No Is Not a Lonely Utterance
The Art and Activism of Complaining
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Penguin Books Ltd
Published:18th Sep '25
£25.00
Available for immediate dispatch.
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£12.99(9781802069341)
A moving exploration of the solace and power of listening in an unjust world, from the author of The Feminist Killjoy Handbook
'Remarkable . . . this book is the hope that so many people are searching for' Zimmer Magazine
To complain is an intimate, dangerous act. Whether it’s speaking up about racism in the workplace or taking a stand against sexual harassment at university, the act of complaining to an institution can leave you isolated and undermined, all while the original injustice remains unresolved. Time and time again, we see these unanswered complaints compound to disastrous effect.
In No is Not a Lonely Utterance, Sara Ahmed dissects the anatomy of a complaint, revealing how institutions create hostile environments that stigmatize complainers, and charts a way we can listen to grievances with ‘feminist ears’: going beyond mere validation and seeking instead to address the root causes of injustice and inequality.
Weaving together testimonies from various walks of life, Ahmed shows us what we learn about the ways institutions exercise their power when complaints are raised, and indeed what we learn about our capacity to collectivize and create social bonds through complaint. In doing so, she inspires us to create better environments for our life’s work.
Brilliantly rearticulates the feminist method of complaint as a necessary and productive daily inhabitation of the political . . . a loud and insistent demand for a more just world -- Jasbir Puar, author of The Right to Maim
Goes beyond the academy to our shared histories of dismissal and denial . . . In an act of solidarity and resistance, we all need to sign up to the complaint collective Ahmed suggests -- Pratibha Parmar, writer and filmmaker
Doesn’t simply celebrate complaints; it reimagines them as a form of resistance and recognition... Ahmed’s book is an insightful reminder: Sometimes the squeaky wheel doesn’t get the grease until it’s too late -- Natalie Haddad * Hyperallergic *
A must-read . . . Ahmed does an excellent job of calling the reader to action whilst pointing out that solidarity and resistance look like different things to different people -- Ashley * Glasgow Women's Library *
Remarkable . . . has the potential to generate real change. In a world that is so turbulent and unpredictable, this book is the hope that so many people are searching for -- Ellie Johnson * Zimmer Magazine *
Ahmed merges her own experience with stories shared by other battle-scarred complainers... These stories bolster Ahmed’s cutting observations about the nefarious means by which power is maintained within institutions... Readers will find meaningful insight and support * Publishers Weekly *
ISBN: 9780241759271
Dimensions: 223mm x 143mm x 36mm
Weight: 516g
416 pages