rob@denelcor.UUCP (Rob Wahl) (01/11/84)
I just finished reading a very interesting "wimin's" book, called Relatively
Norma, by Anna Livia (Everywoman's Press). Being male, I admit to feeling
rather offended by the depictions of men in the novel (every one of them is
named John, including a John Johnson, and only one of them seems at all
likeable - or more correctly, tolerable). The book is about a woman who goes
to Australia for five weeks to become reacquainted with her family. During
the course of her stay, dramatic changes in the family occur which cause them
all to face some harsh realities about themselves. The story is told with
a satiric humor which is both relentless and disarming, and your interest level
is never let to drop. Although Ms. Livia's concern with the Women's Movement
("whatever happened to the Liberation") is blatant, she examines it from many
sides, and we even see the mother expressing her liberation by choosing to
unshackle herself from the demands of her family and "sisters" and settle
with her husband in the outback.
Of the many terms the author invents to avoid the sexism inherent in our
language, my favorite is "policebod".
Robert Wahl
{hao,brl-bmd,allegra}!denelcor!rob