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A review by madisonwray
Burn It Down: Women Writing about Anger by Lilly Dancyger
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Reading this was eye-opening for me. I am certainly not unfamiliar with anger, but upon more reflection and interrogation, I began to question when and if I have ever expressed anger. More to the point, when, if ever, have I expressed my anger to the object causing that anger?
This collection invites you to think about our world in terms of who is allowed and praised for being angry, which issues or situations justify or merit anger and which don’t, how the example of anger in your childhood affects you as you grow up, and many more. It is also a challenge to turn anger into action, that it is not an unproductive emotion, but can be channeled into something fierce and strong and change-provoking.
And so, I am angry. I am angry that as a woman, I have been taught to avoid anger, to not display anger, to frame it in a different, softer way. I am angry that when women do show anger, they are labeled as “hysterical”, “crazy”, “irrational”. I am angry that women who are not white, straight, or cis, must be even more careful with their anger, for fear of how others will react.
I am angry because children die in schools at the hands of humans with guns. I am angry because a convicted felon, a rapist, and a liar (non-exhaustive list) was elected to the highest seat of government in our country. I am angry because quality healthcare is expensive and difficult to access. I am angry because racism is pervasive in every aspect of our lives, in a country where “all men are created equal”. I am angry because women do not have the right to make decisions about their own bodies.
And I am also angry because my cat won’t stop eating my Christmas tree. I am angry because I will be managing a chronic illness my entire life. I am angry because I do not feel valued by a community I was raised in. I am angry because people are rude and mean to my parents, and to me.
So what do I do about this anger? How do I use this to fuel my future actions and decisions? This is the next step, and one I take eagerly. I invite you to be angry, and then to do something about it.