A sympathetic biography of one of the most famous leaders in the women's movement. According to Heilbrun, Steinem's beauty and ability to remain constantly in the public eye have been a constant source of irritation to other feminists. She presents Steinmen as a slightly naive, well-intentioned and empathetic individual who never intended to lead the feminist movement and indeed would have preferred remaining in the shadows as a reporter and writer.

I read this book nonstop while on a lengthy car trip. I found it to be incredibly interesting, informative, well-researched, and enjoyable to read. If you've ever wondered how Gloria Steinem got to be the icon that she is, this book explains it all. Whether you are researching Steinem or just looking for an interesting non-fiction, this book is for you!!

Growing up in the early 80's, I had a vauge idea who Gloria Steinem was and what she did. I was delighted to pick up this book and read the first (and probaly most accurate)book on such a revolutionary leader.

Denounced by the extreme right and extreme left, Steinem's life has taken her from Ohio to Massachusetts to India, Washington DC and NY. Having cofounded Ms. the National Women's Political Caucus, the Women's Action Alliance and Voters for Choice, Steinem is truly an example of a good role model.

Heilbrum's superb prose takes us into the infamous resentment born by Betty Friedan and Kathie Sarahchild. Although both of these women are famous in their own right, their inexcusable and childish tantrums undid their own feminist reputation without any help from Steinem. Also deserving of their repuation is Betty Harris who's paranoid delusions and lax work ethic jepordaized the working environment at the early MS. Steinem is a saint for having dealt with these crazies and still keeping cool.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I began to appreciate it when I realized what a handy reference tool it was. Bascially, it shows in full color all the WW comic books covers, from No. 1 until the ones out when the book printed. It's fun to see how WW herself has changed through the decades, from mod in the 60's to muscle queen in the 90's. And for comic book collectors, it's a good guide to go by, since knowing what each and every cover looks like is a real help!

Even the most serious Wonder Woman collector will find it a daunting task to collect every single comic book Wonder Woman has appeared in. This little folio allows the average fan to see what comics she's appeared in, how her appearance has changed over the last sixty years, and the occasional silly adventures she underwent (there was a brief period where Wonder Woman was depowered and gave up the uniform, only wearing white clothing in the early 70's). It's a lot of fun to flip through the book and let your imagination take over about what could have possibly happened in each comic book since actual copies of the comic book can be difficult to find (this is true for the much older comics - see your local comic shop for current comics being released on a monthly basis). The folio makes a great, inexpensive gift for kids (especially as a stocking stuffer) and fans alike. I actually got one as a wedding present. There are so many images that you will find yourself looking through it time and time again and never tiring of it!

Collectors will enjoy this little book. It shows the Amazing Amazon over the last 50 years. Not every cover is shown, but the collection does a good job of assembing a representative sampling. And the intorduction is warm, personal, and interesting. Since most people will never get to see the comics these covers come from, it offers an easy chance to see Diana in action. A small book, but big fun!

This biography is actually quite good - and overdue. Underhill seems to be not much 'captured' by her amorous and dominant beta female subject. (That's a common problem in biography). There are certain problems about V. Woodhull however, as there are about all prominent persons. She was, as was her sister, a courtesan, a New Age Spiritualist (inspired by the Fox 'knuckle cracker' sisters). Amazingly, a NY female Wall Street stockbroker!, a female candidate for president! Not much came of either, but she remained amazing anyway.
That she married some rich English baron or other and moved to England, thereafter supporting her neer do well relatives (including her mother) for decades (as she had in the States), seems beside the point, except that it's clear that she finally gave up the fight. As she saw it - or are we merely imagining how she saw it? Perhaps we expect too much from Victoria, and given her times, she pretty much gets a pass. She caused not such harm as Ellen White, Madam Blavatsky or Mary Baker Eddy. Give thanks.
Part of this biography delves into the internal feuds in the early 1st wave feminist movement, which tells us a bit about 'power seeking' (even in females), as does the life of Woodhull herself. At each stage of her (and her relatives) life, there are powerful males, her father, the drunken doctor she marries young, Cornelias Vanderbilt, her literary second husband, General Ben Butler, whoever is male and useful. Excepting her father, they all get sexed, and they all are useful. Not that such maneuvering towards the top by women is all that uncommon in the last 4,000 years of human history. That it's a woman's way, does not one thinks, make it a life to emulate in the modern feminist movement. I'll take Abigail Adams anytime.

