I love Gloria Steinem. She’s been a feminist presence for most of my life, and has always been a reminder that equality isn’t given it must be taken. Through all the criticism and crap that has been thrown at her she remains positive. She is a dreamer and a realist. Having spent her life crisscrossing the US and parts of the globe she has learned patience, humor and understands the fundamentals needed for change. In My Life on the Road, Steinem reveals that her […]
Driven By The Irony That Only Being Shackled To The Road Could Ever I Be Free
Well, there’s something rather fitting about writing this review on International Women’s Day. It’s also complete luck, as I just happened to finally finish this book last night. It’s interesting, having read some reviews from people I know and trust, to see that this book didn’t quite meet their expectations. I guess I was lucky, in that I had none. I knew about this book from reviews, from it being Emma Watson’s book club pick. Truth be told, and shamefully so, I didn’t know much […]
Simply Whelmed, Not Over or Under
Okay: confession time. I read this because a) Emma Watson suggested it as her “Our Shared Shelf” group on Goodreads for January and b) I needed a non-fiction book about feminism or dealing with feminist themes for the 2016 Read Harder Challenge. This was not an “oh! I must read this book!” choice so much as a “well, if a whole group of people are going to read it, I might as well choose this one” choice. I am just young enough where Gloria Steinem […]
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Feminists
Gloria Steinem’s first book in more than two decades is classified as a memoir, but I don’t think that’s accurate. Although this first chapter starts like a traditional autobiography, documenting her unconventional childhood as the daughter of a travelling antique salesman and a mentally ill mother, the rest of the book is about the people she’s met. Her book is about the mothers and stewardesses and cabdrivers she’s talked to, the colleges where she’s spoken and the other feminist workers she’s worked with. At 81, […]
Will the Circle Be Unbroken?
Gloria Steinem’s latest book is part auto-biography and part political philosophy. Steinem examines her early years with her family, a seminal trip to India, and her subsequent political activity through the prism of travel. Steinem presents a brief history of post-war US feminism here as well as the links between feminism and other civil rights’ movements. Steinem’s goal is to inspire readers to take risks, pursue dreams, and connect, to speak up but also to listen. As she has famously said, she does not want […]