No! - by Sara Ahmed (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

An assembly of refusals portraying the radical power of "no" by the renowned scholar and author of The Feminist Killjoy Handbook, Sara Ahmed.

To be heard as complaining is not to be heard, writes Sara Ahmed. In her sweeping exploration of complaint as a means of resistance, Ahmed attunes her "feminist ear" to those who seek to challenge powerful institutions. She shows how complaints can unbury past complaints, getting them out of filing cabinets or from behind closed doors, allowing us to see institutions more clearly--how they work, and for whom they work.

Where complaints live, how complaints are made, who receives them, who buries them and where--Ahmed's accessible, attentive writing brings to life the lessons learned from people knocking at closed doors, teaching us how to collectively resist the glacial weight of institutional power. This book inspires all of us to persist, to say "No!" and to build new collectivities that break down brick walls together.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Feminist Killjoy Handbook

"Being the killjoy is often a joy unto itself, and Ahmed shows us how to embrace it in all its liberatory glory." --Ms. magazine, Best Books of 2023

"The Feminist Killjoy Handbook is clearly helpful instruction. It is a book you can learn from: Here, in its pages, is your community and networks." --The Nation

"Audiences curious about navigating the intersection between feminism and daily life, intellectualism, poetry, and activism will love this title." --Library Journal

About the Author

Sara Ahmed is an independent feminist scholar who works at the intersection of feminist, queer, and race studies. Her research is concerned with how bodies and worlds take shape and how power is secured and challenged in everyday life as well as institutional cultures. She has published eleven books, including The Feminist Killjoy Handbook. She lives in Cambridgeshire, England.