This is an amazing biography of Victoria C. Woodhull a little known suffragist and spirtualist of the late 19th Century. Growing up poor in a dysfunctional Ohio family she pulled herself up from poverty to become a leading sufferagist as well as opening with her sister the first female owned wallstreet brokerage company. This is just the tip of the iceberg as she ran for president in the 1870's, exposed a huge scandal concerning a leading New York minister, and eventually married into one of the richest families in England. Her ideas and opinions on sexuality, divorce, and women's rights were a hundred years before her time. She was no saint; her unconventional and adventurous lifestyle recieved much criticism and was her eventual undoing in society. Her life is more fantasic and entertaining than fiction. Victoria Woodhull has been hidden in the closet like a skeleton for too long; if you read any non-fiction this year, read this book!

The previous edition of this book came highly recommended to me as highly informative about the many health issues facing women - the physical problems/changes women of all ages might expect to face, their symptoms and treatments. Instead, social and political essays on such topics as sexism, harassment in the workplace, lesbianism, the politics of women's health and medical care, racism and the environment, etc. have crowded out many of the subjects and the information that I, and probably most women, are seeking in a book purportedly about women's health. While political and social matters like those raised in the book are certainly valid and of interest to many, they don't belong in a book that should be dealing with women's health issues. The title itself is very misleading, and I was extremely disappointed in the book. Because of the inadequate coverage of facts and information in this edition, I am searching for another book that will provide the answers to the! many questions that were not answered by Our Bodies, Ourselves.

The authors write as if women are people, as if women are not all the same but in fact have a wide range of biological and behavioral variability, as if each woman is unique and, not only that, is entitled to living as she very well pleases. It's a disgrace. They show women naked who don't look like fashion models but could be just you or me. They write as if it's a good idea for women to be healthy in mind as well as in body. As if this wasn't enough, they go on to suggest that the quality of health care has anything to do with the medical establishment, that women should actually be informed correctly of the risks of medical procedures and alternatives available and, lo and behold, make the choice themselves, that the medical establishment is often not a wonderful haven for women who are poor or outside the cultural mainstream, as in for example when they are members of minority groups, that a woman's sex life and relationships may be influenced by power structures in the society she lives in, and other such far-fetched stuff. In reality, we all know that all women have 28-day periods, get menopausal at 48, are all heterossexual, are all white (most other books agree at least on this one point), are all fairly pretty, all get married, all want children, and that health has nothing to do with anything else in the world out there. No wonder one reader complained that this book, supposed to be about health, is also political. A disgrace indeed.

If I could only recommend one book on women's health to my colleagues and clients, this would be it. Unlike other women's health books, this one recognizes that health and well-being is more than simply the presence or absence of illness or physical conditions. It's time that women learn about their bodies and health in the context of their lives and not just out of a medical textbook. I applaud the authors for their appreciation of women's diversity, both in bodies and lifestyles, and the personal uniqueness that each of us can learn to cherish. Every woman should have this book.

I bought The Vagina Monologues prepared to be wowed, moved, and forever changed. After all, isn't that what happens to every woman who reads The Vagina Monologues? Well, not for me.

The first problem that I had with this book is that it simply doesn't work well as a book. I didn't laugh. I didn't cry. I didn't anything. The monologues are written as performance pieces and simply don't stand up without the performance. It isn't their fault, just the nature of the thing. As a sidenote; I was able to see the monologues sometime late, which really brought home the point to me - it needs women to make it come alive.

The second problem that I had with The Vagina Monologues was that I felt it missed the mark. As with so much feminist literature it mixes up freeing women/relieving oppression with a sort of 'no holds barred' abandonment of any type of morality. As a result, I have very mixed feelings about the monologues. I feel some are very important and need to be heard by more people (such as the monologue which illustrates why rape as a tactic of systematic warfare is a very bad idea). That monologue (for me) speaks to the idea of acknowledging women's suffering and seeking to do something to stop it. On the other hand, I felt that some of the monologues were in very bad taste that borders on criminal. I'm thinking specifically of a monologue which details how a grown woman makes love (I call it molests) a thirteen year old girl. I'm sorry if I seem too conservative for the times, but I don't see how it is liberating to women to be commiting pedophelia upon them.

Which brings me to another point about The Vagina Monologues. The author's message of freeing women from the bonds of oppression gets all mixed up with a 'lesbians are good' message. Regardless of whether lesbians are or are not good, I feel that this muddies the waters in this book considerably. After all, if the thirteen year old girl that I mentioned in the last paragraph had been involved with a grown man, we'd all be howling from the rooftops.

In summary, I feel that The Vagina Monologues have lots of potential but suffer from a clear definition of mission. The book plays fairly badly as well. Read the Vagina Monologues if you wish, better yet, attend a performance. Be prepared, however, to hold yourself back from being swept into the popular tide of thought so that you may think and judge critically, for yourself, what you find.

