An Unexpected Life: A Memoir

by Gloria Steinem (Author & Narrator), Julianne Moore (Narrator), DeLanna Studi (Narrator)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In her final memoir, Gloria Steinem offers a candid, inspiring portrait of her early life and journey as an activist, while looking ahead to the next chapters of the fight for equality—a rare opportunity to learn directly from one of feminism’s most enduring voices.

“In revisiting the equal-rights movements Steinem helped build, she offers wisdom to new generations.”—Vanity Fair

“An Unexpected Life is a luminous act of remembrance and generosity.”—Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author of Bad Feminist

Before she became a feminist leader, Gloria Steinem was a curious going on road trips with her itinerant father, caring for her mother, and devouring every book she could find. In An Unexpected Life, Steinem reflects on the unlikely experiences and pivotal moments—from a childhood rat bite that opened her eyes to the dangers of poverty to the 1970 Women’s March honoring the right to vote—that shaped the visionary woman she would become.

She shares her years living in India, learning from the nonviolent movement there, and her travels around the world advocating for women’s rights. Along the way, she honors the people who influenced her most, including trailblazers, writers, and thinkers who expanded her understanding of power, community, justice, and solidarity.

Moving between past and present, Steinem examines the progress and setbacks of six decades of activism. As she reflects on the movements she helped build and the victories won for women’s and human rights, she also looks ahead, urging new generations to imagine bolder, more inclusive paths forward.

Intimate, funny, and rich with hard-earned wisdom, An Unexpected Life offers inspiration as we continue the work of building a better future for all.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Feminism, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, History

Audible Audio

First published September 22, 2026

About the author

Gloria Marie Steinem (March 25, 1934–September 2, 2026) was an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s. A prominent writer and key counterculture era political figure, Steinem founded many organizations and projects and was the recipient of many awards and honors. She was a columnist for New York magazine and co-founded Ms. magazine.

Reviews

[LibraryNinja_Beritk]

As a proud feminist and history geek, I was so excited to get the chance to read Gloria Steinem's memoir early. But instead of delivering a true memoir, she delivered a series of beautifully written essays- each can stand alone but together make a powerful narrative and path for the next generation to take up. A living legend and women's movement icon, I couldn't wait to get started.

First, she was a voracious reader, and learning that one of her favorite authors was Louisa May Alcott is both surprising and familiar. As young women, we often fall in love with Little Women because they're trying to break the mold of what 'women are supposed to be during the Civil War'. Steinem's rise to fame was wholly unintended- she learned about poverty through her travels to India, where the caste system oppressed women just for being alive.

By observing the power of nonviolent movements in India and other countries around the world, she realized she and her voice could be a bellwether for social justice. Her travels to India, where she saw the caste system oppress women just for being alive, deeply shaped her understanding. Of course, she had a lot of help with loud, brash voices that elevated her status- Bella Abzug, Shirley Chisholm, Fannie Lou Hamer, and bell hooks. The movement was more than women's rights- it was an ideological shift in thinking. Women could do exactly what men can for equal pay and rights.
Yet, behind it all, we get a rare glimpse into Gloria's thoughts on what has happened and how far we still have to go.

Perhaps, most importantly, this book reminds us of a simple yet powerful message that remains so relevant today: There is no reason to fear someone else because of their skin color or beliefs. Steinem takes us on a journey through a lifetime and shows how we can still connect with Mother Earth and grow deeper roots of love rather than the shallow seeds of hate.

Rest in power and peace, Ms. Steinem, and thank you to Random House for the honor of reading this memoir early and for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#gloriasteinem #anunexpectedlife #libraryninja📚

[Nancy]

There is no such thing as freedom and equality for any woman as long as there is racism and sexism… from An Unexpected Life

She wanted to be a writer like Louisa Mae Alcott and found herself thrust into the spotlight as the public face of a movement.

