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richthegreat's review
informative
slow-paced
4.0
I guess this book is a classic of sorts in the feminist cannon, for me it reads like a very thorough zeitgeist of the media and societal pushback against any and all progress for true gender equity in the 60's and 70's. But TBH it's all still exactly the same so still very relevant.
I enjoyed the book overall and it is quite important, I really liked the way chapters were organised, but for me it took a long time to read. I think I found it difficult to pick up and commit to reading. I think its better to read it in structured way, maybe as a series of essays or maybe with a group. I found myself really wanting to discuss certain sections.
I enjoyed the book overall and it is quite important, I really liked the way chapters were organised, but for me it took a long time to read. I think I found it difficult to pick up and commit to reading. I think its better to read it in structured way, maybe as a series of essays or maybe with a group. I found myself really wanting to discuss certain sections.
kathleenitpdx's review
3.0
This is a feminist exposition of the backlash to women's advances of the 60's and 70's that has a lot of applicability to today. Again the job losses in the current recession have hit more men than women. (The industries with the biggest job losses-construction, investment banking and manufacturing are still very much male-dominated). So based on Faludi's reasoning we may be in for more backlash.
It explains why most of the prominent anti-abortion proponents are men. Evidently they feel threatened by women having control of their reproduction.
It also helps me to understand why my daughter, raised in the 80's and 90's refused to accept the label of feminist. She had bought into the media's portrayal of women having already made it. Now that she is making her way in the real world, she is beginning to see the issues.
It explains why most of the prominent anti-abortion proponents are men. Evidently they feel threatened by women having control of their reproduction.
It also helps me to understand why my daughter, raised in the 80's and 90's refused to accept the label of feminist. She had bought into the media's portrayal of women having already made it. Now that she is making her way in the real world, she is beginning to see the issues.
bluejayreads's review against another edition
5.0
This is a great book to read if you want to be angry. Because wow.
This book is about the phenomenon of backlash against women's rights. In the 70s, women's rights made huge progress, and Backlash details how society reacted to that by emotionally, economically, and politically waging war against women to try and put them back in their place.
I don't actually hate men. Men individually can be very nice. But men as an institution are absolutely horrible. This book is full of examples of men reacting to women becoming more independent with abuse, harassment, discrimination, and injustice. This is a tome of a book (nearly 600 pages) and it's just full of men's attempts to tear women down, organized by category. From the personal (rape, domestic abuse, verbal sexism, workplace harassment, etc.) to the institutional (beauty standards, hiring discrimination, discrimination in the courts, the message that women aren't worth anything unless they're mothers, and more), there's a whole massive campaign against women and women (and I'd wager most men) aren't consciously aware of it.
This is a very thoroughly journalistic work, and if you have doubts, Susan has sources. Chapter one had 7 entire pages of sources. Some of it is data from interviews and time the author spent observing the situations she writes about, and some of it is from research, but it's very well-sourced and every place she got her information is listed in the back of the book.
Even though it is focused on the 80s (the original book was published in 1991), the 2006 edition that I read had a preface with updates - but even without that, it's still incredibly relevant. It is super long, and I know a lot of people won't have the time or the perseverance to get through it (I almost didn't and I love reading), but it still makes my recommended reading list. Even if you can't get through the entire thing, just a chapter or two will help you get the picture. And if you think feminism isn't necessary anymore, this should be required reading. We've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.
This book is about the phenomenon of backlash against women's rights. In the 70s, women's rights made huge progress, and Backlash details how society reacted to that by emotionally, economically, and politically waging war against women to try and put them back in their place.
I don't actually hate men. Men individually can be very nice. But men as an institution are absolutely horrible. This book is full of examples of men reacting to women becoming more independent with abuse, harassment, discrimination, and injustice. This is a tome of a book (nearly 600 pages) and it's just full of men's attempts to tear women down, organized by category. From the personal (rape, domestic abuse, verbal sexism, workplace harassment, etc.) to the institutional (beauty standards, hiring discrimination, discrimination in the courts, the message that women aren't worth anything unless they're mothers, and more), there's a whole massive campaign against women and women (and I'd wager most men) aren't consciously aware of it.
This is a very thoroughly journalistic work, and if you have doubts, Susan has sources. Chapter one had 7 entire pages of sources. Some of it is data from interviews and time the author spent observing the situations she writes about, and some of it is from research, but it's very well-sourced and every place she got her information is listed in the back of the book.
Even though it is focused on the 80s (the original book was published in 1991), the 2006 edition that I read had a preface with updates - but even without that, it's still incredibly relevant. It is super long, and I know a lot of people won't have the time or the perseverance to get through it (I almost didn't and I love reading), but it still makes my recommended reading list. Even if you can't get through the entire thing, just a chapter or two will help you get the picture. And if you think feminism isn't necessary anymore, this should be required reading. We've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.
raehink's review
2.0
I did enjoy and think about some parts of this book, but I just do not get angry over many modern feminist issues.
pelks's review
5.0
This book was absolutely excellent. I really thought it was going to be too depressing and that I wouldn't be able to finish it, when in fact I really enjoyed reading it and I learned a lot. Faludi is an excellent writer who does a great job combining facts and storytelling. It is a survey of all the antifeminist sentiments of the 80s/Regan era from the perspective of the 90s, and while it is still unfortunately relevant today, it also somehow ends up putting absolutely enraging thing into a positive context. (That said, there are still things a handful of things that haven't aged well, the discussion of Roseanne's heyday being one example.) The ultimate message is that the backlash is a measure of the power of feminism, and indeed that progress can be pushed back but not reversed or silenced. I highly recommend this book!