At my book club meeting a couple months ago, one of the members (who had just returned from a trip to London) was raving about this one-woman show she saw. I had heard of The Vagina Monologues before but couldn't recall exactly what it was about. Well, this member gave us all the gritty details and sparked quite a discussion about it. And with us all being such book nuts, we had to know, "Is there a book?"

Reading The Vagina Monologues left me with a new feeling of empowerment and happiness at being born a woman. The women Eve Ensler interviewed for the essays came across as strong individuals -- simply because they survived. The essays cover a wide variety of topics such as birth, sex, rape, genital mutilation, and menstruation. All different types of women were interviewed, and their stories will make you laugh, cry, and shout with joy. Plus, reading the letters in the back of the book from people who attended the live performances was very moving. Just hearing how the show affected the audience (men and women alike) was enough to see its worth.

I thank Eve Ensler for creating The Vagina Monologues and for believing in the power, uniqueness, gentleness and strength of women. Makes me want to start my own show. And to quote one of the women who directed the play, "Viva Vagina!"

I picked up this book at the airport without knowing anything about it last July. Despite the fact that my teenage sons were acutely embarrassed that I was reading a book with the word vagina emblazoned across the cover in red (their education started right there!), I could not put it down until I read every word between the covers - luckily it was a long enough flight to finish. Since then I have bought 11 copies as gifts, have been to see the play 4 times (each time dragging along groups of reluctant men) and have directed a performance to be held tonight at my local college. This book should be compulsory reading for all men who want to understand where women 'are coming from'. I am wondering if it sounds too ridiculous to say that this book changed my life. Perhaps that is an overstatement but it certainly changed the way that I feel about my own body.
It is a collection of monologues about the 'blameless vulva' written from different perspectives and covering all aspects of self-image, body awareness, female oppression, violence and a little bit of sex too. It is often very funny, but within minutes you will find yourself crying as some of the monologues are poignant and distressing. Eve Ensler has been incredibly brave in facing many of the issues head on.
Don't hesitate - buy it.

This book addresses the problem of self-esteem in general, but it is particularly suited for women. While every woman will not agree with all of Gloria Steinem's views, this book has become a classic. It addresses a fundamental problem in the female life cycle. The author has developed a clear insight into her own inner struggles, and has a remarkable ability of introspection. One may have the genes, the education, the financial security, and many other advantages in life, but if a woman is lacking in self-esteem their talents are wasted. The author has seen if happen among women, and obviously felt compelled enough to write a book about the problem. Gloria Steinem is a voice, one voice, but what a voice!

Gloria Steinem has given us a wonderful opportunity to see her as far more than just a feminist, political activist, and one of the most influental women of the 20th century. Her full-blooded life springs from the pages of this book, sharing a powerful message of self-discovery and self-love. If anyone can speak of the disillusionment fraught within celebrity, and the ensuing blows to one's self-esteem, it is Gloria Steinem. Criticized and scrutinized for everything from her love life to her choice of colored hose, Steinem has experienced first hand the ludicrous workings of the media. Her resulting insight into such issues as self-individuation and self-identification are timely and important. Gloria has created a beautiful work of art which defies the media's constant need to define and label her into neat little categories; in "Revolution From Within: A Book of Self-Esteem" Gloria defines herself as human being, a category we can all relate to.

This is one of those books I wish I could get everyone to read. I love Gloria Steinem and all of her books, but this is definitely my favorite. I've read it twice and have listened to the audio countless times. Just listening to her is comforting. This book reminds us to question the status quo and listen to our true selves more. We are so used to doing things a certain way that we don't stop to question why some things are the way they are. Women are taught to think and act a certain way and so are men. Anyone who strays from the course is ostracized. Most people underestimate the importance of self-esteem. But if more people felt better about themselves, they wouldn't do or say the things they do. If you felt stronger, more comfortable and happier with yourself, not only could you deal with any abuse from others, you would be less likely to dish it out yourself. Please read this book or listen to the audio.

In the introduction to "Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions," Gloria Steinem says that feminism is for people who "dream of a justice that is yet to come and live on the edge of history." In essence, Steinem was also describing what this book is about -- transforming history through activism. I absolutely loved reading "Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions" because I got to sit at the feet of the "Queen" of feminism herself as she describes her battle for women and her struggle for a society of integrity, love, and equality. Her book consists of a collection of essays written from 1963-1983 on a plethora of topics from her childhood to her work in national politics. Steinem also writes on other topics such as time, food, college reunions, sisterhood, women's sexuality, and, in addition to all of that, she profiles the lives of five famous women. Gloria says it best herself, "There is no subject that feminism doesn't transform."

