1. An Overview of the battle for freedom and equality
When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present by Gail Collins. The author, a columnist for The New York Times, provides an overview of how things got this way with her usual witty, yet fully informed, self when describing decades of women’s rights activism. Consider this book that you should have been assigned before you graduated from college, if not high school. (Hachette Book Group, $28)
2. Freedom in marriage
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. Betty Friedan remains controversial beyond the grave, in part, because this book reflects the status of women married to men who make a good income — not employed women, not women of color and certainly not lesbians. Nevertheless, it remains essential reading as it touched off a storm that is still being waged over the work-life balance and the ideal family life. Arguably one of the most important books of the 20th century. ($15, Amazon)
3. Equality in maternal caregiving
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League International. This book is the real deal produced by the La Leche League, which grew from a 1956 group of lactating Chicago mothers, who decided to come together to share and eventually write down what they wished they had known. Dedicated to supporting nursing and expectant mothers, the internationally respected La Leche League has set the standard for educating and supporting mothers in this natural art for generations. The league says the updated version has been retooled, refocused and updated for today’s mothers and lifestyles. Good, because employers are now required by law to provide time for women to pump. Next up: Paid parental leave so women can stay at home for a while and skip pumping for weeks or even several months. ($20, La Leche League)
4. Freedom in our daily lives
The Sisterhood is Powerful by Robin Morgan. The first comprehensive collection of writings from the women's liberation movement with more than 50 contributors, all women, about how the status of women and girls is used and abused by the major institutions of U.S. society — marriage, the family, church, courts, the media, welfare, the schools, the professions, business and industry. Often credited as popularizing the women’s rights movement in the United States, this still serves as a basic book about what we are complaining about. (Amazon, $35)re
Next: More history books
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5. Equality in our health care
Our Bodies, Ourselves by Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. First published way back when and regularly updated, this is a most fundamental book about, well, our bodies. It was birthed when a group of highly educated Boston women began to believe their doctors might not actually know what was best for them or actually any of us. The classic and comprehensive guide is regularly updated and includes all aspects of women's health and sexuality, including menopause, birth control, childbirth, sexual health, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental health and general well-being. ($28, Indie Bound)
6. Freedom to be in public spaces
Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape by Susan Brownmiller. This book is so powerful that I remember where I was when I happened to begin reading a review. Against Our Will is crucial to understanding the current campus movements to end impunity for sexual assaults and the international initiatives to end rape as a weapon of war. (Amazon, $14)
7. Freedom from violence in our homes
Battered Wives by Del Martin. This is the book that broke the silence surrounding violence against U. S. women. It remains the best general introduction to partner violence and includes excellent critical summaries of the legal and political status of battered wives and the extent to which their immediate predicament must be understood in broad political terms. A long-time activist for lesbian rights, Martin married Phyllis Ann Lyon, in San Francisco on June 16, 2008, in the first same-sex wedding to take place in San Francisco after the state’s highest court same-sex marriage. Two months later, Martin died from complications of an arm bone fracture in San Francisco. ($35, Amazon)
8. Equality in the nation’s narrative
But Some of Us Are Brave from The Feminist Press. Originally published in 1982, this is a guide for anyone who wishes to include women of African descent in the history of American women and in the history of the descendants of Africans in the United States. It features essays by Alice Walker, the Combahee River Collective and Barbara Smith. This book is vital in this post-Ferguson discussion of race, gender and impunity in America. (The Feminist Press, $20)
Next: More history books
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9. Freedom from biased public policy
Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women by Susan Faludi. Faludi called it in 1991: American women were in for a massive push back on every major front — media, politics, fashion, psychology, work and reproductive health care. Sigh. She was so right, and we are still being pushed around. (Google Books, $4)
10. Equality in political power
The Republican War Against Women: An Insider’s Report from Behind the Lines by Tanya Melich. Melich was the first to fully document the moment in the history of the Republican Party’s decision to include an unprecedented anti-abortion plank in the 1980 convention’s platform — the same convention that nominated Ronald Reagan for president. Given the number of republicans serving on the U.S. Supreme Court about the hear a crucial case on access to abortion services, it is well-worth understanding the political calculation that continues to be central to the republican election strategies. (Google Books, $14)
11. Freedom to decide what is news
The Girls in the Balcony by Nan Robertson. If you ever wondered why a nation’s most influential news media ignore or mishandle stories, events and trends concerning women’s lives, this is the place to start boning up on the history of women in journalism. (Amazon, $18)
12. Equality in the workplace
Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas by Jill Abramson and Jane Mayer. The team’s full account of the 1991 Congressional hearings into Anita Hill’s accusation that Thomas had sexually harassed her when he was her boss at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Strange Justice documents not only the Congress’ motives for trashing Anita Hill on national television, but also the political paybacks behind Thomas’s nomination and appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. The conduct of the members of Congress during the hearings sparked what became the “year of the women,” when record numbers of women were elected to the House and the Senate and the creation of multiple organizations to boost women’s representation in elected public office. (Amazon, $5)