since she knew the big secret; but on this day, the last day, she could have been crowned queen, sovereign of the girls... She was Eve's true descendant, the symbol of what it meant to bite the apple. Tomorrow she would go back to being the local slut, but on the day we were all going to die she was Cinderella an hour before midnight. I wished that I could grow up, but I could not entirely remember why. I waited with my schoolmates to die." 

You may or may not believe in feminism. After doing some quick research on Dworkin, I personally found some of her beliefs to be extremist and a little OTT. But please, please do yourself a favour and read this book. If not for what the book stands for, but for the beauty and the truth in the writing. It really does stick with you. It would be a crime to pass up the opportunity to read this book. To quote Dworkin:

"her secret masterpiece would be just that - secret, yet no less a masterpiece."