My favorite essay from this book is "I Was a Playboy Bunny," in which Steinem gives her account of infiltrating the Playboy Club to investigate what goes on "behind the scenes." Although it was shocking to read about how the "Bunnies" are treated, it was also funny to hear about Steinem's wacky experiences while running the hat check or serving drinks. She also managed to socialize with the other Bunnies in the back room, discovering that women are lured into the club with promises of high wages, but many were making barely enough to get by. Steinem ridicules the way that the Bunnies are treated by both the patrons and the management, pointing out that the women are being used as objects without regard to their personal feelings or sense of dignity. A poignant comment made at the end of the article casts some light on the bigger picture -- Steinem says that feminism has helped her to realize that "all women are Bunnies." After having read about her "job" in the Playboy Club and then comparing it to the way that women in general are treated, I couldn't agree more. While I was reading it, I thought that this was a funny essay that intended to poke fun, but after reading Steinem's correlation to society, I realize that the article should serve a sobering reminder of why feminism is so important. "I Was a Playboy Bunny" is a wake-up call to men and women everywhere.

Overall, I thought that "Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions" was an awesome book. Steinem's lucid writing about how much feminism grew during just two decades should serve as an inspiration to feminists and other activists of the future. I wish I could say that the Feminist Revolution is over and that we can move on to other issues, but the fact remains that feminism has only just begun -- so much of what Steinem writes about is still relevant today. As we look ahead, we can use this book as a tool for producing change -- one only needs to remember the title, "Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions." With these two principles, we will indeed live on the edge of history and not only dream, but take an active role in creating the justice that is yet to come.

This collection of Gloria Steinem essays spanning 20 years (from 1962-1982)is entertaining, expertly written, and socially important. I don't know too much about feminism and social issues, but this pioneer of feminism writes in a language accessible to regular people, but with such a strong grasp of issues and knowledge base that it satisfies intellectuals as well. Some standout essays include the famous "I Was A Playboy Bunny" which examines the seedy side of the overglamorized playboy bunny job in the 1960's with a lot of wryness and criticism, but compassion and respect for those unfortunate women who made a living out of humiliation and discomfort. I also found Steinem's thoughts about "Transexualism" intriguing. To her, it's completely unwarranted. Whether or not you believe that, her opinion is interesting nonetheless. "Marilyn Monroe: The Women Who Died Too Soon" recounts Steinem's brief encounter with the late sex symbol, and offers a quick character sketch of a more complicated, intelligent woman than one might expect. "Erotica vs. Pornography" "If Men Could Menstruate" and "Why Young Women Are More Conservative" are all excellent essays with eye catching titles and even more introspective content. My absolute favorite essay though is "If Hitler were Alive, What Side Would He Be On" referring to the abortion debate. It is a well researched, well devised essay that examines the propaganda of the right wing and comes up with a convincing conclusion, which states, predictably, that Hitler would be on the pro-life side. All in all, this is an excellent book. Although it's rather old, it's not dated in the least, a telling sign that perhaps feminism hasn't come as far as we'd like to think. Still, let's hope that Steinem's efforts, as exemplified in this collection, have made some progress in ourselves and our society.

This was the first book I read by Gloria Steinem (but not the last!), and I loved it!! I took it on vacation and found it to be the perfect book for a trip. You can read one essay at a time or a few of them in one sitting. They range in tone and style from the more humorous to the dead serious. And reading about Steinem's experience as a playboy bunny, and then Hugh Hefner's response to her expose on Playboy was worth the price of the book. This book is for anyone and everyone, it's awesome!

My mother is quoted in this book as having said, "Poor Gloria". After reading the highly researched and, at least regarding the Waite High School years, mostly accurate bio, and from a vantage point of the intervening 50 years, it is appropriate to echo, "Poor Gloria". Her story is a string of betrayals, a fear of intimacy, promiscuity and relentless self promotion. I was put on to this book by another of our CAT group who has been married for 43 years, with her husband raised 5 children, traveled globally and is president of a tour company. I, with my husband of 45 years, raised 4 children, one a state senator, another an advocate for the disabled. I was the first to air a consumer program on tv in the country, and the first woman managing editor of a tv news operation. Ours was the first generation whose fathers expected us to go to college....as many of our 16 member CATs did...and realized our individual potential. Gloria became famous. Most of us became fulfilled.

