When a Woman Takes an Axe to a Wall

What has always annoyed me are the pink tools. You’ve probably seen them in catalogs—an adorable little tool kit with screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, level and measuring tape all in bright pink. I don’t know about all you ladies out there but I would feel embarrassed to use those tools.

What is the thinking behind these tools? Pink makes the job more fun? Women feel more confident when surrounded by something familiar(pink)? Women think normal tools are ugly?

Anyway, they’ve always made me crazy and apparently I’m not the only one. Allegra Bennett has written a book about women frequently found with axes, floor sanders, blueprints, and electric drills—and none of them are pink!

If you–or someone in your life–is a DIY-er, leave a comment for a chance to win Allegra Bennett’s When a Woman Takes an Axe to a Wall(Where is She Really Trying to Go?).

When a Women Takes an Axe to a Wall(Where is She Really Trying to Go?)

Author: Allegra Bennett

Paperback: 144 pages(also available with DVD)

Publisher: The Writer’s Lair Books (May 13, 2006)

Synposis:

Allegra Bennett tells the stories of dozens of women in When a Woman Takes an Axe to a Wall through one common scope: their homes. The homes they lived in, the homes they built, the homes they bought, the homes they renovated, the homes they lost. Using that one common thing to bind them together Allegra manages to include a wide variety of women. Homeowners who are struggling and those who are wealthy. Women who drag out an axe and tear down walls themselves and women hiring contractors. Women who are interior designers and women who oversee construction sites. Each telling how a home changed their life.

Review:

This was not the book I expected. From the title I was expecting a series of chapters about women’s renovation projects—sort of The Home and Garden Channel comes to a bookstore near you book. There were a few chapter like that but Allegra’s book covered much more than “how to fix a house”. Instead it covered what fixing(or buying or building)a house meant to these women. It made me think about my own house and how I felt about it.

This surprising book was a fast moving roller coaster with two dozen tales from a variety of women. It takes you from laughing to crying to shouting “I am woman, hear me roar.” It would be a fun and unique housewarming gift. With the exception of the chapter that trashed male contractors(my husband happens to be a male contractor)I truly enjoyed the book.

Question: Do you own tools? Have you ever done a home renovation or repair?

Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win the giveaway of When a Woman Takes an Axe to a Wall(Where is She Really Trying to Go?) between today and Tues., June 15 at midnight(EST). And tell your friends to stop by and enter!