Gloria Steinem’s memoir in essays shares her roots and writes about the experiences and people who contributed to her growth as organizer for equal rights.

She shares what she has learned. The radicalness of listening and telling the truth. How you don’t have to be courageous to do courageous things. How seeing life and history through a different lens can free you to new appreciations and ways of living. The importance of all women bonding, regardless of our differences.

I was surprised to learn of Steinem’s Michigan connections, growing up on her father’s resort on Clark Lake.

I came of age in 1970 and have seen great progress in women’s equality. It has been hard won, and the fight to hold on to what we have achieved is ongoing. I appreciated Steinem taking me deep into this legacy, and showing the interconnectivity between racism and sexism.

Thanks to Random House for a free book through NetGalley.

Such is the problem of history. We are convinced it’s “his story,” even when it was definitely “her story.” from An Unexpected Life

[Katy]

I read this book like I was 92-year old Gloria Steinem’s great-granddaughter, curled up on the floor of her Manhattan brownstone apartment with my fists under my chin, ready to hear my powerhouse feminist ancestor tell the important stories of her life with the wisdom that comes from old age and the love that comes from a lifetime of activism, while she pats me on the head. She did not disappoint. Despite this book being full of lessons and lectures and calls to action, the overall feeling was so warm and hopeful it felt like she was smiling at all of us lovingly as she wrote it.

I was especially impressed with how Ms. (then and now and always) Steinem has remained curious and open to mental change and growth throughout her life. I typically expect a woman of a certain age to have a lot of outdated views, but she seems to be listening and adapting and widening her perspective with every new place she goes and person she meets, which is a beautiful way to live.

This is not an autobiography, really, but a collection of numerous random short musings from someone who’s lived an incredible life amongst incredible people. It’s super disjointed and not a coherent narrative. It’s also well-written (she is a professional writer, after all). This felt like a dump of all the things Gloria Steinem wants to say to the world before she passes (although, she said she’s gonna live until 100, and given her history of living true to her words, I’m inclined to believe her!).

Thank you to Random House, NetGalley, and the author for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review:)

[Books I'm Not Reading]

I just wanted more Gloria!

[Marsha]

It's fitting but sad that this insightful book was published just weeks after Gloria Steinem's death. I was mesmerized by her recollections of her childhood and early life and the extraordinary responsibilities that she carried as a young child. Her fierce sense of empathy, justice and equality permeate every page and it's clear why those principles settled into her character at such a young age. The anecdotes about famous friends and acquaintances throughout were interesting, but I loved her more personal recollections the best. Gloria Steinem changed the world for the better, yet she remained humble and gracious to the end. Thank you #netgalley and #randomhouse for the opportunity to read this book.

[Sarah]

Snippets of Steinem's life from her early years in Toledo, Ohio, to her career in journalism, founding Ms. magazine and her life's work in activism. Though the media made her the face of the feminism movement, Steinem most often shared the platform with her mentors; Wilma Mankiller, Fannie Lou Hamer, Bella Abzug and Dorothy Pitman Hughes. I must read more about these women.

Here, in her last book, completed just months before her death, she spoke of the talking circles she regularly held in her NYC brownstone ... "though I still expect to have many years ahead of me, I want to make sure that my home can be what it has always been: a place where ideas are born. relationships are cemented and people come to feel loved, energized and safe." RIP Ms. Steinem.

"Revolutions that last don't happen from the top down; they grow from the bottom up like a tree."

[theleighbrary]

5 ⭐️

This book has reignited my interest in equality - not that I’ve ever not been interested in feminism, but there seemed to be a number of years when I was distracted from it.

What’s resonating for me after having read Steinem’s words (aside from her’s colourful stories sprinkled throughout) is that as we age our role within feminism morphs. We begin full of passion, blazing new trails and feeling like there’s nothing we can’t do. As we gain in age and experience it can become hard to hold onto that idealistic dream for a future where everyone could be equal. And that’s where it becomes so important for the older generation to guide the younger people and remind them of how far we’ve come - especially in times like exactly right now…when the work seems insurmountable.

