Our Shared Shelf discussion

Hi all!

The March/April read, Women Who Run With The Wolves, has been an amazing one. I haven't read the whole book yet, in fact, I'm only at about a hundred pages. The book is something I wouldn't have found by myself and I am enjoying it immensely!

I know a friend who, I believe, would like the book. I'm thinking about recommending it to him. However, as my friend is a guy, I would like to hear some ideas of how the book is seen by men?

I would like the book to inspire my friend as it inspires me. But so far, I think the book limits the beautiful spirituality to women only. Any thoughts?

If possible, no spoilers please

Hi Paulina, It of course depends on the man, The book has male aspects and some stories. no spoilers, focus on animus (male) as much as the Anima (female) but the style of the book and frankly the back cover, with its Psychology/woman's study tag will put some men off.

That being said it would be interesting to see what non feminist or feminist sympathetic men would think.

Personally as a feminist and a man I liked it. now I have read all of the books Emma has selected and that did act as preparation. I hesitate to use the word easier but perhaps one of the other books would be a better introduction, build up to "half the sky.." and "wolves"

But all that being said most men would benefit for reading the book I think.

I would guess it depends on how much the intended reader is into this whole new-age/spirtuality thing (me, I can't help but think it sounds rather hokey).

I would say it can also depend on how in touch the men are with their feminine side.
For a very long period of time I have attempted to be inclusive equally of both masculine and feminine sides of myself personally. And I believe through that there were more than a few parts of this book that I tended to understand very well.
And as I said in another discussion there are certain sections that I am going to take the time to go back and re-read because of how closely the stories spoke to me.

I'm pretty in touch with my feminine side... But I can't stand the scientifically inaccurate statements in this book. I'd echo that it probably depends upon how into new age stuff the person is.

Thank you all for responding!
Male perspectives on the book are really interesting, because personally I find many statements and stories as hitting pretty close to home. I don't see a reason for that not happening for male readers, apart from the constant specification to women that the author does.

My friend is interested in philosophy, and that's why I think it would make an interesting read for him.

I think that identifying with the stories and 'teachings' makes the book so good, but I'm worried that he would experience the book having nice stories, but nothing that he can actually connect with.

I guess I should give it to him and interview him later on it :D

If you do that, keep us posted on your findings :D I think it is definitely interesting to see guys' opinions on books like this one and the others this group has been reading.

Yes, keep us posted on how he feels! I lent it to a male friend briefly while we were away on a job and he read only the introduction, but his immediate feelings were that he knew a few women in his life that he would like to recommend it to. He was relieved to find the text wasn't anti-male, and was interested to finish reading it (he's hoping I'll bring it back on the next job we work together I think).

I just started reading this and I have a male friend that I think would really like it- either way it's so fascinating to see how men connect with feminist books.

I'd assume that it doesn't depend on gender, it's all about personality. It depends on your attitude to spiritual vs scientific, mystery vs facts. E.g. I prefer the scientific. I'm extremely intolerant to spiritual. It just doesn't make any sense to me, all I see there is very subjective fantasies and overcomplications of simple things. And I don't think that it makes me less feminine than those who love this book. We just have different preferences, different personalities.

Exactly Anna!

Hi Paula,

I would recommend it to your friend.

My first thoughts about this book were about my female wolfdog that I knew for ten years during my formative years.

The way my wolfdog and I played and ran together helped me awaken and nurture a natural delight and a wild spirit that helped me explore new trails, embrace change, improve my ability to seek and find, and sense what was in the distance.

Full disclosure: my wolfdog bit me...

I really liked this book because it’s story/life guidance is empowering. Among the ideas I recognized and affirmed were the importance of instinctual spiritedness and devotion, enduring the false narratives, and the need to tell and learn the lessons of stories/real lives.

Years ago, talk of reclaiming the soul wasn’t relevant, but over the course of a life it can happen, slowly but surely, and this book through stories and myths reveals warning indicators as well as guidance. Estes enlightens us about certain archetypes and aspects of life and death.

Estes tells us why it's important to reclaim the natural soul and go deeper into the knowing that comes from the wild psychic home within.

Estes talked about how getting to that deep, wild place is akin to opening a door, going through a passageway, and attending to it like a garden. Once there, we “are gifted with a permanent and internal watcher, a knower, a visionary, an oracle, an inspiratrice, an intuitive, a maker, a creator, an inventor, and a listener who guide, suggest, and urge vibrant life in the inner and outer worlds.”

Estes revealed that she wrote the book over a long period of time, and she offers a lot of wisdom. I liked a lot of her knowledge, including: “The wild nature has a vast integrity to it.” “The work is offered as a fortification for those…who toil.” “Don the true coat of powerful instinct and knowing.” “When was the last time I ran free?” “It is a personage in its own right, a magical dollish-sized being which inhabits the psychic land of the interior woman.”
“A woman’s psychic tasks are these: …Learning fine distinctions in judgment.” “…refuse to allow anyone to repress your vivid energies…that means your opinions, your thoughts, your ideas, your values, your morals, your ideals.” “We let go of one phase, one aspect of love, and enter another…To love means to embrace and at the same time to withstand many many endings, and many, many beginnings – all in the same relationship.” “Through dreams, the unconscious constantly produces teaching images…the wild dreamland rises…This is the continent of our knowing.” “Hold out till you find the ones you belong to like the Ugly Duckling.”

And of course, I liked the General Wolf Rules for Life, 1-10. I hope you and your friends read this book and reread it, for the cycles of life unfold in ways that require wisdom.

I really enjoyed this book and recommended it to everyone in my feminism book club because of the powerful message that it shares with the reader. My male friend who drop's by this club once in a while took an immediate liking to this book and decided to read it. He came back a few day's later and told me how eye opening this book was to him and how he couldn't put it down. He felt like he had become a woman and was experiencing this book in real life. When a man look's at the book, he might feel like it is odd but once it is read the book will change the way he look's at women and women's right's.