Sidney Ladersohn Stern's excellent biography of Gloria Steinemreveals the person behind the streaked blonde mane and aviatorglasses. The character that emerges from these pages has devoted her life to speaking, organizing and fundraising for women's groups and issues. Generous, warm and witty, she's a born leader. She drives herself to exhaustion to help the underdog. She is also insecure, a sucker for dubious causes (example: victims of satanic cults), and a liar. Repeatedly, Stern shows, she's distorted the truth in her favor - even shaving years off her age.

By collecting telling details, describing them clearly and analyzing them astutely, Stern has shaped a mountain of information into a vivid, nuanced portrait. Sadly, it proved to be too nuanced for its subject. Stern explains in the afterward that Steinem tried to persuade her to change certain details, and when she failed, worked to discredit the book. Too bad. This book offers a realistic picture of a female leader, and thereby does its own bit for womankind.

Its a sad rationalization of a series of horrible decisions. The fact the one writer says that having a child would have been far worse than the pain she experienced having an abortion is saddening. How could she not value another's life. It is a story of selfishness. Those should take a deeper look at what they are doing in supporting the death of a baby. ...
God bless.

This book is a great read for background information and history on the women's right movement and abortion becoming legal in the United States. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. Themes about sadness and regret are very common and validating. It also discusses abortion from the man's perspective- one lost his mom! GOOOOOOOOOOOD book!

This is a terrific collection of first-person narratives by women who had illegal abortions in the days before Roe V Wade. Some are famous -- Whoopi Goldberg, Linda Ellerbee, Jill Clayburgh, Ursula K LeGuin, Grace Paley. Others are not. But all testify to the fear, desperation and danger that surround abortion when it is forced underground. Harsh religion, sexual ignorance, unsympathetic families, and vanishing boyfriends are recurring themes. Each woman tells her own story--vividly and naturally, without slogans or jargon. Coat hangers and death by sepsis or hemorrhage are not pro-choice propaganda -- they were realities not so long ago. I hope everyone who supports abortion rights will give this book to a friend who thinks maybe restricting abortion would be a good idea. A definite must for your local public library.

This book's sole redeeming value is in demonstrating that there's not a mass men's movement because women won't allow it. I'll let feminist Donna LaFramboise put it this way: "Taken as a whole, it is condescending, derisive and arrogant in tone, as well as a display of feminine busybody-ness at its worst. On the one hand, men are repeatedly condemned for thinking they're the center of the universe. On the other, these women insist feminists have the right to be pronouncing on the men's movement as well as dictating terms to it. Writer after writer declares that a "real" men's movement should be properly concerned not with whatever it decides its priorities to be, but with women's issues..." (e-me for the source)

I picked up this book imagining it would feel motivational to read radical feminist dialogue. Instead I grew impatient and was disappointed with this collection. The opening story by Ursula le Guin is juvenile in both setting and understanding, and the succeeding essays do not rise above this immature beginning.

Maybe I feel this way only because there is nowadays no apparent "men's movement" to reinforce macho and threaten me as a woman. Or maybe it is because I am a wife and a mother of boys that I think it shortsighted to condemn those who wish to empower men. To blame men as a gender for the disempowerment of women is to overlook a lot of social and economic complexities or our world. Life is hard for people of both genders.

This is a collection of armchair rhetoric to enflame the opposition. I can imagine that ultra-conservative anti-feminists would get a lot of ammunition out of quotes from this ill-conceived book. It is a shame, because there is still a lot to be said for feminism and women's rights. This book, however, is more an example of stray radicalism gone wrong - a sort of "backlash" against an imaginary enemy - than any clear thinking about real social issues.

All in all, I actually enjoyed this book. There are many powerful voices (bell hooks, Gloria Steinem, etc.) within, and in general they try to bring a contructive, balanced approach to tackling the issues within.

The most glaring fault, to me, was that the writers almost exclusively addressed the mythopoetic branch of the men's movement. Many of the essays mentioned or alluded to the fact that there were other factions in the men's movement, but almost none addressed them. Honestly, I don't know much about the rest of the men's movement, but for a collection which contained such a diversity of approaches (from straight essays to fiction to "backtalk""), I was rather surprised at the lack of diversity in discussion.

As there were a number of essays, there is obviously a variation in quality throughout. Many of the essays seemed to quote Iron John (not a book that I'm tremendously fond of, in general) grossly out of context, whereas others (Barbara Kingsolver, for example) seemed to take great effort to create a balanced account. Some of the same points are repeated throughout the collection, sometimes stated much more cohesively than others. It is difficult, because of this, to write a review for the entire book, but I would say that it is definitely worth reading for anyone trying to develop a better understanding of men's studies.