[Aubrey Housand]

She's a very eloquent storyteller and will be missed!!!

My favorite chapter title: If it's all white, it isn't feminism

[Rolf]

There’s a lot to admire and aspire to be like in Gloria Steinem’s life and career. I listened to an earlier memoir of hers that was less comprehensive about her life as a whole and more of a “road book” about several trips she’s taken in the last decade or so. Both are worth a read/listen, but if you’re only going to pick one, I’d pick this one.

[Disha]

If the group you are in doesn’t look anything like the rest of the country, ask: Why? Who are we excluding? - my new rule to judge any and every group.

[Katie]

Although the series of essays are interesting, hopeful and connected to Gloria Steinhem’s life and work, there was something missing for me. I was hoping for an autobiography that was more personal in nature.

[MG]

My wife and I recently watched an episode of the Netflix series "Famous Last Words" with Gloria Steinem, which airs an interview with the person right after they die. While I have lived my whole life hearing about Gloria Steinem, I had never really spent much time reading or listening to her. What surprised me was how grounded, wise, and approachable she seemed. She lacked any need to remind people of her achievements or bolster her place in history. Even in her nineties, she struck me as a curious seeker more than anything else. So I bought one of her later books. AN UNEXPECTED LIFE was written when Steinem was in her 90s (she died last month at 92). While called a "memoir," it is really a book of essays with some having autobiographical themes--which also make for the best chapters. Otherwise, the pieces often feel like sermons supporting women, diversity, equality, and other noble cause. Which is not a bad thing, but not very surprising. The autobiographical material was more fascinating--such as learning she was born poor while being raised in Toledo, Ohio; that she was a parentified child who had to take care of her mom when she struggled with addiction; that her mother's family were theosophists, which became the foundation for Steinem seeing the value of all people and all faiths; that she was introduced to community organizing by amazing women in India while Steinem was studying abroad; that she had deep connections to the Native American community, especially the first woman principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, Wilma Mankiller; that she refused to speak by herself, making sure to include Black leading activists to partner with her so that the feminist movement would not be perceived as a white movement (though she admits it often became that). Like in the Netflix show, she never comes across as defensive, angry, bitter, or insecure, displaying a simple confident wisdom. So while I found some parts a little predictable, there was much to enjoy and ponder while getting to know a little better one of our American heroes.

[Ali]

There is an ache in my heart knowing that we have lost multiple feminist icons over the past month. Indeed, when I received the news update informing me of Gloria Steinem’s passing, my immediate reaction was ‘No!’, my second thought ‘Why now?’. While I had received the ARC of An Unexpected Life weeks prior, I hadn’t been able to start it at that point. Thus, my reading of her memoir held a new sense of purpose— to ensure that her dedication to uplifting the lives of others is never forgotten.

Truthfully, I assumed this work would be a retelling of and reflection on Steinem’s life. As such, I was altogether surprised by how little time she spent discussing it in a direct manner. Instead, An Unexpected Life was more like an ode to the people and causes that she felt passionate about and a call to action of sorts. While there were anecdotes about various moments, Steinem seemingly wished to impart her wisdom and implore the reader to not lose sight of the gains we have made as women and renew our resolve in these ever increasingly difficult times.

Her writing was very accessible and straightforward, while still possessing a storytelling style. I honestly wish it would have been longer, as I would have loved to hear her thoughts on almost every topic affecting our society, country, and world.

Despite knowing that Steinem was an integral part of the feminist movement, I am ashamed to admit I had never taken the time to delve into the details of who she was. For example, I didn’t know she was a fellow Ohioan. Thus, I now feel compelled to make amends— reading An Unexpected Life was the first step.

Thank you very much to Random House and NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this ARC!

