Read Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions GLORIA STEINEM 9781250204868 Books
Read Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions GLORIA STEINEM 9781250204868 Books
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An updated, third edition of the renowned feminist’s most diverse and timeless collection of essays, with a new foreword by Emma Watson.
Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions has sold over half a million copies since its original publication in 1983, acclaimed for its witty, warm, and life-changing view of the world, "as if women mattered." Steinem's truly personal writing is here, from the now-famous exposé, "I Was a Playboy Bunny," to the moving tribute to her mother "Ruth's Song (Because She Could Not Sing It)". Her prescient essays on female genital mutilation and the difference between erotica and pornography that are still referenced and relevant today, and the hilarious satire, "If Men Could Menstruate†resonates as much as ever.
As Watson writes of Steinem in her foreword, “She makes what otherwise can be arduous and depressing reading into something not only relatable, but also enjoyable... Her plain common sense, calling things out as they are, will make you laugh out loud. This is her superpower.â€
Read Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions GLORIA STEINEM 9781250204868 Books
"As a new feminist, I knew that this collection of essays by Gloria Steinam was a must-read, along with other classic feminist texts (Simone de Beauvoir, etc.) and modern feminist writings (Jessica Valenti). I started this in December and periodically got in and out of reading it, sometimes because the essays were way over my head and sometimes because I didn't want to reach the end just yet. Steinam is brilliant in a way that I hope to be some day, insightful and open and witty and so amazingly right about things that I wonder how long it took her to gather her most brilliant writings and out them into a comprehensive and very well-organized book. A breakdown of the contents:
My Favorites:
"I Was a Playboy Bunny"- this is a must-read for anyone buying into the edia crap about how the Playboy bunnies were glamorous and well-off. Steinam's account wasn't thrilling or exciting, there were no horrifying events, but it was honest and it exposed a world that was tiring, irritating, cheap, sleazy, and completely patriarchal. I read this whole essay in one breath, I loved her details and how she didn't seem to have a bias. She just told us the facts and let us decide for ourselves.
"Ruth's Song (Because She Could Not Sing It)"- I was nearly brought to tears by the end of this essay. It says so much about how women's mental illness was viewed in post-Freudian times and how Steinam's mother, once smart and capable, had descended into something that no one at the time understood. This must have been very emotional to write.
"In Praise of Women's Bodies"- Girls, this is SO important to read. It brought a smile to my face and it made me start loving myself, flaws and all.
"Men and Women Talking"- Very insightful. I learned about a lot of these little differences and nuances in psychology, but they always seemed to be from the man's point of view. This also serves as a self-help section, letting women know that being assertive and loud is just fine and we should in fact do it more often. Very helpful.
"Erotica vs. Pornography"- This one was hard to read but it really resonated with me. Modern feminists are very sex-positive and I love that, but it has always been hard for me to ignore the damaging misogynistic effects of pornography of all kinds. It may seem dated to some feminists but I definitely agree with Steinam's ideas.
The whole "Five Women" section- I don't know how this didn't win some sort of writing prize. This section was so well-written and I will never forget reading it. Five important women in our culture- Marilyn Monroe, Pat Nixon, Linda Lovelace, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and Alice Walker- are examined and revered, because their stories are so widely told but not in the right way or from the right perspective. I love these women, I feel so much closer to them now. I don't know if anyone but Steinam could instill that much emotion in me.
"The International Crime of Genital Mutilation"- This one is also a tough pill to swallow, but it is very important. We don't think about these things enough. This will get you thinking.
"If Men Could Menstruate"- Hilarious, but also the one that fully proved to me that Steinam is a genius.
Every woman and girl (and man, I think) needs to read at least a few of these essays. Feminism is still relevant and still needed. These essays were written decades ago but many of the issues persist today. I'm not saying some of the ideas (especially about trans* issues) are not dated, but they are still worth the time to read. I really enjoyed this collection."
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Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions GLORIA STEINEM 9781250204868 Books Reviews :
Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions GLORIA STEINEM 9781250204868 Books Reviews
- I had forgotten that Gloria Steinem was, first and foremost, a journalist until I read this book. Some of the essays seem quaintly dated; others evoke nostalgia for a more activist time when anything seemed possible. But many of her thoughts seem as relevant today, if not as radical, as they did when she wrote them down. Good reading for anyone who wonders, "Whatever happened to my feminist dreams?"
A couple of notes I'd heard that once upon a time, she a Playboy bunny, but didn't realize she did it in order to engage in investigative reporting. That pieces was a fantastic way to start the book.
