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idk_indigo's review
it was very outdated. i’m sure it was a great book when it was written, but to be honest, i found it difficult to look past.
ladygetslit's review
4.0
I want to say that No Turning Back is the best (academic/historical) introduction to feminist politics I’ve ever encountered. I’ve read intro to feminism books geared toward young people, intro books that focus on how to be an activist, and intro books that focus primarily on the major aspects of feminist movements specifically in the U.S. (and maybe Britain). This is the only book I’ve read that puts feminist politics into a historical, economic understanding and analyzes the way feminism has appeared across the world.
That being said, this is not a book to read lightly. While I’ve owned a copy on my kindle for longer than I can remember, it took me ages to actually read it. The only thing that worked for me was breaking it down and reading one chapter a day for two weeks. The language is very academic and very dry for the most part, and there’s a lot to unpack. I took pages and pages of notes on this book, and there’s a lot more that I didn’t write down that I probably could have.
Estelle Freedman’s definition of feminism really resonated with me and it summarizes her purposes in writing the book and her unique take on things:
Freedman goes back in history beyond the point that most feminist overviews do. Rather than starting with the suffrage movement, Freedman gives the reader a context for feminist movements around the world, describing the way women’s lives were before industrialization. She emphasizes the way that the world’s changing economy laid the groundwork for feminist movements: as countries became more capitalist and more industrialized, women applied political theory of individual rights to an analysis of gender.
While Freedman does a good job bringing in analysis of race and class, I felt her intersectionality left a little to be desired. She makes a clear effort to bring in non-Western views in each chapter, which is particularly enlightening for a white U.S. feminist reader, but her discussions of race leave a lot to be desired in my opinion. She mentions the ways race, class, and gender intersect, but she tends to conflate all WOC as one huge group, only rarely bringing up issues specific to Latinas or African-Americans, and hardly discussing other groups in the U.S. at all. Additionally, the sexuality chapter left me wanting more; she brings up lesbian feminists but doesn’t really go any further. That being said, this says more about how feminism has changed since she wrote the book, and less about her specific intentions.
At the end of the day, I’m glad I finally finished reading this book after multiple stops and starts. I gained an interesting economic understanding of feminism, and my interest is piqued when it comes to international feminism. If anything, this book made me want to seek out more information about feminism in African, Asian, and Eastern European countries, since I’m woefully ignorant in that arena. I appreciate the effort Freedman makes to be inclusive, and I enjoy the way she leaves the book on a hopeful note. While some authors bemoan young feminists, or complain about the media’s declaration that feminism is dead, Freedman argues that feminism will continue to be a movement as long as women anywhere in the world fight for their rights—a hopefulness that I think is even more important now than it was in 2000.
That being said, this is not a book to read lightly. While I’ve owned a copy on my kindle for longer than I can remember, it took me ages to actually read it. The only thing that worked for me was breaking it down and reading one chapter a day for two weeks. The language is very academic and very dry for the most part, and there’s a lot to unpack. I took pages and pages of notes on this book, and there’s a lot more that I didn’t write down that I probably could have.
Estelle Freedman’s definition of feminism really resonated with me and it summarizes her purposes in writing the book and her unique take on things:
“Feminism is a belief that women and men are inherently of equal worth. Because most societies privilege men as a group, social movements are necessary to achieve equality between women and men, with the understanding that gender always intersects with other social hierarchies.”
Freedman goes back in history beyond the point that most feminist overviews do. Rather than starting with the suffrage movement, Freedman gives the reader a context for feminist movements around the world, describing the way women’s lives were before industrialization. She emphasizes the way that the world’s changing economy laid the groundwork for feminist movements: as countries became more capitalist and more industrialized, women applied political theory of individual rights to an analysis of gender.
While Freedman does a good job bringing in analysis of race and class, I felt her intersectionality left a little to be desired. She makes a clear effort to bring in non-Western views in each chapter, which is particularly enlightening for a white U.S. feminist reader, but her discussions of race leave a lot to be desired in my opinion. She mentions the ways race, class, and gender intersect, but she tends to conflate all WOC as one huge group, only rarely bringing up issues specific to Latinas or African-Americans, and hardly discussing other groups in the U.S. at all. Additionally, the sexuality chapter left me wanting more; she brings up lesbian feminists but doesn’t really go any further. That being said, this says more about how feminism has changed since she wrote the book, and less about her specific intentions.
At the end of the day, I’m glad I finally finished reading this book after multiple stops and starts. I gained an interesting economic understanding of feminism, and my interest is piqued when it comes to international feminism. If anything, this book made me want to seek out more information about feminism in African, Asian, and Eastern European countries, since I’m woefully ignorant in that arena. I appreciate the effort Freedman makes to be inclusive, and I enjoy the way she leaves the book on a hopeful note. While some authors bemoan young feminists, or complain about the media’s declaration that feminism is dead, Freedman argues that feminism will continue to be a movement as long as women anywhere in the world fight for their rights—a hopefulness that I think is even more important now than it was in 2000.
aqtbenz's review
4.0
A really interesting, comprehensive look at the history of women around the world and their fight for rights. This is the side of history the books don't tell you but is incredibly fascinating, even if she gets a bit repetitive.
wyvernfriend's review
4.0
Some of it was a little narrow, and amerocentric but overall quite an interesting read. Looks at the strides made by women and claims that we can't go back. Published in 2002, sadly a lot of it appears to be quite up-to-date.
mcf's review
4.0
I'm honestly a little befuddled by the rave reviews of this one. It's informative, but it's essentially an intro to gender studies textbook in a more readable format -- I didn't see anything revolutionary in its content, nor coverage of any truly new ground. The book seems to be aimed just at newcomers to historical feminism; for that audience, it's an excellent starting place.
sallysimply's review
4.0
This is a good primer in feminist history. It condenses A LOT of information and makes it easy to understand.
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