[Jasmine Dean]

This book was like a shot of espresso. Small, delicious but incredibly strong.
I learned so much about how she surrounded herself by, and DEEPLY VALUED, women of all races, ethnicities and backgrounds. She felt that only by including all women, could women ever achieve any semblance of equality. It's so interesting to me that so many have labeled her as 'man hating' or 'feminazi' when so many of her core beliefs were centered on inclusion and equality for all humanity.

I'll let Gloria's words speak for themselves. There were so many thoughtful and profound quotes in this book. I'll be recommending this to anyone and everyone.

“I learned that experiences that introduce us to difference are the ones we learn from. They are a gift. Whenever we are in a group that isn’t as diverse as the rest of the country it would be helpful to ask why.”

“The purpose of friends is to understand and be understood.”

“If it is all white it isn’t feminism.”

"I have long thought, what would the world look like if everyone mattered?”

[Megan Delleman]

Absolute legend - not what I think of when I think of “memoir” but fascinating nonetheless.

[Sonu]

Inspiring!! Loved the Preface!

[Susan]

Gloria leaves her pearls to us here and I am grateful.

[Bookreporter.com Biography & Memoir]

“We need one another.”

In a book packed with advice, candor and stories, this sentence from the preface echoes throughout Gloria Steinem’s last book and echoed throughout her life. AN UNEXPECTED LIFE follows a young Midwesterner’s growth from a curious reader to a feminist force to be reckoned with. At the core of everything she experienced, stood for and wrote about was the notion of sameness despite differences. She writes of our shared connections, our interwoven beginnings and our inherited memory as evidence that we are all linked “passengers on Spaceship Earth.”

Early passages share snippets about Steinem’s parents and grandparents, including a paternal grandmother who gave educational talks and a mother who was a journalist for the Toledo Blade. They were working women in an era when women were expected to marry and raise children. Growing up on the road, performing as a magician’s assistant and in beauty contests, Steinem’s teachers (the few she had) became voices of “connectedness,” who taught her about Europe and Asia, expanding her worldview from a very young age. “In retrospect,” she writes, “I was lucky, since in childhood, we are such sponges for everything around us.”

Steinem attended Smith College and knew from an early age that the conventional path was not to be hers. After earning her degree, she broke off a doomed engagement and went to India on a fellowship to study grassroots efforts. She came back to the US and started a career as a freelance writer in New York.

In 1963, Steinem wrote a groundbreaking exposé on the Playboy Club after going undercover as a bunny. The story legitimized her as a journalist and catapulted her into the national and international conversation about women’s rights and treatment. She began to recognize the strategic use of good storytelling to impact public opinion, even at the cost of personal scrutiny in the limelight.

Almost 10 years later, Steinem co-founded Ms., the first American feminist magazine, whose target audience was women who were concerned about more than just domestic issues. She also was responsible for launching several organizations, including Women’s Media Center, Voters for Choice, and the National Women’s Political Caucus. In describing them, Steinem emphasizes the necessity of persistence, flexibility and collaboration. She never offers a step-by-step guide on how to start your own movement, but she recommends piloting ideas and working strategically with media.

Perhaps some of the best parts of AN UNEXPECTED LIFE lies in Steinem’s retelling of her encounters with other figures with whom she crossed paths in her life. They include:

Bella Abzug, who Steinem describes as “a community” herself. A New Yorker, Bella drew a crowd of men and women wherever she went. She was one of the first women for whom Steinem campaigned.

Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to serve as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Wilma taught Steinem that in the Cherokee culture, the “spirit of laughter embodies the essence of freedom.” Laughter is neither male nor female. It is universal.

Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, a colleague of Mahatma Gandhi and founder of the nation’s handicraft movement. When asked about Gandhi, Kamaladevi responded, “Well, my dear, we taught him everything he knew.”

James Earl Jones, the actor. He said to Steinem, “Any minority is a female to the majority, and you got to fight your way out.”

