Backlash : The Undeclared War Against American Women by Susan Faludi (1992)

I read the original version of this book in college. I gathered all my courage afterwards and stuck it in a bag of books for my mom, hoping she would read it and magically turn into a feminist. Alas, it did not work. BUT she did accidentally read half of the book before she decided it was too "college-y". ( )

Not bailing because it's bad or not worth the read. Quite the contrary, I think this is a very important book, and I really like the way Faludi approaches the topic. But I was in college in the mid-90s, taking women's studies courses and marching in Take Back the Night rallies, and this book gets me grouchy about how slow progress is. I don't feel like being grouchy, but maybe it's a good one to show my teenager.

I didn't expect to read all this book. Released in 1992, I figured that it would be an interesting historical document but I'd eventually tire of outdated gender politics and move on, but I never did. Gripping and depressing, this book covered the world that my generation came to maturity in and I could revel in a kind of morbid nostalgia. But there was plenty to learn too - I hadnt thought about waves of emancipation and backlash, nor had I previously access to such compelling statistics and stories to illustrate the successes of both feminism and anti-feminism. Incredibly well paced and laid out, every section reveals another part of the big picture of angophonic misogyny and the hypocrisies and brutalities of the woman-hating right. The section where we are introduced to the men and women of the American right and how mostly they expect feminism for themselves but not other women, or tolerate feminism in their families where they deny it to others. Funny but sad. Finally we meet some women whose company forced them to get sterilised to keep their jobs, then sacked them anyway, and we learn about how justice was denied to them. It leaves you sad and angry, as it should. Of course, the people who need to read this book probably didn't read it. Really needs a 2020 update! ( )

> BACKLASH : La guerre froide contre les femmes, par Susan Faludi. — C'est un essai sur la guerre officieuse menée contre les femmes américaines. Faludi nous explique comment les médias de masse ont gagné (et continuent de le faire) leur lutte contre le discours féministe des années 70 et 80.
-- C'est fou de voir comment les (jeunes) femmes des années 2000 ont intériorisé les messages au point de ne plus vouloir être identifiées comme féministes. C'est un livre qui me pousse à me battre chaque jour pour faire reconnaître que tout n'est pas gagné comme on tente de nous le faire dire.
--Geneviève Hétu (ICI.Radio-Canada.ca)