"This is supposed to be one of those good-for-you, demanding, feminist, kind-of-structuralist, avante-garde, check-it-off-the-list, Brown-semiotics-major-required-viewing films. Perhaps it’s all of those things. It’s also profoundly moving, original, and, weirdly, entertaining."

"The first feminist character in a novel. I love this period of French lit, reflecting the life of a bored wife trapped as a woman in a ‘suitable’ marriage as a way to maintain her inheritance. It was seen as introducing realism and the modern narrative."

"This was the book that started me on the path of steganographic textiles. While many find Madame Defarge a villainous bitter woman, callously knitting between executions, for me she represents a feminist hero, channeling her rage at sexual violence against women as fuel for the French Revolution."

"I know it hasn’t been out that long, but this is a classic. I got it as a present for my mom for Mother’s Day. It speaks to women of all ages, of all backgrounds, of all financial classes, what have you. It makes an amazing argument. I think men should read it. I never hear men talk about this book, and I’m like, ‘You should be reading this, dog! You too should be a feminist!’ She gets you pumped the fuck up to be like ‘Yeah I’m a feminist and I’m going to take over and live my best life and be a person who is all about equality.’ There’s no fear in her writing, just pure confidence."

"When I first read this book, it was out of print. I felt I’d found a treasure when I uncovered a tattered copy online. It’s unapologetically feminist, queer, third-world, woke and woman. I am so glad it’s back in print for a new generation craving this kind of centering and elevated consciousness."