Clay Felker, Steinem's editor at Esquire. After she researched and drafted an article on contraception, Clay famously said to her, “You’ve performed the impossible feat of making sex dull,” and suggested she rewrite the piece to make it less medical.

“Each of us can learn from the people in our lives, whether it’s the local mail carrier who turns out to be a grassroots organizer or the heroic woman on the cover of a newspaper who has exposed corruption,” Steinem writes. “We never know what might come from our chance encounters when we keep our minds and hearts open.”

Steinem’s musings on our connectedness are reminders of why she fought for the rights of women and others throughout her life. She points out that 95% of the time that humans have lived on earth did not involve racism or patriarchy or conquest of nature, but rather a community that honored each person’s uniqueness. She speculates on our yearning for this now as nostalgia for what had been very real in the past. And she states that while we cannot return to the past, by “understanding its breadth, we may be inspired to create a better future.”

AN UNEXPECTED LIFE is a retrospective with hope for the future. In everything she writes, and despite disappointment with the current pervasive nationalism, Steinem holds out optimism because we are all in this together: “Whether we are related by blood or by ideas, whether we live in harmony or have been divided by species, war, religion, race or class, we are all passengers on Spaceship Earth.”

I started reading this book before Steinem passed away. What started as a delicious dive into her latest essays instead became a private reverie --- a celebration of who she was, how she ignited feminism, and how, ultimately, she changed the world. I hope others will read it in the same way.

Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara

[Sophia Eck]

Glorified listicle if we are honest

[Janine]

Short memoir told in essays covering Steinem’s early life and later experiences that made her one of the most influential woman of her time.

In this memoir the focus is on those “unlikely experiences and pivotal moments” such being bitten by rats in her poverty-filled childhood to participating in the 1970’s Women’s March honoring the right to vote. She shares her time in India where she learned about their nonviolent movement as well as her travels around the world advocating for women. She cleverly points out the “elephant on the room” - Hugh Hefner - and her undercover expose: I Was a Playboy Bunny which exposed the sexist working conditions of NY waitresses. Revisiting her prominence in the equal rights movement, Steinem offers advice for “new generations” on how to continue the fight - with a bold imagination.

The book as mentioned above is described by Steinem in her Prologue as essays. In this format, she weaves her story going back and forth through time which allows her to reflect on the progress or lack thereof in women’s rights. “In order to uproot inequality, we have to disregard the social cues of race and class and how things are supposed to be.’” What was particularly thought-provoking for me was Steinem’s example of contrasting Reagan and Clinton in speaking about denial in creation of a person - looking at how leaders refuse to change due their denial of where they can from. Both men had abusive alcoholic fathers. While Reagan was ashamed of what happened in his childhood, he denied it. “In his political adult life, he became the king of denial, minimizing everything from poverty to racism, and ruling with a false cheerfulness that gave the nation a very artificial reward.” He demonized others such calling Russia the “evil empire.” Clinton was raised by a mother and grandmother with whom he identified and chose to put empathy in his political life, understanding his own suffering as well as others. I thought this explained a lot about both men and their Presidencies - one started a path to make the richest richer, the other balanced the budget to put the future of the country and its citizens in a good place.

As young woman in the 70s I can attest to Steinem’s influence - I felt the sense of liberation she bringing to women. We didn’t have to subscribe to traditional roles and if we were in those, we could broaden our horizons. So, I enjoyed this thoughtful look at a women who at 92 contemplating what her life has meant, what she had learned and what she hopes her lasting legacy will be.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me access to this ARC.

[Ten Cats Reading]

Rest peacefully Gloria Steinem, the first feminist theorist I ever read, which changed my whole life. 💜🥀

Early thoughts: I grabbed this because I've liked Steinem as a theorist in the past. Also, from what I've read so far, she writes about women like we actually matter. It's nice.

Feeling: Good feminism 💜

I’m curious about: anything she has to say 91 years into her life.

