The Gate to Women's Country

"Greek myth meets eugenics. Such a fascinating story."

"This is the worst book I’ve ever read. I forced myself to read 85% of it because it was for a book club, but I finally allowed myself to quit after realizing I don’t have to force myself to read white supremacist, homophobic, transphobic, eugenics supporting, sexist trash for the sake of discussion.<br/><br/>First, it is WILD to me how many of the negative reviews here from people who caught the homophobia, cissexism, misandry, and hatred of women don’t mention at all the racism and white supremacy which is as central or more central to the book than all the other offensive themes!<br/><br/>I have SO MANY notes about why this book is utterly disgusting and dangerous, but let me not understate just how boring and terribly written it was too. No one should be reading this book unless they want to reaffirm their hatred of women and their white supremacist ideals.<br/><br/>Here are just a few of the most blatantly disgusting lines I wrote down while reading:<br/><br/>-The following was brought up directly in conversation between characters about an adult warrior man who raped a child: “Even in pre-convulsion times, it had been known that the so-called ‘Gay syndrome’ was caused by aberrant hormone levels during pregnancy. The women doctors now identified the condition as hormonal reproductive mal-adaption and corrected it before birth. There were rarely HRNMs… either male or female born in womens country, though there was still the occasional unsexed person or the omnisexed, who would, ‘mate with a grasshopper if it would hold still long enough.’”<br/><br/>-“Stasya gave the girls a quick look. Pre-pubertal surely, though it would not be the first time some huckster had tried to sell his female companions over and over again as virgin nymphs…these girls had not that look about them though. There was none of that g*psy camp lewdness in their eyes.”<br/>——this being just one small glimpse of a major theme central to this story: the theme of juxtaposing the ‘civilized’ and respectable (read white) main characters against the uncivilized g*psies, repeatedly referred to directly as “whores”. When one of these civilized and pure women from within Women’s Country was raped it was horrible and wrong, but it’s directly stated in the book that the same acts committed against the g*psy women wasn’t rape because the treatment those women faced was their choice—the lifestyle they “chose” to live. EVEN THOUGH it is also directly stated that one of the girls—literally still a child—was tricked into the living outside of women’s country by a man known to rape and manipulate women—even still the author reiterated she deserved to be debased and embarrassed and assaulted in front of everyone by the main character who is a doctor and then be forced into sex slavery—because it was her choice to leave Women’s Country. There’s literally a scene where this 17 year old girl who had just been tricked out of Women’s Country, is forced by a main character, a revered leader of Women’s Country and doctor, to lift her skirts out in the open in front of everyone and be physically examined against her will. This is just one of many examples of the level of hatred the author shows for women in this book that’s lauded as feminist.<br/><br/>The blatant eugenics and racist and sexist depiction of g*psies in this book was unmissable. It is literally a core theme throughout the entire book.<br/><br/>-Soldier trying to convince the main character to go with him on a trip: “even now, parts of her went all went crotched at his words. She could feel some inner part of her breaking loose, panting against the thick wall between them, ready to dig through it to him. Some frantic bitch part with hard little **** and all four feet flailing.”—how quickly the author turns her vitriol previously held only for the ‘uncivilized’ against the pure and civilized main character as soon as she acts human by experiencing sexual attraction. Literally describing her as a dog, a bitch, because she likes a man.<br/>———<br/><br/>I could go on and on about how horrendous this book was because of its offensive and dangerous content—this is literally a white supremacist text—but again, it was also terrible writing! Painfully boring, much of the world building was completely pointless, and every single character was a stereotype with no nuance whatsoever.<br/><br/>I wish I could be surprised that this book has such a high rating, but look at who all the high ratings are coming from? This book is the ultimate example of how white feminism is truly just white supremacy and hatred of any woman and person who doesn’t fit the false ideal of ‘civilized’ and ‘pure’ (again, read white). Anyone who reads and likes this book and doesn’t have issue with its content is dangerous."

"Excellent feminist novel with interesting twist. I still think about it constantly. One of the rare books that gives you all the information you need to figure it out woven through the whole book and still surprises you."