the Real World I thought I was the only one, but no—I’m not alone. In fact, many women are the same as me. This book taught me that we may look different, but we’re also similar: we all want the same rights; we want to be accepted by others; and we want to be accepted by ourselves. This book also taught me why we need feminism—I believe that we’re not fighting against laws; we’re fighting against societies and ignorant people. I go to school every day but should I ignore the thousands of girls who are forced to leave school at an early age? Should I ignore the women who don’t get health care? Absolutely not! But many people ignore these problems, or worse, they don’t learn about them because media doesn’t always show [or even talk about] what is real.
I thought I was practicing self-improvement; it turned to be self-imprisonment. My brain was a tetherball, constantly pulled back to the scrutiny of my body. Lily Meyer
This book introduced me to problems I have never experienced like what it is like be a black woman in America or what it is it like to be an immigrant/refugee, and this is what feminism is about—demanding change for everyone. This book made me strongly believe that we need diversity, especially in media platforms. I want to see the day [where] I can be a journalist or a TV interviewer without hearing, “If you wear your hijab you won’t be chosen.” I don’t want other girls to hear anything like that because they are different. Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World is a life-changing book that deserves to be in your reading list. WRITTEN BY Hala Salah El Din
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