"[My mother] used to say children are little strangers who come into your home, and you have the duty and the joy of caring for them and loving them, but they don’t belong to you." p17

Final thoughts: I read one critique of this book in which the reader found the text to be impersonal. I can see where she's coming from, but also, all she had to do was read between the lines. Steinem built dozens of organizations with other feminists, and when she talks about working with other women, the letters just glow on the page. But if you find this book to be impersonal, that's probably because you didn't notice that it was a nearly perfect text.

Who this is for: feminists of all ages and fans of political memoir

"Poor men may end up in the streets, but poor women are likely to be tranquilized at home or institutionalized . Only those people deemed necessary to society seem likely to merit the treatment they need. Yet women, especially if they are poor or without champions , may become burdens to be accommodated , not people to be supported and helped." p25

"In my experience, organizers somehow manage to observe the world, see what could be, put a vision out there, lead others toward it, and help make it real. ... It also seems true that organizers develop courage.... This is a necessity because they end up being tasked with trying to reconcile the tension between old realities and new dreams with a lack of current support for them." p102

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Content Notes:
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racism, sexism, misogyny, abortion (mention), loss of rights, US international ranking stats, political activism, first wave and intersectional feminism

[Sharon]

I received An Unexpected Life as an e-ARC from NetGalley and Random House last Wednesday morning...the day Ms. Steinem passed away. I had just read the introduction when I read the announcement. I was stunned and saddened, and a little freaked out by the coincidence. It felt jarring and I wanted to read the rest of the book immediately but I put it off for a few days. When I returned to it this past weekend, I couldn't put it down because I felt as if I was "hearing" her musings and reflections like I was sitting in a classroom, trying to absorb everything a fascinating professor had to say. Reading this book I am reminded that Ms. Steinem never set out to be an icon...she just wanted to be a writer and her flair for writing seems to have stood her in good stead for her very full life.

An Unexpected Life is more of a collection of essays than a memoir. The chapters vary between personal stories of her childhood life with her family, in Ohio, stories of her interactions with other noteworthy people (predominantly women), and her thoughts on what is happening in the world. She speaks of where she sees opportunities for hope and action, and of where there is despair over the recent years where we have seen the loss of autonomy, access, and individual freedoms for women and people of color. She talks about intersectionality, particularly in respect to feminism and racism. She is candid, reflective, and direct.

I will return to this book again, perhaps rereading particular chapters more than others, and I think I will continue to feel privileged to have been able to read her final book exactly when I needed it. My thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Paige]

I deeply admire Gloria Steinem as a trailblazer for the women’s rights movement, which brought me to this memoir. Even so, the writing only allows glimpses into her deeper self. For example, Steinem reflects on her decision not to marry: first, not wanting to be secondary to a husband, and second, not wanting to be responsible for another human after caring for her mother. This is an interesting perspective, but she does not delve much further, leaving the reader with only moderate vulnerability.

While understanding Steinem is, at heart, a journalist, I wanted to learn more about her emotional journey. Instead, Steinem often lists memories in an intellectual, somewhat distant approach, which felt more like an unfinished autobiography or scattered nonfiction book about feminism, political organizing, history, social justice, and life lessons. What it didn’t feel like was a memoir. For what it’s worth, in the preface, Steinem describes her memoir as essays.

Undoubtedly, Steinem has lived a long, fascinating life, and this book shares many of those moments. She describes diverse experiences like traveling around the world to places like India, growing up in Toledo with an intriguing family, attending Smith, and launching the bold new magazine called Ms. She shares admiration for other impressive trailblazers like James Baldwin, Simone de Beauvoir, bell hooks, and Annie Leibovitz.

Ultimately, if a reader seeks some basic musings on life from a crucial feminist of our time, then the reader will be rewarded. That said, readers seeking greater emotional depth may find this book lacking.

Reviewed from a copy made available from NetGalley.

