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Fighting Women
This series of interviews with participants in the Spanish Civil War offers a unique insight into the two-front revolution that women were trying to achieve in the 1930s, putting their lives on the line to fight fascism while confronting men whose commitment to liberation too often stopped at their own front door.
Undertaken from the late 1990s through to the 2010s, Isabella Lorusso’s work was sadly timely, taking place even as the last members of that generation who participated in the conflict passed away. An informal interviewer, she captures the humanity of these remarkable people in a way that other historic texts cannot — and often highlights the flaws and conflicted realities that bubbled under the surface of complex events.
Lorusso’s work, translated into English for the first time, stands as both a tribute and social history for these revolutionaries, whose actions and visions of the future continue to inspire and inform today.
Undertaken from the late 1990s through to the 2010s, Isabella Lorusso’s work was sadly timely, taking place even as the last members of that generation who participated in the conflict passed away. An informal interviewer, she captures the humanity of these remarkable people in a way that other historic texts cannot — and often highlights the flaws and conflicted realities that bubbled under the surface of complex events.
Lorusso’s work, translated into English for the first time, stands as both a tribute and social history for these revolutionaries, whose actions and visions of the future continue to inspire and inform today.
188 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 14, 2024
I love women revolutionaries!!
I thought Isabella Lorusso was a really good interviewer and I liked how she asked a lot of really simple questions and let the women go from there, but also at times made her own political positions clear in her questions! Loved how she kept asking the Mujeres Libres women about lesbianism in the organization and everyone gave different answers lol
I thought Isabella Lorusso was a really good interviewer and I liked how she asked a lot of really simple questions and let the women go from there, but also at times made her own political positions clear in her questions! Loved how she kept asking the Mujeres Libres women about lesbianism in the organization and everyone gave different answers lol
September 28, 2025
"Fighting Women: Interviews with Veterans of the Spanish Civil War" by italian Isabella Lorusso.
This book is full of quiet strength, fierce memories and voices we can’t forget.
This is a non-fiction work based on interviews with women who took part in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). These are women who not only fought fascism in the war, but who also pushed against patriarchy—inside the political organizations, at home, in society. Lorusso collected their stories during the late 1990s through the 2010s, as this generation was aging and many of them were one of the last still alive to tell their tales.
She translates these voices into English in "Fighting Women". The women interviewed come from different strands (anarchist, communist, POUM, republican; some directly on the front, some in supporting roles), giving a mosaic of what it meant to be a woman committed to revolution, justice, and equality amid extremity.
Conflicted real-ness: These are not unblemished heroes. Some recount tension with male comrades who believed in equality on paper but treated women differently in practice. Some talk about choices, regrets, moments of moral ambiguity. That makes the book richer, more honest.
Forgotten history brought to light: Many readers (especially outside Spain) may know of the Spanish Civil War, but not so much about the role of Mujeres Libres, or about how women who were fighters, or activists, had dual struggles—for political change, and for gender equality. This book helps fill those gaps.
Lived memory before it’s lost: Since many of these women were elderly when interviewed, the urgency of recording their voices shines through. It’s not just history learnt from textbooks—it’s history lived. Reading Fighting Women feels like sitting in a room with someone who lived something impossible, and having them lean in and tell you everything. It makes you think about how “freedom” has many fronts—not just the battlefield. The political, the personal, the societal. How ideas we sometimes take for granted (gender equality, participation, voice) were once radical demands—costly demands.
More contextual framing sometimes: some interviews assume the reader knows background about certain events (May 1937 in Barcelona, POUM, etc.). For someone less familiar, a few more explanatory notes or guides would help.
This book is full of quiet strength, fierce memories and voices we can’t forget.
This is a non-fiction work based on interviews with women who took part in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). These are women who not only fought fascism in the war, but who also pushed against patriarchy—inside the political organizations, at home, in society. Lorusso collected their stories during the late 1990s through the 2010s, as this generation was aging and many of them were one of the last still alive to tell their tales.
She translates these voices into English in "Fighting Women". The women interviewed come from different strands (anarchist, communist, POUM, republican; some directly on the front, some in supporting roles), giving a mosaic of what it meant to be a woman committed to revolution, justice, and equality amid extremity.
Conflicted real-ness: These are not unblemished heroes. Some recount tension with male comrades who believed in equality on paper but treated women differently in practice. Some talk about choices, regrets, moments of moral ambiguity. That makes the book richer, more honest.
Forgotten history brought to light: Many readers (especially outside Spain) may know of the Spanish Civil War, but not so much about the role of Mujeres Libres, or about how women who were fighters, or activists, had dual struggles—for political change, and for gender equality. This book helps fill those gaps.
Lived memory before it’s lost: Since many of these women were elderly when interviewed, the urgency of recording their voices shines through. It’s not just history learnt from textbooks—it’s history lived. Reading Fighting Women feels like sitting in a room with someone who lived something impossible, and having them lean in and tell you everything. It makes you think about how “freedom” has many fronts—not just the battlefield. The political, the personal, the societal. How ideas we sometimes take for granted (gender equality, participation, voice) were once radical demands—costly demands.
More contextual framing sometimes: some interviews assume the reader knows background about certain events (May 1937 in Barcelona, POUM, etc.). For someone less familiar, a few more explanatory notes or guides would help.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews