Speaking of Feminism: Today's Activists on the Past, Present, and Future of the U.S. Women's Movement

by Rachel F Seidman

From the Women's Marches to the MeToo movement, it is clear that feminist activism is still alive and well in the twenty-first century. But how does a new generation of activists understand the work of the movement today? How are their strategies and goals unfolding? What worries feminist leaders most, and what are their hopes for the future? In Speaking of Feminism , Rachel F. Seidman presents insights from twenty-five feminist activists from around the United States, ranging in age from twenty to fifty. Allowing their voices to take center stage through the use of in-depth oral history interviews, Seidman places their narratives in historical context and argues that they help explain how recent new forms of activism developed and flourished so quickly. These individuals' compelling life stories reveal their hard work to build flexible networks, bridge past and present, and forge global connections. This book offers essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the contemporary American women's movement in all its diversity.

Interviewees
Noorjahan Akbar
Soledad Antelada
Elisa Camahort Page
Park Cannon
Soraya Chemaly
Dana Edell
Kate Farrar
Ivanna Gonzalez
Tara Hall
Trisha Harms
Kwajelyn Jackson
Holly Kearl
Emily May
Kenya McKnight
Samhita Mukhopadhyay
Ho Nguyen
Katie Orenstein
Patina Park
Erin Parrish
Andrea Pino
Joanne Smith
Rebecca Traister
Alice Wilder
Kabo Yang
Rye Young

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction

264 pages, Paperback

Published September 23, 2019

Reviews

[Mayke ☕️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come

[Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley

A very informative book about the modern feminist movement. The author split the interviewees into three different sections based on age and it was interesting to see the different approaches and viewpoints that they had based on the time period in which they grew up and their experiences. All of them agreed that younger and older feminists need to work together to further the movement though so I was glad it didn't feel divisive in that way. The book is maybe a little bit dry, but it does present a lot of good information about many feminist groups operating today and what they are trying to accomplish. I would definitely recommend it.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was a powerful experience to hear the voices of so many activists reflect on their life and work.

[Jamie Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern Voices of Feminism

This book is a collection of social history interviews of women who are prominent either nationally or locally in the feminist movement. For some reason, the author restricts herself to women between the ages of 20 and 50. This is such a fascinating read that I find myself curious about what the interviews would have looked like with women who are older feminists. After all, 50 is still relatively young in general and particularly if you look at the broader history of the feminist movement. In fact, those around the age of 50 would have been children during the feminist wave of the late 1960s and early 1970s. So I would have loved to have seen interviews with the still-living women who might have been a part of that particular wave. That said, this book does give fascinating insights into the lives and minds of 25 unabashed feminists. Their individual journeys are both unique and universal. With three decades looked at, are there are definitely generational differences between how they came to feminism and how they approach it now. I like how the book looks at feminism’s past, present, and future.

With the #MeToo movement, women's marches, pink hats, and media leaders like Samantha Bee, feminism and all that it means is at the forefront of national consciousness quite often. As it well should be, because these issues matter to more than just over the 50% of the population that women are.

I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

Read my other reviews at https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com.

[Emma Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I go to UNC Chapel Hill (Seidman is a professor here) and I saw this at a book store in town and it looked interesting, so I picked it up. I got an autographed copy, which is pretty cool! Anyways, the book is structured in sections of activist generations. Each activist featured has a different story and a role in the movement. Seidman interviews activists with diverse backgrounds, differing in age, socio-economic status, gender identity, nationality, and race among many other things. Personally, I found the book a worthy read because it is so interesting to hear about the different career paths of women activists. Seidman interviewed women who worked in non-profit, media, and on the ground social work (and others). Also, I found the concept of discussing the evolution of the feminist movement through activists of different generations to be very well done.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, especially as it was various women and ages was included. What else is that it coveres a lot of different themes as well as intersectionality, illustrating that sometimes feminism is too white. Speaking of Feminism is anyway a thoughtprovoking read and I would highly recommend it.

[Heather Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Speaking of Feminism is a nice collection of various women and ages. The book is well written it is a important read.