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errantemberI read a lot, so the idea of doing some kind of review of each book as I read it has some appeal. It will provide an opportunity for others to bring in their own comments about the same work.
Book: Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions
Author: Gloria Steinem
Publication Date: 1983, although many of the pieces were written earlier.
This is a fascinating look at what many consider to be the modern mother of feminism, and is her first major book-style compilation of work. Its variety of articles and writings covers territory from the late 1950s through the 1980s, which gives the author a chance to comment on much of the progress that has been made (and not made) in the intervening time. Reading it from the perspective of an affluent white male in 2005, this status-check timeline becomes even more interesting as I see how far we've come from the comparitively dark ages of the 1950s, and how far there still is to go to achieve the end of sexist oppression. Seeing the "man-hating lesbian" myth debunked as expected was made substantially better by the development of understanding about *why* people felt and still feel that way about Gloria Steinem. Her ability to confront politicians, right-wingers, and the general public with the inherent hypocracies of sex inequality with wit, steel, and humor must be maddening to those who continue to support the patriarchy. It's clear criticism of the belief that a patriarchal, monogomous, nuclear family "is the only right kind" certainly strikes a chord with me. This book and Ms. Steinem herself are excellent models for activism in general, and I find myself pondering how the lessons learned therein could be applied to polyamory advocacy (the end of hetero-monogomous oppression).
Blades out!
Book: Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions
Author: Gloria Steinem
Publication Date: 1983, although many of the pieces were written earlier.
This is a fascinating look at what many consider to be the modern mother of feminism, and is her first major book-style compilation of work. Its variety of articles and writings covers territory from the late 1950s through the 1980s, which gives the author a chance to comment on much of the progress that has been made (and not made) in the intervening time. Reading it from the perspective of an affluent white male in 2005, this status-check timeline becomes even more interesting as I see how far we've come from the comparitively dark ages of the 1950s, and how far there still is to go to achieve the end of sexist oppression. Seeing the "man-hating lesbian" myth debunked as expected was made substantially better by the development of understanding about *why* people felt and still feel that way about Gloria Steinem. Her ability to confront politicians, right-wingers, and the general public with the inherent hypocracies of sex inequality with wit, steel, and humor must be maddening to those who continue to support the patriarchy. It's clear criticism of the belief that a patriarchal, monogomous, nuclear family "is the only right kind" certainly strikes a chord with me. This book and Ms. Steinem herself are excellent models for activism in general, and I find myself pondering how the lessons learned therein could be applied to polyamory advocacy (the end of hetero-monogomous oppression).
Blades out!
