Growing up in the American South with deeply traditional roots, feminism always felt like a radical, even taboo, concept. Reading Wild Hope was like finding a voice that had been echoing inside me for years but had never been given words. Marisa Bate’s story felt incredibly familiar and moving.

Bate weaves personal history with political insight in a way that feels both intimate and universally resonant. Her assertion that “the personal is political” resonated deeply with me, and her writing reminded me that our individual stories are part of a much larger fabric of resistance, resilience, and hope.

This is a thoughtful mix of personal memoir, journalism, and women’s history. One thing I appreciated a lot about this book was seeing the United States through a British lens and the intersection of women’s history across countries. I think this would work especially well for someone in their late teens and early twenties who may have less background on the topics covered.