I am about 3/4 of the way through Susan Faludi's groundbreaking work, Backlash. It gives a riveting account of how the media, government, New Right, and other American institutions used sexist messaging, policy, medicine, and other means to roll back the gains of the women's movement. As a book, it is painstakingly researched, witty, frightening in places, and pertinent to feminists today. However, there was a moment yesterday where I almost tossed the book across the room.

On page 325, in the midst of an account of an antifeminist woman's rise, Faludi describes how Sylvia Ann Hewlett's book is poorly researched and full of dishonesty. She then writes, "Based on these informative encounters with the average woman on the street, Hewlett concludes that feminism has gypped her sex" (emphasis mine). The tone of the sentence is sarcastic, but the slur remains. To "gyp" someone means to steal or cheat them, and it comes from the word "gypsy", against whom there is still rampant discrimination. Though this book is dated (it was fish published in 1991, I am reading the 2006 edition), as an advocate of feminism, Faludi should have known better than to use an ethnic slur in a book that is otherwise brilliant in advocating the rights of all women in the United States. It should be noted that this book is not particularly focused on racism as a problem for women of color that certainly intersects with other aspects of the backlash. Nevertheless, to use a slur so casually casts a shadow on this book. Using a different word, such as "cheated", would have kept the same tone and meaning. In the next edition, perhaps Faludi should consider a few revisions.

bell hooks is for everyone

I have recently finished bell hooks' Feminism is for Everybody and am currently finishing Feminist Theory from Margin to Center. This is by no means a complete review, as there is much to be gained from a second or even a third reading, but these are just some thoughts on these books.

Feminism is for Everybody is an excellent Feminism 101 book. It is written in high-school level prose with minimal academic jargon. The books is divided into short chapters, each focusing on a different feminist issue eg. race and gender, feminist parenting, or ending violence. The book itself is only about 120 pages long, so it is an easy read for anyone on a long commute or after work. I found this book very engaging to read, and easy to understand. It affirms hooks' own principle of making feminist materials accessible to non-academics, which she discusses in Feminist Theory from Margin to Center.

Feminist Theory from Margin to Center is a more challenging read. It contains more theory than Feminism is for Everybody, and is written at a college level. It contains many of the same ideas as Feminism is for Everybody, but they are considerably more fleshed out. It also contains strong, thoughtful critiques of the mainstream feminist movement. This book was written in 1984, while Feminism is for Everybody was written in 2000. Nevertheless, the critiques in this book still stand, and white middle-class feminists could always benefit from a critique and examination of their privilege. This book is an excellent text for those who want to expand upon their 101 learning.

My main issue with hooks' arguments is that she consistently uses the Marxist terminology of bourgeois (not so much the word proletarian) and advocates socialism, or something that looks very much like socialism, for a feminist economic system. This to me simplifies class hierarchy and struggle. There are more than two socio-economic classes, there are many. Furthermore, socialism as it has been executed worldwide has many flaws. Even in communist societies, there are class hierarchies and sexism. While I agree with hooks that feminist revolutionists need to find an alternative to capitalism (which is exploitative and often degrading), I don't think socialism is the answer. I will not attempt to posit a feminist economic system here because I am not educated enough in economics.

These books are also very Western or US-centric, so readers who are looking for a discussion of global feminism may want to look elsewhere.

I highly recommend these books to anyone who is a budding feminist, is interested in feminism, or is looking to deepen their understanding of feminism.