[Taylor]

Steinem is always so fascinating and inspiring to read and this memoir is no exception! Her creativity is just unparalleled and it’s so interesting to get a glimpse into her childhood and experiences growing up through this book. It’s lot less polished than some of her other work, but in a way that feels as if you get see a more authentic version of her that is no longer constrained by society.

The essay-based structure is a great option for the material she wants to present. It gives you natural stopping points to have time to think about each section and gives her more flexibility in covering different points in her life — its understandable than now in her 90s she doesn’t see time as linearly as to neatly fit into a biography-style book. She picked and chose parts of her life and people she experienced that spoke to her and this format really embrace that.

Steinem’s ability to recognize and criticize the role she was forced into as a poster girl for the women’s rights movement, and the perspectives that were lost at times with so much mainstream media focus on her is very admirable. I think a lot of that element of her life is one that is being fleshed out more in recent years and it was fascinating to learn more about her perspective on it, especially the way she speaks openly about the role of racism and her status as a white woman.

This is at once a short and easily digestible memoir for those hoping to learn about Steinem and a deeply thoughtful work from such a legendary feminist icon. We are so lucky to still have her and her mind in our world today, still writing and still advocating for women and other marginalized groups to this day.

[Liz]

I’ve always been very interested in Gloria Steinem. I was a subscriber to Ms. Magazine from the first issue. This is definitely a memoir, not an autobiography. If anything, it’s really more a series of essays. It’s much more focused on her beliefs than her life. She spends more time talking about those that influenced her rather than herself. This includes not just individuals but cultures, such as the Native American or the Indian Dalit culture. She draws on these people or experiences to discuss how it led to her philosophy of life. She touches on the parts of her life that led to her decisions to remain single, namely not wanting to be subordinate to a husband and not wanting to have to take care of another human. Both decisions are the result of what she witnessed with her mother. Where I found fault with the book was its superficiality. She gives us a lot of information but I expected her to dig deeper. She will make a statement and present it as fact with absolutely no proof. For example, “Oral history has so often turned out to be more accurate and complete than written history, precisely because it is told from the bottom up and by the many.” And that’s all she says on the topic.
The topic she returns to over and over again is how racism and sexism are linked and to eradicate one, society must eradicate them both. She is a firm believer that “superior racial groups” use purity standards to keep their women restrained. It’s an interesting idea but she doesn’t take it further. She does a better job of documenting other facts with footnotes but she’s not consistent.
My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

[Danna]

“hope is a form of planning.”

I was approved for an ARC of An Unexpected Life a day or two before we learned of the iconic Gloria Steinem’s passing in September 2026, so I bumped it to the top of the ‘read next’ pile. An Unexpected Life is touted as a memoir, but it doesn’t follow the typical arc or have a story, per se. Instead, An Unexpected Life is a series of musings about what Steinem has learned in her 90+ years of living. The writing is disjointed and nonlinear, but there are gems in there. If it weren’t so short, I might not have stuck with it, but I told myself, this incredible woman helped change the world, the least you can do is get through 200ish pages of the most important things she learned over 90 years.

One of the topics I found especially interesting was about how history is presented and passed down:

“I have developed a general rule for how to tell who is absent in history. It is anyone who needs an adjective: Black novelist, woman senator, lesbian poet. The powerful take the noun, requiring everybody else to use an adjective.”

“…history has been written from the top down by the few. Oral history has so often turned out to be more accurate and complete than written history, precisely because it is told from the bottom up and by the many.”

Overall, this is a quick and easy read that I’m sure some people will love just by virtue of it being Steinem’s work. Otherwise, I’d say it’s just okay.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“If entrepreneurs are the creative artists of the business world, then organizers are the entrepreneurs of the social world.”

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews]

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

In the midst of organizing my TBR list, I put An Unexpected Life: A Memoir high on my list for September because of its release date. Then came the news on September 2nd that Gloria Steinem died. I immediately moved her book to the top of my pile and dived in.

