Mona Eltahawy Visits Beacon and Records the Audiobook of “The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls”
August 02, 2019
The patriarchy is going down!
Why? Because last week, we had the immense pleasure of having feminist giant Mona Eltahawy, author of The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls, for a visit at the office! We couldn’t wait to meet her in person and can’t stop talking about her book. Her many many fans and followers on social media can’t stop talking about it, either. Eltahawy is fed the hell up with the patriarchy, and in her book, she calls on all women and girls to embrace the qualities they’ve been trained to avoid: to be angry, ambitious, profane, violent, attention-seeking, lustful, and powerful. Rather than teaching women and girls to survive the poisonous system they find themselves in, her intersectional feminist manifesto arms them to dismantle it. Every chapter is fire, a fierce and furious middle finger to oppression. (The brilliant cover art by our designer Louis Roe is a big tip off.) We are so here for it!
One of the highlights of her visit was the recording of the audiobook of The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls. None other than Eltahawy herself narrates every word, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s one thing to read the text; it’s quite another—and much much more!—to hear her passionate words in her voice. Here’s a little taste of the beginning.
And the recording comes with an Easter egg. Two Beacon staff members will be making their audiobook debut! Four of us auditioned to narrate the intro and outro credits: associate publicist Perpetua Charles; marketing manager Emily Powers; assistant to the director of marketing and sales Isabella Sanchez; and editorial assistant Molly Velázquez-Brown. Here’s what they had to say about why they love her book and why they auditioned:
“Mona’s book rages against the evils done unto women and girls across the world. Everyone should read this book, hear this book, and be outraged at the system that allows these things to occur. I don’t get to work on or contribute to every book as a publicist, so it’s always a fun and gratifying treat to get to do so when an opportunity arises.”
—Perpetua Charles
“Mona’s book is so exciting because it is angry, loud, and unapologetic. She doesn’t side-step or equivocate on anything. I know that her audiobook will reflect her passion and fiery personality, and I’m glad I got the chance to be a part of it.”
—Isabella Sanchez
Once the auditions wrapped up, it was up to Eltahawy to choose which ones would make the cut.
She made her decision.
The envelope, please.
The winners are . . .
Intro: Isabella Sanchez!
Outro: Molly Velázquez-Brown!
Congratulations to the winners! And thank you to Mona Eltahawy for such a lovely visit! We hope you come back to Boston soon.
The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls comes out on September 17. If you can’t wait and want in on the book and some patriarchy-smashing swag, we have a pre-order offer going on. The first fifty pre-orders will receive a special gift pack: a Seven Sins T-shirt, a 5x7 art print with a quote from the book, and a signed bookplate from the author. Enter now!