This is a great anthology of both well-known and less-known works contributing to women's equality and liberation. There's the Feminine Mystique but then some works by feminist groups in the 1970s that I found very interesting. If you're looking for a wide range of sources and perspectives, spanning the 1950s (which typically is seen as the ""beginning" of the feminist movement) to the present day, this is it.

For me, and someone who has read on this topic before, the first part was the expected and less engaging than the second part. For someone who is first setting foot into interacting with these readings, the whole book will be equally engaging. I think the 50s, 60s, and some of the 70s always gets its place in the sun. The later 70s through the present often gets left behind in the narratives and history- partially because it seems too close to the present, but also because I think women get overshadowed by other events in these eras.

So glad this was put together by the Library of America. I always find their layouts, font, and formatting so aesthetically pleasing.

Fabulous selection of powerful works from women. Loved taking the journey through history. Highly recommend.

It took me way too long to read this book.

Way, way too long.

I first decided not to finish, just not review, and then I went back again because there are very few books I've ever not finished. Very few. It just read so much like a textbook which maybe that was the point of it I don't know but maybe I expected something different.

Just not for me.

Also it's extremely long. If you're studying feminism I think you'll love this book. If you just wanted to read more about the subject and not feel like you're in school you might not like it.

I don't know.

It just wasn't what I expected.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable collection about second wave feminism. I always loved my Women’s Studies courses in college and this was a nice refresher. Many new and interesting articles I was not familiar with and an introduction to many people/groups that were not really referenced even 10-15 years ago in class. Still very relevant to the experience of women today.

This is an excellent read for anyone interested in an in depth overview of second wave feminism and the different branches of feminism. Don’t let the length of the book intimidate you, it’s an engaging read that doesn’t feel textbook-like.

This edited volume provides an excellent introduction to second-wave feminism. The editors, Alix Kates Schulman and Honor Moore, have assembled an impressive array of writings from the feminist movement (1963–1991) that highlight the diversity of the activists and their views. The writings are presented chronologically, and each text or excerpt of a text is prefaced with a brief introduction written by the editors that provides the reader unfamiliar with the feminist movement with background on the author and on the context in which the writing appeared.

Opening with an excerpt from Betty Friedan's iconic book The Feminine Mystique in which Friedan describes "the problem that has no name" and talks about women's need for meaningful work outside the home, the editors are careful to note that Friedan did not address the concerns of women, both black and white, who did work outside the home, while at the same time showing how this book served as a springboard for protests by women from diverse backgrounds. This diversity immediately becomes apparent as the reader moves through the book, reading excerpts by African American women, Native American women, as well as women that promote very different solutions to the problems of gender and sexual discrimination, including, but not limited to, legislative reform, consciousness-raising, and lesbian separatism. As a result, no reader can come away from this collection still thinking that second-wave feminism was a monolithic movement in which only white middle-class women took part.

The chronological presentation of the essays also allows the reader to see how the movement evolved over time, that is, how it went from a few isolated women who were unsure if such a movement was even possible to a highly diverse movement which at times was deeply divided on issues such as sexuality—that is, whether the emphasis should be on sexual pleasure as a path to liberation or on sexual danger, that is, taking action against pornography and prostitution as oppressive of women. The editors include sample writings from both sides of this debate, as well as from many other debates within the movement.

The body of literature produced by second-wave feminists is vast. Thus, for reasons of space, the editors could not include everything. They opted not to include feminist fiction, poetry and drama. They also chose to exclude academic writings largely addressed to other academics. Obviously some may take issue with these choices. Still others, such as I, might prefer fewer selections with more contextualization, that is, more about the larger historical context in which these selections emerged and the opponents and obstacles that these women encountered. But these very minor objections and wishes are just that and take away nothing from a book that should be a must-read for every person, regardless of gender, interested in women's rights and how the pursuit of women's rights overlaps with issues of race, class, religion, and sexual orientation.

*Arc kindly given via Netgalley*

As a women who has been intimately related with feminism, this book was everything I was hoping it would be. The chorus of diverse voices we get to hear talk about different struggles helped me to widen my perspective and learn so much more about this movement and its roots. You get to read about black feminism, queer feminism, radical feminist, among others which I consider to be a really good selection since before this book, I haven't got a chance to read about this branches that the movement have.

I consider this book to be a “must read” to anyone who's looking to learn more about occidental feminist history.