This is not the first memoir Steinem has written, but it is her last, and her words of wisdom are more important than ever, when women’s rights are literally being taken away from us in the courts and state legislatures. Gloria was not a monolith in the women’s rights movement, and she makes clear that there is a lineage to her work. Many women came before her. The movement came from writers, mentors, and a collective of people, which makes this book something that is definitely in my wheelhouse.

Steinem’s memoir is warmer and more reflective and a deep dive into uncomfortable histories and the institutional mechanics that are not often talked about. I did appreciate her writing about the Black women who were a part of their own movement for equal rights for all women, not just white women. I’ve done some reading on the subject already, and the information the author relays adds to my knowledge center.

An Unexpected Life is not truly an autobiography or memoir; rather, it’s a collection of essays from a woman who led the charge against great injustice and has used her platform for the good of all people. While she will be missed, she lit a fire under hundreds of thousands of us.

[Ro U]

I finished this one with a lump in my throat that had nothing to do with the writing and everything to do with knowing Gloria Steinem died just weeks before it came out. Oooof.

This isn't a straight-through memoir with a tidy arc. It reads more like a series of reflections, moving between her childhood on the road with her father, the years she spent in India learning from nonviolent resistance, and her decades of activism, circling back and forth between past and present instead of marching in a straight line. At 92, she wasn't writing a highlight reel, she was writing about what sixty years of this work actually cost her and what she still believes it's worth.

I loved the smaller, quieter stories tucked in among the bigger historical moments, the people who shaped her that most of us have never heard of, next to huge, recognizable names. It felt less like reading about a feminist icon and more like sitting across from someone's grandmother who happened to help change the world, telling you the truth about how hard it actually was.

On the other hand, the nonlinear structure means it drifts in a few places, and if you're looking for a traditional life-story memoir, this isn't quite that. It's more collage than chronology.

Reading this knowing it's her last book made it land differently than it probably would have otherwise. It's honest, funny in places, and hopeful in a way that feels earned instead of easy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

[Firetruckmama]

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, for which I thank them.

“An Unexpected Life” is by Gloria Steinem. One of the things I remember from my childhood was my mother getting Ms. Magazine. I was a little too young to appreciate Ms. Steinem’s articles, but as I became older, I realized that she writes amazingly well. At heart, she’s a journalist. And this book is, basically, more of a collection of essays of her memories. While this is technically a memoir, it covers a wide range of topics important to Ms. Steinem. My one complaint is that I couldn’t tell if these were essays written currently or pre-2000, because Ms. Steinem mentioned not wanting to get married, but she was married for a few years - so I was confused. I was hoping to get some insight into Ms. Steinem’s fascinating life and in the end I felt … disappointed. Yes, there was some new information, but it felt more like sitting in an auditorium listening to someone opposed to at a coffee shop listening to her talk to me, opposed to at me. I think for some they’ll find this book fascinating as she talks about social justice, political issues, feminism, and life lessons learned. I would’ve preferred a bit less formality and a bit more comfort, if that makes any sense.

[Jessica Sandman]

I was so excited to get the ARC for this book last month, and then with Gloria Steinem's death, it made me push this to the top of my list even faster!

There are a lot of positives about this book. It bridges the gap between memoir and historical artifact. It speaks of personal relationships and activism that has long been forgotten by many. At the same time, it has (what I think) is some juicy gossip and opinions about major figures over the years. From James Baldwin to Andy Warhol to Hugh Hefner, Steinem is honest about her perceptions of these people beyond how they were portrayed in the press.

On the other hand, there were times when I felt this book covered a lot of different subjects very briefly. I wanted something more in-depth on certain subjects.

Overall, this was an interesting read, and I'm glad I got the chance to read it early. I have seen that the upcoming release is being widely discussed in the press, so I am happy that a lot of people will be excited to read this book.

They should definitely give it a try!
4/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!