From the Kidlet Lexicon

[resonant]

I was recommending books to the ten-year-old, and I mentioned Anne McCaffrey's Dragonsinger. "I think I remember it being a pretty good book," I said, "but I'm not sure, because she also wrote books for adults, and as I remember it, the gender politics were pretty awful."

"What do you mean, gender politics?"

"Well, it's been a long time, but what I remember is that all the women were beautiful and tempestuous, and mostly they were there to be prizes for the men to win. The books weren't very interested in what they wanted, unless it was a man, and they fought over men, but aside from that they didn't really have relationships with each other."

"Oh, yeah, I've read books with women like that. Sugarboxes."

Comments

[sanj]

I feel VERY SECURE knowing the future is in this kid's hands. :)

And Dragonsong/Dragonsinger is actually pretty good for what it is, gender-wise, if memory serves me right. Menolly is a strong character and something of a gender outlaw.

It's not until later in the series that McCaffrey sort of backs away and remembers she's a girl and should have babies. ;P

[resonant]

Oh, right; it's so easy to forget your destiny as a woman, isn't it? It just slips your mind.