Also, I was lucky enough to meet her when I was a freshman at Yale College. She'd promised she would come speak to the Yale Political Union if Morey's -- a now defunct private eating club -- ever opened its membership to women. It was a promise she never thought she'd have to keep. But I was in the first wave of women members. Also, I'd cynically joined the Libertarian Party, along with a couple of friends, when they came wooing. They were about to lose their status as a party because, under Yale PU rules, they had to have at least 25 members. I made a cynical bargain with them I'd join if I could eat dinner with Gloria Steinem and a couple of other interesting people who were coming to speak that fall (each party could send three representatives to eat dinner with each speake)r. They accepted, and I ate dinner with Gloria Steinem, Russell Baker, and either Yasser Arafat or the first PLO observer at the United Nations -- I don't remember which one. - As a male, I found it helpful to read Steinem's female-oriented viewpoints on a number of topics. The book is not new, and yet I still feel that my mind was opened and informed further by many of the essays. There were some personal surprises, too. For example, Steinem (who was often on TV when I was young) claims to have been afraid of public speaking. Despite some few slow spots, there was enough here to warrant 4 stars, in my view.
- As a new feminist, I knew that this collection of essays by Gloria Steinam was a must-read, along with other classic feminist texts (Simone de Beauvoir, etc.) and modern feminist writings (Jessica Valenti). I started this in December and periodically got in and out of reading it, sometimes because the essays were way over my head and sometimes because I didn't want to reach the end just yet. Steinam is brilliant in a way that I hope to be some day, insightful and open and witty and so amazingly right about things that I wonder how long it took her to gather her most brilliant writings and out them into a comprehensive and very well-organized book. A breakdown of the contents
My Favorites
"I Was a Playboy Bunny"- this is a must-read for anyone buying into the edia crap about how the Playboy bunnies were glamorous and well-off. Steinam's account wasn't thrilling or exciting, there were no horrifying events, but it was honest and it exposed a world that was tiring, irritating, cheap, sleazy, and completely patriarchal. I read this whole essay in one breath, I loved her details and how she didn't seem to have a bias. She just told us the facts and let us decide for ourselves.
"Ruth's Song (Because She Could Not Sing It)"- I was nearly brought to tears by the end of this essay. It says so much about how women's mental illness was viewed in post-Freudian times and how Steinam's mother, once smart and capable, had descended into something that no one at the time understood. This must have been very emotional to write.
"In Praise of Women's Bodies"- Girls, this is SO important to read. It brought a smile to my face and it made me start loving myself, flaws and all.
"Men and Women Talking"- Very insightful. I learned about a lot of these little differences and nuances in psychology, but they always seemed to be from the man's point of view. This also serves as a self-help section, letting women know that being assertive and loud is just fine and we should in fact do it more often. Very helpful.
"Erotica vs. Pornography"- This one was hard to read but it really resonated with me. Modern feminists are very sex-positive and I love that, but it has always been hard for me to ignore the damaging misogynistic effects of pornography of all kinds. It may seem dated to some feminists but I definitely agree with Steinam's ideas.
The whole "Five Women" section- I don't know how this didn't win some sort of writing prize. This section was so well-written and I will never forget reading it. Five important women in our culture- Marilyn Monroe, Pat Nixon, Linda Lovelace, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and Alice Walker- are examined and revered, because their stories are so widely told but not in the right way or from the right perspective. I love these women, I feel so much closer to them now. I don't know if anyone but Steinam could instill that much emotion in me.
"The International Crime of Genital Mutilation"- This one is also a tough pill to swallow, but it is very important. We don't think about these things enough. This will get you thinking.
"If Men Could Menstruate"- Hilarious, but also the one that fully proved to me that Steinam is a genius.
Every woman and girl (and man, I think) needs to read at least a few of these essays. Feminism is still relevant and still needed. These essays were written decades ago but many of the issues persist today. I'm not saying some of the ideas (especially about trans* issues) are not dated, but they are still worth the time to read. I really enjoyed this collection. - Gloria Steinem's book brings together essays on her personal biography, sketches of famous women, and tracts on what we might call the philosophy of feminism.
She writes vividly about a past filled equally with milestones and stumbling blocks. Since the book is by her and to a great extent about her, it came as a surprise to find so little ego in her writing. It's almost as if she's writing about someone else's views--someone she knows intimately but whom she feels no need to defend or promote.
It's arresting in 2012 to read about Steinem's encounters with the male establishment in the early days of feminism, when it was hard for a woman to be taken seriously. Senator Abraham Ribicoff--whom we may remember as a courageous liberal in many respects--didn't want her to have much visibility in politics. Or as he put it more succinctly, "No broads." The book is filled with surprises like that one. What keeps them from being too depressing is our knowledge that Steinem didn't give up but bounced back time after time and built a brilliant career.
Her chapters on famous women--Marilyn Monroe, Jackie O, Linda Lovelace, and quite a few more--also go several decades back in time yet are still compelling--almost tear-provoking. Of all the essays, these are the ones you might find hardest to put down because the unique yet credible insights keep coming.
I had hesitated to buy the book, worrying that the essays might come off as stale or shrill. Far from it! What you'll find here is a close-up view of an important piece of history by one of the principals who made that bit of history happen.
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