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Susan Faludi on the Web
- Faludi, Susan. Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American
Women,(1991).
- A terse review of Faludi's Backlash, appearing
below, which rapidly propagated throughout the net, including the
soc.feminism newsgroup FAQ,
the home pages of various people and on other feminist reference sites.
Note: I did not find Backlash to be in any way unsympathetic
to any choices a woman must make.
Gives an overview of the reaction to feminism in America today. It
is an incredible compendium of incorrect facts, bogus statistics,
false logic and unfounded theories, all of which which are presented
by society and the media in particular as "true" and "factual" in
order to keep women subordinate. One caveat about this book is that
the author seems unsympathetic to the difficult choices a woman must
make if she wants to combine career and family.
Columbia
Journalism Review
- Another review of Backlash, this one lengthy, full-bodied.
The singling out of one gender in the article's title, MYTHS THAT
MEN (AND MEDIA) LIVE BY is not supported by the work being reviewed.
It is quite clear in Faludi's research that women live by these myths
as well. The reviewer writes,
"I came away from Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American
Women feeling not only that it should be required reading for all
Americans, but that every representative of any media organization
in the country should be locked in a room until he or she has finished
the last page"
A
post-feminist era?
- Less a review of Backlash than a quick summarization
of it in comparison to Marilyn French's The
War Against Women. The Reviewer writes:
"Faludi is 33, French into her 50s. Together they span the
generations of women in this latest wave of feminism. This generation
gap is important; Faludi and the even younger Naomi Wolf are the angry
children of the three decades of the US women's movement. They are
the offspring of Reagan's America, an altogether more pessimistic
cohort, a lot less able to sustain dreams than were the children of
Kennedy's America."
Susan
Faludi and Naomi Wolf Backlashings: The Effects on Women's Minds, Jobs
and Bodies
- Another quick review in the guise of promoting a speech
or seminar given by Faludi and Wolf. Says the reviewer:
"And there is also still that sense that the word "feminist" is pejorative;
the minute you declare yourself to be one, you can feel your credibility
oozing away, other women resent you for rocking the boat (can't you
see this is the way it has always been?), you are automatically part
of a self-fulfilling prophecy that you are doomed to a life of loneliness,
despair, barrenness and social and economic marginalization."
Marriage
and career
- Not so much a review as a brief summation of Backlash's
thesis concerning women's attitudes towards marriage and career.
Commercial media wisdom tells us single career women are desperate
for marriage but will be left on the shelf: if women choose economic
independence and professional fulfilment over marriage and child-bearing,
the cost will be dreadful -- loneliness, nervous breakdowns, the loss
of femininity.
Review
of Who Stole Feminism? How Women Have Betrayed Women, by Christina Hoff
Sommers
- Faludi through the 'balanced' eye of a reviewer of Hoff Sommer's
book, Who Stole Feminism.
According to the review, "Anyone who has read Susan Faludi's Backlash,
as I have, should read Who Stole Feminism? for balance.
Sommers hasn't convinced me that Faludi is completely wrong - I
don't find it unlikely that some groups, especially religious conservatives,
want to roll back the advances that women have made. But Sommers
has a sharper mind than Faludi, and more common sense. She's also
more restrained, rational, and rigorous than is Camille Paglia,
but fans of Paglia's rants will find some good fiery moments in
this book."
Identifying
the enemy
- Compares the significance and definition of self-esteem
as seen by Faludi and Gloria Steinem.
Both women try to sort out why the women's movement of the '60s faltered.
Why were the hard-won gains made in pay, working conditions, abortion
rights and anti-discrimination legislation gradually wound back, in
degrees, during the Reagan years?
Faludi
critiques new 'revisionist feminism' during Olin lecture
- A report on the lecture, its content and the response of
some students.
At a time when the media is holding up women like Linda Tripp and
Paula Jones as feminist icons, Susan Faludi says, it's no wonder women
are wary of the feminist label.
Award-winning
journalist visits campus
- An announcement of Faludi's visit to the University of
Tennessee. When I first posted this page, back in 1996, this small
article offered the most depth found on the net.
"Known for her best-seller, Backlash: The Undeclared War Against
American Women, Faludi is noted for her hard-hitting reporting
style and statistical analysis. Backlash, her first book, won the
National Book Critics Circle Award in 1991."
Susan Faludi on the Nomadic Spirit
- Fueling the Bonfire.
Bat City . . . and beyond (Part I)
Bat City . . . and beyond (Part II)
- Quotes: three different ones.
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